Why do the Camino…again …and again…?

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

 “Don’t be that person who is too busy when you are young and then too tired when you are old” …unknown

Elizabeth:

So, here we go. We are walking/hiking the Camino de Santiago for the 4^th time. Why? Simply put, because we can. We can financially and physically. We have written many reasons, why we walk and how we accomplished leaving for 6+ weeks, in our past journals (See note at the bottom of this page). We explain where we leave the dog(s); who cares for our home and business, etc. The Cliff Notes: Gary and I have strategized from the moment we married (1986) to set our family life and careers on a course to be able to seriously play, debt free, later in life.

Gary texted me a few lyrics from a song while I was working a corporate meeting job for 5 days away from home. Written by John Denver in 1966, (sung by Perter, Paul and Mary in 1967), he typed: “All (our) bags are packed, we’re ready to go…(we’re) leavin’ on a jet plane…”

We are a couple weeks out from swinging our rucksacks onto our backs (originally a German word for a large bag on your back and still a popular word for backpack internationally) and leaving Phoenix for Madrid, then Saint Jean Pied de Port, France to walk 500 miles across northern Spain to Fisterra, a town on the Atlantic Ocean in northwestern Spain. No additional luggage. We only take the 15 or so pounds we carry and the clothes on our backs for close to two months (we will be gone 7 weeks this trip). It increases my appreciation for doing without, very comfortably. For being grateful for what we have but knowing we don’t “need” many of the items we own at home. How convenient to get up each morning and not have to put on make-up…I don’t bring any…I don’t have to choose what to wear that day…I have one set of clothes in my pack and one set on my back. No need to drive anywhere…you see so much more when you are walking. Where to eat? …anywhere, anytime or later, No schedule!

Enjoy your armchair travel with us as we put one foot in front of the other for roughly 14 miles per day for roughly 37 days straight. We meet new, soon to be, friends along The Way (El Camino). We will walk in the rain, sun, cold and heat. We might be aching and slow or dancing down the dirt roads celebrating the day! We will visit small towns of 65 friendly locals and experience businesses and culture in cities of roughly 100,000 people in Burgos and Leon to 200,000 in Pamplona. We will respectfully and silently (yup, believe it or not I can, not talk! : ) walk through tiny chapels at 4,000+ ft in elevation that were built in the 800’s and massive cathedrals magnificently constructed in the 1200’s; I will sip Café con leches (coffee with milk), we will enjoy cerveza con lemon (beer with lemon), snack on Manchego cheese, Valor chocolate and dine on paella (seafood dish). We will sleep with 25 of our “closest friends” in bunk beds in a monastery or get a private room in Abuela’s (grandma’s) Pension (bed and breakfast). I will be sore, strong, happy, emotional, silly and serious. So, here we go!

We are often asked – “Why do you keep going back?“ This is an excerpt from our 2019 Camino journal, Elizabeth’s thoughts :

Why I do the Camino…again… and again…?

As we were belting out Piano Man by Billy Joel, with 17 of our closest Camino friends at the Adobe Restaurant in El Burgo Ranero last night, I realized that there has not been a location that I have visited, in all our vacations through the years, where you can be with people you have never met, from all over the world, and feel so connected with one another. All of us have a common goal, Santiago, so the ice breaker has been done for us. The wonderful people walking the Camino, and those living in the villages who support and profit from the pilgrims, are so willing to assist, are very supportive and take part in whatever is occurring at that moment. The restaurant owner was closing after he served us and when we started singing, he came to our table and began recording us on his phone and enjoying the impromptu concert!

I love the spontaneity and flexibility that is so much a part of one’s experience on The Way. Gary and I thought we would eat at 3:30pm yesterday but realized the menu selections were going to be better starting at 6:30pm – Change in plans #1. Ohio Mom called out to Gary and I from her hotel window as we were walking by on the small and quiet street: “Hola! “ (Hello!), “Let’s meet for dinner at 6:30pm” I told her. When we gathered at 6:30, not only were we joined by Ohio Mom and her four daughters, but two women from Oregon and another woman from the US – Change in plans #2. Now a total of 10, we decided not to eat at the restaurant we were standing in front of, as they were already busy, but opted to go to another one down the street with lots of vegetarian options which can be difficult to find on the Camino – Change in plans #3. When we arrived at Adobe Restaurant, Gary and I realized that we had been there before and the food was amazing. They had a large table on the back patio and we were welcomed with open arms! It all seems to work out when you are relaxed and just go with the flow!

As we were about to leave following dinner, a woman from Australia and two men from France came and sat at our table with a guitar they said they found in the bar. Two people from another table slid over and a sing-a-long, complete with beautiful 17 harmonizing voices began! – Change in plans #4! We did not leave the restaurant until almost 10pm!  We would have stayed longer but several of us were at an Albergue (a hostel) and most have a 10pm curfew. Where in the world can you pull up a chair, to a table of perfect strangers, and feel like you are with family?

Since my job in the corporate meeting business is constant decision making and organization a must, I love the fact that I have very few choices to make each day on The Way. I have one set of clean clothes in my pack, one set on my back, what to wear? Done. Where to go today? West, done. What to eat? We pack a few snacks to eat along the trail; order breakfast part way through the day, finish walking for the day and get dinner at some time between 2 and 8pm. Does it really matter? The routine is simple and the same each day upon arrival…shower, do laundry, relax/nap, eat, socialize (or not) and go to bed. Repeat.

Walking verses biking or driving allows you to experience so many more of your senses. You not only see the flowers, but also smell them. You not only watch the mice scurry across the path but hear them rustling in the leaves. You see the hawk soaring in the thermals above you and then hear him screech. You hear a click, click, noise with chirps and look up to see a huge stork nest with mom feeding her chicks. You come upon another person (pilgrim or local) and they call out: “Buenos Dias, Buen Camino!” (Good day, Good walk) and you respond: “Gracias!” (Thank you!). You experience the hard packed dirt, gravel, blacktop and forest bedding under your feet. You can hear the wind blow the grains and corn in the fields, the dogs and chickens letting you know they are there.

You can walk in silence or listen to music; walk with others or alone; choose to be near the towns and roads or take an ancient remote route. You can cover a few miles or walk for 8 hours in a day. You can stay in a private room with a bath or in a large bunk room and share facilities. You can order fresh squeezed orange juice or espresso made to order. Tonight brings a good night’s sleep in a beautifully renovated horse barn complete with a communal dinner with new and interesting international pilgrims who, in a single day, have a common thread with us and quickly become part of our Camino family.

Feel free to read our 2015, 2016 and/or 2019 Camino journals by clicking Camino de Santiago . Then click on the year you want to read about. That will bring you to our Trailjournals.com past Camino posts.

Here is a link to a 21 minute YouTube video we did on our 2019 Camino.

Parkinson 2019 Camino Frances