Fellow Travelers

While the Camino de Santiago is a centuries-old Catholic pilgrimage (which was heavily promoted and subsidized by Franco - more on the Catholic church’s horrific complicity in Franco’s crimes in a later post) the Camino has, in the last few decades, expanded beyond its religious origins.

A plaque along the Camino memorializing those murdered by Francoists.

There seem to be two general categories of pilgrims: adventurers and searchers.

The adventurers tend to be young people right out of college or retirees. Folks who have the time to take a weeks-long walk but not an enormous budget. The Camino is a cheap way to have an adventure, experience new cultures, and meet new people

One pilgrim was accompanied by her dog, who carried his own pack. A PERROgrino 😂. Please congratulate me on making my first Spanish pun.

The searchers tend to be under 50. To do the whole Camino when you’re of working age means you’re going through some stuff. I’ve met people who are trying to break cycles of substance abuse. People who’ve had their hearts broken (including a young guy we met on the second night who’s walking over 50km a day and is Andy’s WhatsApp penpal…a girl broke his heart and I think he’s walking VERY FAST to forget her). Others are deeply unhappy with their careers, quit their jobs, and are on the Camino to find their purpose. Many pilgrims have suffered losses that they’re working through by walking - including medical professionals who are only now dealing with the horrors they saw during COVID. And there are those who are trying to get their self-confidence back. They want to prove to themselves that they can do hard things. One pilgrim told me “I haven’t crossed the finish line of anything in a while, so I feel like crossing a literal finish line in Santiago will give me back my confidence.”

These roads give you time to think.

Whether adventurers or searchers, the pilgrims have surprisingly open hearts. It’s amazing the things people share with total strangers as they walk beside each other or share a meal in an Albergue.

And while some people you never see again, others are on your same walking cycle so you see them over and over. It is a bit surreal to arrive in a city you’ve never been to before and run into people you know. While in Pamplona last week, we ran into two Swedish ladies who we’d had breakfast with on the very first day. “There you are!” they exclaimed. “We were just talking about you and wondering where you were!” (The answer: we are slow). Just this morning, Andy was walking in Logroño and a man started shouting hello. Andy didn’t think anything of it (“I don’t know anyone here” he told me later) but finally turned around to see a father and son who we shared dinner with two nights ago and saw in a coffee shop yesterday.

Today is a rest day for us. I’ve got five blisters (including one the size of a robin’s egg on my heel). We are falling behind everyone we’ve met. But we will meet new pilgrims and - who knows? - we might even catch up with old friends further down the path.

Wine fountain - one of the perks of the Camino

[I’m writing this on my phone so please excuse typos and formatting issues]