Hi David,
You raise a good point. I've trekked on foot in places before and felt a greater connection in some ways, to both place and people. However on this trip I'm riding with a friend who has chosen this route, I'm a passenger as well as a keen one for random adventure opportunity. I hope our experiences on the bikes don't exclude us, but I guess we all have our reasons for our journeys. For me, it's another brief ride that itches an itch that may well turn into a very long journey in the near future. I have itchy feet and existential questions.
The Camino appeals because I know people on the path are there for many reasons. I'm Christian by upbringing but I'll be open and say I don't know what I believe now, as far as organised faith goes. I believe in human spirit and our link to the natural world, I believe in growth from stepping outside physical comfort zones, I also believe in the links between faiths and I find theology interesting. Beyond that - I'm open minded, I think. So I hope that this ride will allow us a glimpse into lives and minds that I might learn from. It's just a bike ride, but to me there's hope for more, something, maybe as simple as a conversation that inspires. I think cycling the
Camino Frances, sleeping out in the hills some nights and sharing stories in auberges on other nights will be a wider experience than other past bike tours. Maybe I'll be back on foot one day.
Before we leave, I'll post a few pics, if anyone reads this and recognises us and wants to chat to some faithless outsiders on bikes, I'd be happy : ) We may be passing through but our experience is, I hope, equally rich, just different. And if there's no room in the inn, I'm happy to sleep under the stars again. Everyone should do it, just once..
Thanks,
James