04 Jul 2013
How to describe our first few days on the Camino de Santiago. Well it rained. Then it rained some more and then for good measure it kept on raining. Being from Ireland there’s very little I haven’t seen when it comes to precipitation, but I saw every type possible over those first few days. I felt like Forrest Gump in Vietnam: “One day it started raining, and it didn’t quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain… and big ol’ fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night…”
However our spirits were undimmed, even if our clothing was more than slightly damp. We had a great group of people on the Way. All told we started with seven, but the Camino, being the Camino that number soon grew. It’s a pilgrimage that seems to attract a certain type of person, who is looking for something, even though they’d struggle to say what it was. There are easier ways to spend a week, but the beauty of the countryside, the camaraderie of the pilgrims and the sense of solitude you carry with you make it an unforgettable journey.
We began in the rain, walking through a pass in the Pyrenees that has been used by millions of pilgrims over the previous millennium. Crossing over from France to Spain we entered Navarra and walked through the hill country to Pamplona. Fortunately ( or unfortunately depending on your approach to danger ) we were a couple of weeks early for the Feast of St. Fermin and the running of the bulls. The Sun came out and the rest of the journey was an unalloyed pleasure. We walked on to Puenta La Reina, Estella and finished our first leg of the Camino in Los Arcos. It was three days of rolling fields, ancient towns and forest paths.
It’s the perfect antidote to a busy world. It’s about moving to an altogether different rhythm; being less concerned with the destination and more mindful of the journey; and it’s about the people you meet along the Way and the time you have for yourself. It’s not all walking though and we did up in a very nice street in Logrono lined with the very best tapas restaurants ( Fair play Sarah for the research ). Next time you’re there try the pulpo or as we call it octopus.