My Camino de Santiago – the beautiful things

A weird and wonderful thing about doing the Camino de Santiago is that it is both a unique solo experience but at the same time, once you do the Camino it seems like the universe keeps putting other people who have done the Camino in your ‘sphere.’ Somehow it doesn’t feel like it was a solitary experience, even when it was. As I write this final blog about ‘my Camino’ I am following 2 online friends that are doing the Camino Norte. Another travel friend recently completed the Camino Le Puy. And so I am reminiscing about my pilgrimage and cheering others on while they do theirs. As I reflect on all the wonderful things I experienced on my first Camino, I am certain that I want to do another one day. But for now I will share, as best as I can, some of my most beautiful moments.

The first few days were a combination of wonderful and challenging. Leaving Triacastela, I had made the decision to book ahead and book private rooms. I also decided to do a little ‘detour’ to a place called Samos. Along the Camino are a few detours, usually to a place of importance or beauty. I will forever be grateful that I made the decision to detour to Samos. The path from Triacastela to Samos was one of the most beautiful walks I have ever strolled.

All morning it was “misty raining.” I am not sure if that is the proper meteorological term but the rain was so soft it felt like it was tickling my face, the air was damp and cool but not too much. And sometimes there would be trickles of sunlight through the hazy skies. All morning it felt like I was walking through a painting. And for almost 5km, I didn’t see another human, just cows and chickens. It felt like I might be the only person in the world. But not in a sad or lonely way, in a magical otherworldly way.

In the middle of my magical, otherworldly day, I stopped at a tiny little cafe in the tiny little village of Freituxe. I mentioned the owner of the cafe, an older man with very little English, in an earlier post. He welcomed me so warmly. I spent the most perfect 30 minutes with this sweet man, in front of the fire. Singing Firework, to which he knew most of the words, and warming up. It will always be one of my best memories of the kindness of a stranger.

Day 9 was another incredible ‘remember for the rest of my life’ mornings. I had left Castromaior and took the little detour to Castro de Castromaior. It is an incredible archaeological site, developed during the Iron Age. First inhabited in 400 BC, the Castro (‘hill fort’ in English) was strategically situated with great visibility to be prepared for enemy attacks. Now one can simply bask in the interesting ruins and incredible views of the Galician countryside. I was the only pilgrim that morning to take the detour and had the blissful experience of feeling, again, like I might be the only person in the world. The quiet was eerie and the sun rising over the ruins was truly memorable.

I had a very long day on Day 10. 29 km that day to get to Arzua and I was very tired & very hungry. And my feet were screaming. But just before Arzua, I came up a small hill and heard laughter. Then I saw the small bridge over a small creek. There were lots of teenagers splashing around and a few adults sitting or wading. I quickened my step, found a spot and quickly shed my boots and socks. It sounds dramatic but I came close to crying tears of relief and gratitude. I am not sure cold water ever felt so good as it felt on my feet that day. And there were many of us – just basking in the sun and soaking our feet. Such a small and simple pleasure.

The day before I finally arrived, day 12, there was another moment. Sometimes you don’t know that you are about to experience a capital “M” moment. And that is maybe why they leave you breathless – the surprise. I was staying at a sweet little inn. When I had checked in, I was surprised and grateful that my room had two huge windows. Before diner, I had been admiring the cows in the fields right next to the inn. When I left for dinner, I left the shutters wide open.

Because it was my last night before reaching Santiago de Compostela, I had a glass of wine and lingered after dinner. When I went up to my room it was a little later than normal. I walked in the door and saw the start of the most beautiful sunset in my life. It was incredible. And unexpected. And magical. It seemed like the sun and the sky had decided to be extra spectacular to mark the last night of my journey. I am so grateful that after a few seconds of pure astonishment, I thought to grab my phone and capture the beauty. I think I will go back to this sunset many times in my life. Some moments you never forget and this sunset will be one of them.

The last beautiful thing about the Camino is simply the feeling of triumph at the end. I think that is true for everyone that does the Camino. However, for some pilgrims, myself for sure, you may question whether you can finish. I definitely thought about quitting several times. I doubted myself completely. At the beginning, it was the physical aspect that made me doubt myself. Then in the middle, I questioned my mental capabilities and perseverance. But now, for me, the Camino represents my entire life in many ways. The past 2 years of being a nomad has been, and continues to feel like, a long walk to an unknown destination. But because of the Camino (and some other wonderful and challenging events) I am sure that I can handle any journey I undertake.

There is one other very special and beautiful thing about the Camino de Santiago for me. Because of my pilgrimage, my youngest daughter Jordan decided to do the Camino one year later. Obviously, we did not actually ‘share’ the journey but it feels like we did. We experienced similar highs and lows, saw some of the same wonderful sights. We both really enjoyed this specific Spanish delicacy of canned tuna macaroni salad – an odd staple for both of us on the Camino. But we also had different challenges and highlights. And despite our age differences and being in different places in life, it was a bit of a ‘coming-of-age’ moment for both of us. One of my dreams is to do it together one day. Stay tuned 😉

One last thing that was very magical was the feeling that my son, Max, was with me. My entire journey, on random Camino sign posts, there he was. Max is a very protective son and it was beautifully comforting to feel like he was with me.

I hope you enjoyed my little “Camino series” and please reach out if you have any questions. Also, I would love to know if anyone has recommendations for another long walk. Thanks for reading 🙂 And if you want to listen to some Camino stories or other travel adventures, listen to the MAWS podcast linked below. I was interviewed by my good friend about my life as an over 50 female nomad.