Lessons Learned and Thoughts After Completing the Camino Frances (Part 1)

It is June 28 and I am in Barcelona. My days as a tourist since June 12 have been moving at a very rapid pace. It seems like eons ago that I completed the Camino Frances, Muxia and Finisterre. And the life of a pilgrim versus that of a tourist is like night and day. But honestly, I truly have enjoyed both.

So what did you think of the gorgeous flowers across northern Spain (from my last post)? I am not seeing the same beauty in the cities of Spain that I viewed along the Camino.

Between Madrid and Barcelona, I took a train to Valencia, Spain, located on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest city in Spain behind Madrid and Barcelona.

On Friday, June 23, after checking into my hotel in Valencia, I decided to take a walk to the beach in Valencia, called Malvarrosa Beach, to enjoy a walk along the beach and read a book. After walking an hour and finally reaching the beach, it became apparent that my idea of a quiet evening on the beach was far from reality. Hoards of Valencians were making their way to the beach with coolers, firewood, and blankets – I’m talking over 100,000 people were crammed onto the beach. And then they began digging fire pits in the sand and building bonfires all along the beach. I had never witnessed anything like this in my life. Well, come to find out the next day – it was Midsummer’s/Summer Solstice Eve and the Night of San Juan (St. John) that Friday night and many of those Valencians spent the night on the beach jumping over the fire pits and dipping themselves in the sea.

Quick explanation – according to tradition, it was believed that fire had purifying power, and by jumping over the flames, you could eliminate negative energies and start the summer on the right foot. And the tradition of bathing in the sea – it was said that water on the Night of San Juan had healing properties and could purify the body and soul. So there you have it – maybe you learned something new like I did.

So, as I had mentioned a few posts back, I have written down some lessons that I learned from the Camino. And while I will not share them all in this post, I will write some now and the remainder in a later post.

Here goes – some thoughts and lessons realized on my pilgrimage: 1) Pilgrims hike the Camino for a host of reasons. I hiked the Camino because I like to hike long trails, and my reason for hiking the Camino never altered.

2) The Camino Frances (in May/June) is not a hike where you will experience days or hours of solitude on the trail. Most mornings and early afternoons I encountered dozens, even hundreds, of pilgrims on the trail or in the towns I passed through. While I had read before leaving that this was the case, I guess I had expectations that the trail would be a bit quieter.

3) The Camino has a spiritual element to it, whether you are religious or not. Whether it’s the cathedrals along the route, the sunrises and sunsets, the multiple crosses you hike past, or the kindness of the pilgrims – I felt God’s presence every step of the way and knew that I was taken care of.

4) The landscape and scenery along the Camino was gorgeous and picturesque about 70% of the time – and that leaves 30% that was distasteful and ugly.

5) Hiking the Camino reiterated the fact that I prefer hiking solo (except when I am hiking with personal friends and family). I purposely did not speed up or slow down my hike solely for the purpose of hiking with someone else. I do not need to have the company of another person while hiking, especially when I will most likely never see them again. And I hike to find solitude – not people.

6) I am goal-driven (surprise!) and that played out like a sore thumb on the Camino. After a week or so, I got the gist of how I wanted to hike the Camino, and I was able to set my daily hiking goals. Then I could perform like a high performance machine.

7) I hiked the Camino for me, so I was not hiking on someone else’s schedule. I hiked my own hike.

8) The Camino reinforced the fact that my body is designed to be pushed physically and mentally beyond my comfort zone. Even with my left foot in constant pain, my body felt strong and grounded almost immediately after starting the Camino. I could have pushed more miles many days had I not already booked my accommodations for the night.

9) The Camino gives and it takes – that’s all I have to say about that.

10) I discovered Maxibon and Magnum ice cream bars while hiking the Camino – unfortunately. Oh yeah, and Milka chocolate bars with a wafer center.

That’s enough for this post. More lessons/thoughts will be written later.

I am excited to announce that Patty will be flying to Barcelona today, arriving June 29 (Thursday). It has been two months that we have been apart – we cannot wait to reconnect very soon. I have been solo (not knowing anyone here) since May 1, so it will take a bit of time for me to reconnect when Patty arrives. It’s just what happens when I’m away from family and friends for so long – a kind of reacclimating back into the real world has to occur.

I will end with some random photos of the Camino taken along my journey. Hope you enjoy.

This was the book that I took with me and read during the first few days of the trip. I left the book in a hostel in Roncesvalles – day 1 of the pilgrimage.

The start of my pilgrimage in St. Jean Pied de Port, France – Day 1. The Pyrenees Mountains lie ahead for me that day.

Day 1 – my shadow and the Camino in the Pyrenees.

My shadow and a cat – they rule northern Spain. I have noticed that cats are not nearly as visible in the Spanish cities of Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

The town of Cizur in the distance – Day 3. This was a hike of pure beauty.

The Camino with broom on both sides – this section of the trail smelled with a perfumeria.

One of the hundreds of crosses viewed along the trail.

An everyday ritual – wash my
clothes and hang them to dry, either outside or in my room.

No words can describe what I saw.

Follow the trail as it leads into a village.

This baby goat ate the eyelet off my Hoka shoestring in about 1/2 second. I had no idea until I removed my shoes that afternoon.

Vineyards and Logrono – this was wine country.

Not the Camino that you see – I am standing on it. But part of the farmlands that I witnessed for days in the beginning of my hike. I felt right at home.

The Burgos Cathedral from my hostel balcony.

The iron cross and poppies.

The winding of the Camino.

An old castle in Castrojeriz.

It’s what you do – hike, eat, sleep, repeat.

Pilgrims on the Camino – only 424 km to Santiago.

On the trail in Carrion de Los Condos – bronze map in the sidewalk.

I know – more poppies. I miss them.

The Meseta – but I enjoyed it anyway.

Happy Pride Month!