Tiz and Marino's El Camino de Santiago - A look back

We left our home, family and friends in Australia not all that long ago to experience living in various countries in Europe because we could, and we didn't want to look back in the hopefully distant future thinking "If only we had travelled more ....", or similar. 

In our very vague plans we thought starting off with a walk across Spain, more often referred to as El Camino Francés by those with a more religious bent than me, would be a good idea. We are both fit, have walked longish distances regularly for quite a while, well equipped and had looked at and read a lot of information about the Camino. We felt well prepared. 

We were not. No-one, NO-ONE, is fully, or even close to well enough, prepared for their first attempt at the ¬800 km walk. You are better prepared after your first attempt at the the full walk, and even then the Camino has a bagful of surprises, some good and some disastrous, in store for its attempters. 

The people we came across that were thwarted at achieving what they had well prepared for were many and varied. From having to abandon the walk because golf ball sized hailstones, to injuries of all sort despite being infantry soldier fit or elite sportsman, to being blown off your feet as you cross the Pyrenees and on and on.

Many people have completed the Camino on their first attempt   but many have not, some because of injury and many more than you hear about because of death. Yes, the trail has many tributes to "fallen" pilgrims.

The smarter, or more fortunate because of proximity or funds or available time, travellers we came across were the ones that had done the Camino in short pieces over a long period of time, as opposed to doing it all in one continuous attempt.

Tiz and I completed 9 stages from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santo Domingo de la Calzada , which are best described if you go here. We covered a little under 230 kms. 

Along our journey we learnt that NOTHING can properly and fully explain the gruelling terrain, the diversity of characters you meet, the amount of subjective opinions we listen to and take as good advice that ends up being worthless, the breath taking views you come across day after day, the kindness humankind is capable of, the strength of the apparently frail when they have faith in their God.

I am sad that Tiz didn't achieve her desire to finish the Camino, this time.

I am glad I had a chance to experience part of it, and that I decided that neither the destination - mass and some sort of spiritual fulfilment - nor the journey - walking seemingly endless kilometers across beautiful but inevitably boring terrain after too many sleepless nights in a alburgue's dormitory full of LOUD snoring people were what I wanted to repeat. 
As my cousin Angelo said "Why would I want to walk the Camino when we have so many great walks and hikes here in Italy?", and I think that applies to any country we care about.

It takes a very special person, to complete the Camino, and I am not that special. 

It takes a different type of "special" person to do it more than once, in my opinion.

Along those nine days we took a lot of photos. All have their own story, which I won't document but I think they are enjoyable even without a descriptor. 

A photo album of our abbreviated El Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

The days are in seperate folders.