Our Camino – Part Two

I often get lost in memories of our 2018 Camino Frances journey along The Way. It was an absolutely amazing trip, even through the hard days and aches and pains. The experience of a lifetime.

We met people from around the globe who were all doing this same thing – taking a long walk, really. We shared meals and stories with fellow pilgrims. We visited some of the smallest and some of the largest cathedrals and church’s in Northern Spain. We walked on old Roman roads, along busy highways, through fields and vineyards and over mountain ranges. We soaked our feet in cool rivers, and spent days just lost in thought and prayer. And we celebrated by spending two days walking the beaches at the end of the world (Fisterra).

There was some difficult times too. Ally was young and I think really wanted to go and do this cool thing – but she also knew she was missing out on everything back home. We had some tension and hard times. I’m pretty sure she hated me for dragging her along some days…

I was searching for something – healing maybe – and found it, but not to the extent that I needed. We were pressed for time and missed some of the middle part of the Frances route – but we still walked 685kms. All these things added to the stress of the Camino. However, both Ally and I find ourselves talking about this trip, over and over again, to literally anyone who will listen. Hah! My apologies to all those who have made the mistake of casually asking about this trip only to be bombarded by stories and recollections and sometimes tears!

They say that once you get the Camino bug, it never leaves. And it is true. I think we all long for solitude, for the open road, maybe for the ability to trust in only yourself to make it through each day. The simplicity of just eat/walk/sleep/repeat….

So Ally and I talk about going back. All the time. We talk about how we would do things differently. We talk about what it would be like to walk one of the other routes. We talk about the people we met, the mountains we climbed, the rivers we crossed. And we talk about how much we have changed as people since then. We are as close as ever – maybe as close as any mother/daughter could be. We’ve both grown mentally. We’ve both changed our surroundings and priorities. Ally has a home of her own, and Grant and I have moved across the country. But, Ally and I both think It Is Time to go back.

So, in 89 days, we will fly from Toronto and head across the Atlantic to Portugal. My Canadian Company of Pilgrims passport has arrived, as well as new patches for our packs. We are pumped!

The Portuguese Camino has a number of different routes. Right now, our plan is to follow the coastal route – however, depending on weather we may walk the central route out of Porto. Either way, it will be a long hike through a country with a great amount of history and culinary options and small towns and cafe con leche and pulpo and….we will eventually end up in Santiago de Compostela, Spain at the cathedral that was built on the place of the burial of the relics of the Apostle James.

Stay tuned!