It’s hard to imaging looking forward to anything for two years and the event living up to the kind of expectation that comes along with that. And it’s hard to imagine how much we underestimated our expectations for walking El Camino de Santiago.
I simply cannot tell you what I feel. For two years we’ve wondered about the weather… today could not have been any more pleasant – early morning “mist,” burning off into a beautiful 75- degree, humidity-free afternoon, warm at times, but mostly clear, blue skies and shady, near-perfect walking conditions. For two years we’ve wondered about the company on the trail… Andrea, Tony and Katie, and Kate (our guide), have quickly meshed as a very comfortable group, entertaining good conversation and lots of natural, good-hearted laughter, on the trail and at meals together. For two years we’ve wondered about “Spanish Steps,” the company who is guiding our trip… Kate could not be any more accommodating, helpful, and pleasant, and our guided journey is first class, all the way around. For two years, we’ve wondered about the Camino… and today exceeded our expectations – beyond measure. (You can have Paris – give me 16 miles on the Camino, any day!)
1,000 years ago pilgrims began walking to the cathedral in Santiago, de Compostella, Spain, to pay homage to the bones of St. James, which had purportedly been discovered there. Eventually the Pope named Santiago one of three pilgrim destinations (Rome and Jerusalem) worthy of full absolution. Though there are actually several routes, the path we have chosen is apparently the best known and most well-marked. Along this 1,000 years a trail has been carved through the landscape. The kilometers we walked today (nearly 16 miles), took us along paved and dirt roads, up rocky routes amidst cows and corn, along winding quiet streams, through narrow tree lined lanes, and parallel to miles and miles of moss-covered, stacked-stone walls which have bordered pastures and property lines for centuries – and at every turn, literally, following painted yellow arrows, and stone markers embossed with the scallop shell, and enumerating the dwindling distance to Santiago. At every ½ kilometer marker of our nine-hour walk, we joined countless other pilgrims by placing a single stone atop the stone, naming one of you, for whom we are thankful.
In one community we entered the Romanesque church with the other members of our group and sang and prayed our morning prayers. Two or three times along the way we stopped at the local “bar” (café) for a coffee or a snack, and for the “sello” (stamp) in our Compestella Passapuerta (without two stamps a day, proving the legitimacy of the walk – at least 100 kilometers – pilgrims are not eligible to receive “The Compestella” in Santiago. In Fereirro we ate lunch at the Café/Bar Crucieros (“Bar of the Cross”!) My “squid pings” (calamari) and olives stuffed with anchovies were even better than last night’s eel and algae!
The views were spectacular. The fellowship along the route was inspiring – with our group and the dozens and dozens of other pilgrims with whom we exchanged “Buen Camino”s as we passed. The anticipation of our destination, even after only one day of walking, is virtually tangible. (The marking stone at Portomarin, from where I’m typing this, reads “89.5 km” [to Santiago].) Tomorrow holds another 20+ kilometers, and another day to exceed expectations. I have no doubt.
We share your notes, prayers, poems, and well-wishes every day, and in so many ways, they are keeping us going.
We’re glad to be walking with you.
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