WALKER007
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Walked the Camino Frances 26th April to June 1st 2013
I have just returned after walking the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port. What can I say.... I started on 26th April and wondered what I was doing on that first day as we came down into Roncesvalles and the snow fell. It was hell. I had done what I thought was the training but didn't pack the right weight on my rucksack so the time I had reached Burgos my feet were shot. I had a good pair of boots but dumped them in Burgos for a pair of trainers. Along the way I met the most incredible people and got close to those I walked with as though they were long friends. The emotions I experienced were intense and "in the moment" I am 56 and did not find it easy but the encouragement from fellow pilgrims was amazing.
I walked the Camino for some romantic adventure after seeing the film The Way but soon realised that I wasn't just a trekker but a pilgrim. One definition of a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred space. For me the opportunity to share the stories of incredible people from all over the world was indeed sacred. I stayed at the alburgue at Tosantos, a religious one. We were invited to come to a service in the chapel, at the top of this old farm house. That night I will never forget as this wonderful Spanish couple took a service and read out why some people were walking the Camino and their intentions. One lady had breast cancer and this was her last hooray, another young boy was doing it in memory of his father and there were other touching stories. We woke up the following morning to Taize music and it was quite something.
So I loved walking the Camino. It was hard, beautiful, tiring, joyful, painful, a whole gambit of emotions. At the end in the Cathedral I cried because I knew I had spent 6 weeks of my life making special memories with some very special people and it had come to an end. It was everything and more that I expected it to be.
I walked the Camino for some romantic adventure after seeing the film The Way but soon realised that I wasn't just a trekker but a pilgrim. One definition of a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred space. For me the opportunity to share the stories of incredible people from all over the world was indeed sacred. I stayed at the alburgue at Tosantos, a religious one. We were invited to come to a service in the chapel, at the top of this old farm house. That night I will never forget as this wonderful Spanish couple took a service and read out why some people were walking the Camino and their intentions. One lady had breast cancer and this was her last hooray, another young boy was doing it in memory of his father and there were other touching stories. We woke up the following morning to Taize music and it was quite something.
So I loved walking the Camino. It was hard, beautiful, tiring, joyful, painful, a whole gambit of emotions. At the end in the Cathedral I cried because I knew I had spent 6 weeks of my life making special memories with some very special people and it had come to an end. It was everything and more that I expected it to be.