The walk to Santiago de Compostela is a journey that changes many peoples life, making this experience difficult to explain with words, but when I try to explain it, people think that I am crazy, and maybe I am and now Petr is as well.
So, for people that are not familiar with the Camino, I will explain. The Camino de Santiago, is a walk (the main and most known one) across the north of Spain, that starts in Saint Jean Pied de Port and ends in Santiago de Compostela, this walk is 772km long. People from all around the world walks it every year. There is no time limit, than your own, there is no amount of kilometres that you have to walk every day, there is not a walk that is the same for two people.
And a very good lesson I learned is, that you walk your own camino, and it’s the perfect metaphor for life. What you accomplish on the journey, it is not defined by anyone else than you. The best thing about the life on the Camino is the simplicity of the day to day life and how little you need for it. I love how it taught me that I don’t need more than what I can actually carry, and the amount of things I own and the money I spend on buying them, they don't have any good value.
First stop, Logroño, we felt like we discovered a different world that not many around us could see. Magic is the word for the feeling we felt that first morning, seeing everyone getting ready to enjoy one more day on Earth. Starting our way to Santiago before the sun raised, we left the albergue to follow the arrows and found Luisa, as lost as we were.
The first day was a challenge for me, and all the days after that as well. I almost walked the entire Camino in pain. Having to leave my hiking shoes behind, buy a new backpack and not walking for days, so I don't push my injuries too much, made it almost impossible to keep my goal in mind. I was lucky enough to share this experience with Petr, and to meet amazing people along the way, that pushed me to not give up.
Along the way we encountered many good people, that will give and help others for nothing in return. But also, the lack of compassion is very much noted in albergues that only want to make money out of the pilgrims, assuming that because you are walking the Camino, you must be rich, which is very inaccurate and mean. I do want to focus on the good people who we met along the way, like Paco. He is the owner in the albergue San Esteban in Castrojeriz and he is a true inspiration, he treats the pilgrims like his own family and he offers everything he is able to, only to help, no seeking anything in return. I was amazed how he has such a good heart and then noticed how many others don’t.
Every day, I miss the way of simply living and mostly our little Camino family: Luisa, James, Martin, Via, Ben, Theresa. Also the beautiful people we were lucky to meet, Jessica and Irving, Mario, Pepo and the good hearted people in the albergues. Thank you everyone for making my second Camino, unforgettable.
It is truly an amazing experience I constantly recommend to everyone. I could write so many stories and in so much detail my own experience but I hope one day, I can share this stories with all of you in person and I hope you will have time to hear me talking about the Camino for long hours.
Raluca
Would you like to see more pictures ? Go on https://www.rambelife.net/spain to see more !