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My fellow pilgrims on the Camino

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As I reflect on my Camino de Santiago experience, I want to share about my fellow pilgrims.  Something became obvious quickly - our brief time on the Camino would impact the opportunity to get to know other pilgrims on the way. The day before we began we were in Santiago doing laundry. We met two pilgrims that had just completed the journey after beginning in St Jean, France more than a month before.  They shared stories about their experience and how a group had become friends during the long trek. The young woman shared that she was sad for the trip to end, even though they had walked hundreds of miles, and she was envious that we were just beginning.  During our journey we did meet a number of interesting fellow pilgrims. They came from all over the world and had a variety of different life experiences that brought them to the pilgrimage.  There was a woman from New York who began in France, but a chronic health condition flared up and she needed to end early and ...
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Portugal

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After our Camino ended, we spent a few days in Porto and Lisbon with our friends before returning home.  Carrie and Jerry’s kids, Ben, John, and Jane, joined us in Porto. Their work and college schedules didn’t allow for them to participate in the Camino. We were so happy to spend several days all together in Portugal! Portugal is beautiful! My favorite part was seeing all the Portuguese tiles. They cover the facades of many buildings and give a very unique look to the old cities.  Our VRBO in Porto was very much not as advertised on the website. It was disappointing, but now we find the comedy in the situation. There are many stories that will make us laugh as we remember them for years to come.  When we arrived we were met by the grandma who manages the house. Even though it was past check in time, she was still cleaning and making the beds. She did offer us a bottle of port that we believe she made, though none of us speak Portuguese so we aren’t fully sure.  Ther...
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Camino Day 1

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Our day started off bright and early with a lovely breakfast at our B&B.  After breakfast, the same van driver from yesterday brought us down into Sarria to begin our Camino. The day was long, hot, and hard, but I think the reviews from the pilgrims in my group are all favorable about the experience so far. Our total distance walked today was about 15 miles.  The scenery is beautiful! We walked through small villages and farm land. Here are some of the cows that shared the way with us today. Dan was stopped by two separate cow traffic jams!  We have each met a few pilgrims that are sharing the journey with us. Claire has definitely made the most new friends so far. More about the fellow pilgrims in posts to come.  After a long day of walking, we arrived our tonight’s B&B. It is a cute little camp and cabin style place. The dinner was good and the wine, laughter, and friends around the table made it a wonderful evening.  Here is our cabin for tonight. The...
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Camino day 2

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This morning we started off with a van ride into the town of Portomarin to begin our walk for the day. We started off a little earlier this morning, thinking it would help us end earlier to have more down time in the afternoon and evening. What we didn’t take into consideration was the fact that more pilgrims, including bus loads of school kids, would also be walking early. It was definitely more crowded on the path.  The scenery was amazing, but it was also a very high incline today. 15 miles was a big day yesterday and we were tired. Today’s walk should have been 12 miles. Many in our group walked all 12, but Eliza decided it was best for her body not to push through. I happily joined her in taking a ride from the cafe where we stopped for lunch to the hotel. We made it 8.5 miles.  Miguel was our driver and also works at the hotel. He is a very funny, cheerful guy and by the time we made it to the hotel Eliza and I were laughing and in good spirits.  The hotel we are st...
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