Last Wednesday, Beau and I began walking from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. This is the most commonly walked part of the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage known in English as the way of St James. It is the most commonly walked part because it is the last 100 (actually 111) km of the Camino Francais (the French Way). To qualify as a proper pilgrim you must have walked the last 100km (or cycle the last 200km). Most of the people we met had started at further away (some had started in France and were over 20 days into the Camino when we were still on our day one).
Camino time is different to the time in regular life, particularly in Spain where places seem to open at 9am, close at 2pm and re-open and 5pm to properly close at 8pm! We were normally up around 6.30am and were packed, breakfasted and walking around 7.30am. It's autumn here and sunrise is not until about 8.30am so our first hour or so of walking was in the predawn light.
We were aiming for about 20km each day and our first couple of hours walking were normally our fastest. We would generally have a water break at about 5km and then have a "second breakfast" shortly after walking 10km. We'd have another short food break when we were 5km from our destination and once we got to the place we were staying the night, normally around 3pm, we would shower, change, do our washing and then have our main meal of the day before having a siesta.
We did our Camino in 6 days. We could have done it in five, but on the fifth day I was feeling pretty rubbish (my ankles had been giving me grief since our 3rd and longest day of walking when we did 28km) and Beau was still getting over a stomach bug, so we stopped after walking only 13km with just 5km to go. We later agreed that this was the best choice we could have made.
On our last day we made our way to Santiago through a drizzle of rain. As soon as we left the grounds of the Albergue (hostel) we were walking alongside busy and ugly roads, almost all uphill. Thinking of the peace of the Albergue and the rest of the Camino, I knew that I would not have been in the right frame of mind the day before. Following the signs of the Camino, yellow arrows and scallop shells, Beau and I made our way to the Cathedral and then to the Pilgrims office. Our pilgrimage didn't really finish until we attended the Pilgrim's Mass at noon. Sitting in the 11th century Cathedral with friends we'd met and made while walking was very moving.
The pilgrimage is basically an extended time of walking meditation. For much of the time there is nothing to do but walk and think. You have aches and pains, almost everyone does, but people don't dwell on it. There's no point in that, you know you will keep walking anyway. There is an enormous generousity of spirit in the people on the Camino. I was constantly touched by how while people were tired or sore, they had room in their hearts to care about these other strangers that they met. One pilgrim theorised to me that it is because on the Camino you have so much time with and for yourself that when you do meet someone else in need, it is easy and natural to be there for them. Less so than in regular life where there are so many more demands on you and your time.
I was given so much in doing this walk. I feel especially blessed to have been able to share this with my beloved. Especially, especially as he carried the bigger pack most of the time ;) Our journey together continues!
Point of Fashion: Non-camino clothes!!!!
Current Obsession: Much more to write and I wish I was better at expressing it.