The Happy Pilgrim

Dedicated to an inspiring Pilgrim friend (Helen)

It's been a long time coming, but I have finally compiled all my favourite flowers of the Camino photos to share with interested friends and family. Pilgrims will see that some of these images aren't in chronological order. In consolation, I hope they are reminded of the joys of walking and the wide open spaces and the quiet times where the simple things in life, like flowers are appreciated. A simple peaceful moment capturing the perspective of the flowers against the road. 

Occasionally I captured fellow pilgrims in my lens at the same time (but not intentionally). Sometimes I walked with others (who also enjoyed the flowers and colours) and sometimes I stopped and they kept going while I took my time enjoying the solitude, colours and beautiful scenery.  This quirky photographic compilation and how it evolved reminds me of life in so many ways.  

I have mentioned the wisdom of Helen previously. She walked her first Camino the year before we met, from Burgos to "The End of the World" in 2014. She was a generation older than me and as fit as people half her age. She told me she wasn't sure she could do the Pyrenees the first time round. What a joy to spend time with her from Orrison to Burgos, noting she carried her own pack and stayed in shared accommodation.  

Helen also realised that while I researched my Camino "to death" beforehand, that I had absolutely no idea what to expect at the end of my journey in Finisterre. She deliberately kept the joy of stepping off the walking track onto this beautiful beach in north-west Spain a total secret from me, knowing I would be moved to tears by the experience. 

A final joy for me at the end of my Camino was that I tried all day to capture a photo of my shadow on that beach and failed to.  The reason I am smiling in this cloudy 'beach day' photo was that I will remember the joy of my whole Camino, including this day every time the sun is on my back and my shadow is in front of me. 

Thank you to Marc Tewksbury for helping me edit these treasured memories together in such and elegant and mindful way. 

These photos aren't for everyone but your music is just so beautiful it lends itself to the joy of life on the Camino.

Music enthusiasts may like to visit Marc's music catalogue on Apple Music or Spotify and YouTube.

I have read that the transition from The Camino back to your previous life can be challenging, well that’s according to Brierley. I have sent my Guide Book home now to make space in my bags so there are no words of wisdom from him to recount or paraphrase. These reflections must be my own and re-editing my blog five years on, they remain similar to those thoughts published in late June 2015.

We must continue with being mindful and aware that while one develops a great fondness for the Camino, one can’t be on it forever. It is probably harder for some and not so hard for others. When I returned to Santiago on Sunday en route to Malaga, I found myself quite aware that I have had my time (my arrival is over and it’s time to move on). The street vendors have moved to other parts of the square and there are new tour buses arriving at the Cathedral. I found that Finisterre completed my Camino journey for me. That walk "to the end of the world" is not for everyone. It's incredibly personal. Some choose Finisterre, some choose Muxia and some chose both. It is more quiet.

For some, if they run out of time, leave too soon and don’t wind them selves out it could be very upsetting to finish too quickly. Sort of like leaving without saying goodbye. Walking all that way, and towards the end glimpsing the ocean was truly extraordinary. I am so pleased that veterans like Helen (from the UK) didn’t give that away because it was a delightful surprise.. When I walked off the track and on to the beach and into the ocean I knew I didn’t need any more arrows. I was home. All the Pilgrims I spoke to later in the day and that evening agreed that the 2 km beach walk was a perfect way to complete the journey. Those endless shells were a delight and I collected some to bring home.

Coincidentally, as I was sitting on the stone seat at the edge of town in front of yet, another bar along came Lizzy. She called out to me and I didn’t recognise her at first (being short sighed and without my prescription sunglasses!) I may mentioned I lost them walking out of Pamplona!  Lizzy had arrived to walk along the beach and meet up with Rory.  He was a few kilometres behind me, nearing the start of the beach walk that I had just finished. Rory had made a very romantic marriage proposal in Santiago de Compostela last Sunday. They had been together seven years and their Camino was very special and obviously life affirming. Lizzy had got a lift to Finisterre because of her ongoing knee problem. She bravely battled the injury nearly the whole journey from SJPDP and Rory watched over her and cared for her gallantly.  Together they epitomised patience, kindness and resilience and I sincerely wish them well on the next stage of their life journey. Rory opted to walk the extra kms and put in a second huge day of 35kms (a mammoth effort) and they were meeting up on the beach. She asked me to join them for dinner that evening and perhaps go with them to the lighthouse. I was mindful of their privacy but she kindly encouraged me along. We parted ways and later ran into them both twice more that afternoon (as you tend to do) around the village.

My final guest house was lovely but I couldn’t check in until 2pm. This meant I had some time up my sleeve and I went and purchased some more “non-pilgrim” clothes for my next stage in Malaga and Barcelona and then on to Doha. I also needed to submit my Pilgrim passport with my twice daily “sessos” (stamps) at the Municipal Albergue. This is where the Finisterre credential is issued. The Municipal didn’t open until 1:30pm so I used this time to order a coffee. I have been limiting my coffee in Spain as it’s been so mediocre. I am a fussy coffee drinker, however today, for some reason I decided to jump off the edge and give it another go. So the story goes I need to walk to the end of the earth to get the best coffee in Spain. It was so nice I had two and laughed with the gentle fellow in hippy pants and jingling bells around his ankles and great English who served me. (He looked tanned and calm and like he was from Biron Bay). His manager was fussing around and the two of them were exact opposites. I laughed (and so did he) because he knew I was perplexed about how he could remain so patient and calm while his manager bounced off the walls. There are lessons to be learned everywhere and I found my self warming to this special place on the North Atlantic coastline at the north-west tip of Spain.

At 1:20pm I lined up for my Finisterre credential and waited about a further 20 minutes after the albergue opened. The line moved slowly but surely and everyone was polite and eager at the same time. I chatted to some Canadian ladies in the queue who had walked the northern route and were heading on to Muxia the following day (another 30kms). They didn’t walk along the beach because they were concerned about their feet with their packs on their backs. (Too heavy with the sand and they didn’t want to injure themselves).  I hope they get a chance to do the beach walk as it was not only cleansing for the soul but also extremely therapeutic for tired feet. My feet are very happy as I transition out of The Camino and I am very aware that not everyone is as fortunate.

After this I wandered around (saw Rory and Lizzy) and got a meet up place and time and went on to take some more photos and enjoy the views. I found a bank and purchased my bus ticket back to Santiago the following morning. There were three buses to choose from the 9:45am didn’t give me much time to walk the beach again in the morning,  but the 11:45am bus gave me plenty of time where as the 16:45pm bus could mean I wouldn’t get a chance to visit Saint James at the Cathedral. I missed my chances when I was there Sun-Mon-Tues. The queues were always so long. I got some snacks (fruit and beans) for the bus and train and then made my way to my guest house. It was reasonably large but not too large and way up high on a hill. I had a view out my window which was lovely, a fan and there was a little swimming pool. I did the usual Pilgrim things, washed my clothes and myself and organised my bags then went out.

When you walk the distance I had it’s just inevitable that you run into Pilgrims that you have spoken to or seen before. Sometimes you never see them again and other times you run into them every town or every second town. You see them in the plaza, at mass, in the supermarkado, at dinner or at breakfast or when stopping at a bar (and toilet) between towns. Sometimes you stop and offer to take a photo of them or ask them how they were since you last spoke (especially if they are carrying injuries). This is what this “collective” of people do, Pilgrims watch out for each other, they say hello and they check in on you. Many are self aware and respect that people sometimes like to walk alone.  It’s truly lovely and I find myself wishing I could put together a brief, recommending some of our politicians (on both sides) do at least one Camino before the end of their first term in government!

Meeting up with Pilgrims that I knew previously was inevitable and I wasn’t surprised that I ran into a 64 year old man I met in Rabanal.  I saw him regularly since then plus the couple with the little baby who had just taken her first steps on the Camino. On my final morning I met with Arjan (from Holland) at breakfast, a Pilgrim who was introduced to me by Lizzy and Rory at dinner the night before. I took a great photo of him at the lighthouse doing a handstand and asked Lizzy to pass it on to him. Coincidentally we were at the same guesthouse. He asked me to join him for breakfast and I showed him the photos on my camera and some of those already loaded on my blog. He particularly like the photo or Rory on top of O’Cebrero (one of my favourites).  He gave me his details so I could email him some photos and permission to publish any photos of him I chose and then we said our goodbyes. On the bus, I saw Kevin again. I met for the first time at the lighthouse the night before and enjoyed some very funny stories. He had been teaching English as a second language in Spain for the last two years and was returning to the US to take up a masters in English Literature. He had a great head torch which was very smart as getting back off those rocks in the dark was tricky!  Along with Lizzy and Rory we shared a taxi back to town.

As I write this latest post I have just been on an overnight train from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid and I am now on a connecting train to Malaga. I woke very early and did a few yoga stretches *standing upright in the quiet walkway outside of my four-sleeper compartment. The windows were huge and I enjoyed looking outside at the early morning landscape. It was dry and beautiful at the same time. I noticed an abundance of olive trees and there they were (by chance) a herd of wild deer, some with huge antlers. The sun cast shadows on the landscape and it was reminiscent of the Meseta in some ways (but not as flat).

I may not run into any more Pilgrims I have met before from here on, but if I do I won’t be at all surprised.  The train ride last night was noisy and squashy but I was glad to be laying down as opposed to sitting up all night. It went fast and there was time to freshen up before arriving in Madrid. Finding out how to get my connection was a bit of a challenge as the people who spoke English didn’t know the platform details and passed me on to people who didn’t speak English.  I was “shepherded" and by this I mean “pointed” in the direction with little or no detail and only in Spanish  (and a whole heap of faith). I am learning that I can’t always get the whole picture (all the details) sometimes I have to just go to the next gate/door/platform and the rest will unfold. I think if anyone explained to me exactly what I was going to have to do, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to cope! Needless to say, there was another  (inter-city) ticket to be issued, a platform to find, an interconnecting train to catch to another station. Then a queue to stand in, a different area to move to, another queue to seek directions and finally 20 minutes before departure I found my platform and train. But I made it and that's the main thing!

When I purchased my tickets on Tuesday I had the option “upgrade” to first class for an extra 1euro on the last leg (Madrid-Malaga).. All I can say is “VERY NICE”. I have a lovely single seat next to a window all on my own. Plenty of leg room, a fabulous tray table to set up my iPad and keyboard and we even got some nice food. This means I don’t need to get a headache from skipping breakfast at Madrid train station or worry about lunch when I get to Malaga. I just need to find myself a hotel close to the station. Easy to do with “maps.me” and ”Tripso” app both on my iPhone.  It will be the same routine when I book in (shower, wash clothes) sort bag quickly and out to explore again.

The big change from the Camino is that there’s not as much free wifi evident… no free wifi on trains or bus stations (or on trains or buses). There was wifi 98% of the time from what I found. It wasn’t always fast but it was available and free.  You can’t complain about that. Never-mind I can still collect my thoughts on the train without it and comfortable trains are certainly a great new experience for me. The time flies and before you know it you’re there.

Tomorrow I catch another train 50kms out of Malaga and walk the Caminito Del Rey and I can’t wait.

The warm weather in Spain was glorious. Back home everyone was struggling through a very cold winter. I later realised that in 2015 I had two summers and I never really coped well with winters in Canberra after that.

Until next time, adios from The Happy Pilgrim in sunny-southern Spain.

I am writing this latest post from Palas de Rei on Thursday 18 June and I am now, only 68.2kms from Santiago de Compostela. I can hardly believe how quickly this epic journey has gone.  I have been walking for 32 days, with rest days in Pamplona (2 nights), Burgos (2 nights), Leon (3 nights).  I have 3 more days of walking and I will be there. I am so pleased that I made some adjustments to my itinerary; skipping past Caldadilla de le Cueza and walking on to Terrradillos de Temlparious and walking a bit longer in the section leading up to O’Cebreiro. These minor changes allowed me an extra night in Leon and Santiago (3 nights instead of 2). I loved Leon and I know that Santiago will be a rare treat before I head off to the end of my Camino in Finisterre. "The End of the World".

There are a too many magical moments of The Camino to do them justice in my humble amateur blog. I thought it would be useful to start noting them down before they are lost.  My dear Uncle Christopher gave me wise advice before I started and suggested I write something down every day. Thank goodness I followed his advice. He also prayed for me and met me at Sydney airport. A huge effort as he was recovering from knee surgery and his trip to the airport was his first big outing. He prayed for me and Skyped me and was wonderful presence along the way.

Because of this advice, I posted a few short paragraphs each leg (day) on Facebook with some of my favourite photos of that day. This has been very useful as time goes on and I reflect back and attempt to sort my photos. This is my greatest challenge and one I procrastinated for some time!  My blog has been lots of fun and continued after my journey. I did hope to upload more photos but five years on and I am finally reviewing my text, correcting typos and adding in important further reflections. Not for my audience (my fans who followed me) but for me.

The walking in itself is magical and so are the people so I have stories of both, some to share and some I choose to keep to myself. The Camino is life changing and I knew that pretty much before I left Australia. Each day this was reaffirmed.  To give yourself permission to take time out to walk across a country is a very unique experience. It's something people back home may not really appreciate or respect. There are many people who can't understand why anyone would want to embark on this kind of adventure, but the Pilgrims on The Camino actually ‘get it’. Pilgrims who have completed their Camino really do get it.  I have been fortunate to have been provided wise advice from Joan and Rose and also my nephew Andrew before heading off.

Many of the Pilgrims I have met enjoy fitness (including walking) and are committed to building their strength and endurance before they set out and continue to do it while on the Camino each day. They enjoy the benefits of building strength and resilience which are obvious outcomes when embarking on this ancient route. If you absolutely hated exercise you wouldn’t be here because you exercise every day to get from point A to point B.

Many Pilgrims I walked and spoke with appreciate and value the environment. They enjoy the farm land, the pastures and the picturesque mountain ranges. Many of them embrace alternative energy like wind and solar.  When you are walking you notice the wind on the wheat, the sun on the poppies and the length of a road at the end of a very hot day. There is also the World Heritage "ancient" path we follow that Pilgrims before us have trod and that is also very special. You also build an appreciation for the path beneath your feet. Some days the rocks are a challenge and you appreciate the softness of grass on the shoulder of the road. If you are carrying an injury you notice this more and if you shoes or socks are wrong it can really add to your pain.

The religious connection with the journey is subtle for some and more profound (or obvious) for others. Most people don’t want to tell you everything about themselves (which is perfectly fine by me), but it is obvious that I am amongst good people with (what I call) a Christian ethic. They have a goodness inside them, a gentleness and patience that is lovely to be around.  If they aren’t Christian their religion is not obvious to me and is so closely aligned to Christianity I can’t tell. Mostly we surround ourselves back home with good “like-minded” people but there seems to be a concentration of them here and I find it quite addictive and a pleasure and a great joy to be around.

I mentioned in my earlier blog, the day I walked over the Pyrenees everyone I spoke with afterwards noticed the rainbows and really appreciated those small snippets of sun warming us from the otherwise near freezing gail force winds. They all agreed that there was something magic with that very cold day and wouldn’t have had it any other way.  You can’t appreciate the sunny days, unless you experience some rainy ones and this is very true of the The Camino. I have been blessed by great weather with only a few days of rain walking to Roncesvalles, Zubiri and Rabanal.

People who walk The Camino appreciate their feet and while many people aren’t experts on what your feet, socks, shoes and pack weight have in mind for you, they understand what a blister can do to affect your progress. And even if they don’t learn it straight away, they do learn the importance of resting and treating your feet so they can recover and take you on safely to your next destination. Look after yourself (health wise) and it will sustain you to enjoy more of life on The Camino (which is symbolic of your life journey). I am still mindful and remain committed to this.

I will update more of the blog when I get to Santiago and write about the kindness and the humour and the humility I have experienced. I have also been able to experience a quietness which allows me to listen to the birds chirping madly and hear a church bell in the distance or a tractor coming down the laneway out of a little village. I love hearing the roosters, or the cows or a bell on a herd of cattle perched high on a mountain. While I like listening to my iPod while walking back home, I have only popped my earplugs in three brief times (twice along side a very noisy road and the last time during the last 2kms on that really hot day on the Mesesta).  Perhaps I will listen more to my local birds when I get home and take the opportunity to listen more mindfully to what the morning has to offer.

I am going to publish this now and update later on and include some of my latest (favourite photos).

Please note readers, when I get home I will edit and upload photos and tidy them up in a more professional looking slideshow. It’s a bit of a challenge to make it look exactly like I want it to on the iPad and with slower and different internet speeds between towns sometimes it takes me a long time to publish. As mentioned, The Happy Pilgrim is a slow 'work-in-progress'.

A snapshot of my "magical moments" include;

1. Elivera (from  Utah) suggesting I walk with Charlotte from Denmark (while she took care of Eve from Germany). Gosh I'm so pleased that I wrote all this down because when I look back, it is 5 years now,  I can recall the names! I am regularly reminded how important my Camino was (then) and now.

2. Meeting Crystal and Candice (daughter-mother team) at Orrison on 14 May as they walked over the Pyrenees and seeing them three or four times during the last five and a half weeks and hearing stories of their progress from new Pilgrims I walked with (such as Nuala from Ireland). Then, I can hardly believe it, arriving in Santiago the same day and having dinner with them to celebrate that night!

3. Meeting Ad from Holland, by chance in Leon and then again in Villadangos Del Paramo on my birthday and at the same time meeting Rory, Jay and Maureen. Sadly Lizzy was sick in bed recovering from a tummy bug that night.  Then I saw Ad again on arrival at The Cruze de Ferro. I took a photo of him and got his email to send it on then ran into him again at Acebo (6kms along). I left my back pack with him (and my camera), showed him how to find his photo and went off to use the “facilities” and order something to eat.

When I returned he had tears in his eyes and thanked me most sincerely for the photos telling me it was very special. I was obviously pleased, but here's the thing, a few days later in Villafranca de Bierzo an American couple at the same hotel told me a story of that same day. They happened to be sitting at the next table where where Ad and I and another Dutch lady had lunch in Acebo. They told me that they were so moved by his reaction to my photo that they were compelled to tell me what went on when Ad first saw my photo. This was truly beautiful (and moving).

4. Running into the family from Victoria (Carl, Bronwyn and Albert) and sharing dinner with them three times over the course of the Camino. Then, by chance I saw them on Sunday 21 June,  they also arrived in Santiago same day as me, this was also very special. They were great company, practical, funny and great conversationalists.

5. Finally, the joy of meeting Judy when I left Santiago this morning, Wednesday 24 June. She had tears in her eyes and was standing out the front of the Parador in the Cathedral square as I walked by. I recalled her pensivness and we obviously felt something similar because her tears put tears in my eyes. A few short kilometres later she was walking with me and we had a lovely day talking about important things you normally wouldn't speak about to a stranger. That's the beauty of The Camino and I am blessed to be here.

Judy was from California and lived in the mountains. She was into numerology and insightful about certain coincidences. She'd walked all the way with a friend she met on day one and now she was walking alone. We both were on that quiet part of the pilgrimage. She shared with me insights into her relationship with her ex-husband. A very personal account of her life and her only son. We had some things in common then and more so now. She reminded me to be kind to myself and others and that a separated life need not be one filled with anger, sadness or loneliness. I walked for most of the day and it took me until the afternoon to share my story of my dear friend (also called Judy/Jude/Judith) who had passed away from bowel cancer in July 2008. I had been thinking of her when I woke up that morning and really missed her. I wanted to share my adventures, have a cry and a laugh with her like I used to. I was missing her more than usual. Her death left a big hole in my heart. I wanted to call her, but of course I could not.

Until next time – The Happy Pilgrim