Whether sitting on a rock overlooking the Pyrenees, watching the sun rise to awake the pueblos, watching sleepy Spaniards arise from their slumber as the rooster crows... I often sit and think: I love this.
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| the important things |
After 14 miles of grueling Pyrenees mountains, I watched as a few Brits hopped out of a taxi to have a coffee with fellow pilgrims. I must have given the impression of enjoying the Camino, because they started to inquire - Why??
When prompted, I realized it really comes down to three things: 1. Challenge 2. Community 3. Spain
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| St Jean pied de Port ... those first steps down this street |
Yes it's blister-fighting, back-aching, incline-climbing, cliff-scaling, path-following, muscle-tensing pain... But they say the level of physical fitness going into the Camino is irrelevant. While it's a challenge on the body, it's so much more a challenge on your mind. After all, waking up at 5am, packing up again to walk 17+ miles across fields of wheat and rolling hills in the blazing sun takes some inner pep-talking.
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| Leaving Roncevalles on Day Two... only 790k to go |
But walking with yesterday's clothes drying on my bag, the click of my walking stick creating a rhythm on the road, listening to the hushed chatter of various languages as strangers become pilgrims brothers and sisters, I have begun to realize there's nowhere else I would rather be than here. While my tendency is to work towards a goal and achieve beyond what I thought I could - the Camino is not about goals and destinations. It is not about competition or arrival.
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| through tunnels, over rivers, crossing bridges... |
It's passing through valleys, navigating farmland, and a respect for the path you are on. It's new friends and family dinners... Stopping at local cafes and drinking 1 euro vino in a river. It's swimming in creeks and watching sunrises and eating pilgrim menus until you're so full and tired all you can do is nap.
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| fields on fields on fields, with mountains in the background |
Not knowing where you're going to sleep, staying in monasteries, worshipping in tiny churches, laying stones down on the path symbolizing a moment of surrender...
The Camino is a spiritual journey whether you're taking a quiet moment to reflect on the path or grabbing San Miguels w/ the pilgrim friends you continue to see in various stages.
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| walk on. |
This journey. It's unexplainable.
And it's wonderful.
Ultreia.
Rebecca - So a friend of mine (who's just finishing the Camino) posted a blog of yours on FB. I've been following her journey for the last month or so as she's been trekking across Spain with rising amounts of jealousy (and I don't think that's the appropriate emotion to have when someone's doing a pilgrimage...) anyway, read what you had to write (both about leaving, and the above), and appreciated it muchissimo... Thanks for sharing aspects of that beauty with the rest of the world. It's a good reminder in the midst of the everyday-ness of life... looking forward to reading more... buen camino...
ReplyDeleteI got chills reading this!! You are truly on a beautifully challenging journey and I am LOVING seeing and hearing about your camino adventure! Praying that the holy spirit continues to speak to you in profound ways as you are walking along this physical and spiritual road each day. And I must say you are the cutest girl with a walking stick that I have ever seen!! Love you Rebes!! And I miss you too!!
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