Day 26, The Typical Peregrino

Between the idea

And the reality

Between the motion

And the act

Falls the Shadow

T.S. Eliot

Let’s dish about the Camino De Santiago and the types of people on it.

There is no standard reason people walk the Camino. But it's the most asked question. It's almost always hello, where are you from and then why are you walking.

The athletic hiker:

They usually have stories of prior caminos, not just in Spain but around Europe. If it's an American hiker, there is often tales of the Pacific Coast Trail or the Appalachian Trail. In fact, I often get asked if I'm one of “those Americans”. This makes me laugh, because first of all no way in hell would I do one of those, haha. But also because you can tell the Europeans get very tired of hearing about those big hikes. I understand it from both perspectives, those trails take months and are rugged and of course are just a completely different beast than this walk we are doing. Those who have made those treks find it hard to articulate just how different. On the Camino we never have to walk more than two or three hours before we come to a coffee shop for goodness sake. We sleep inside every night and do not need to carry any provisions other than a little water. These massive American hikes are tough, but it can also seem condescending, sometimes it’s probably best to wait until you are asked. On the other hand, I find myself jumping to these American’s defense trying to explain the elements of those hikes. Europeans just don't really get the expanse of land in the USA, and therefore the extreme difference in climate and topography. So anyway, there are the hikers. They tend to care more about how fast they go and how many miles per day and they usually don't seem to care all that much about the towns and cities we go through. And they just can't help it, they are competitive.

Which leads me to The Vacationer:

These are the people who want to see Spain. I love this group, they are excited by every vista, every town. They want to talk with the locals and meet as many people along the way as they can. They love arriving in whatever new place is next and trying the local food, hanging out at cafes by the beach, or just slowly walking around a city. There are actually a lot of people who do this for a couple of weeks and then will come back two or three years later and pick up from that point until they’ve completed the whole thing. There was a German couple who was on my pace for a while, they were so nice and I loved passing by them, they would just take their time and were often holding hands. They said they walked the Frances by coming back two weeks at a time, it took them about 4 years to do it and now they are doing the Norte the same way. They've headed home by now, but they’ll be back in a year or two.

Then there are The High-End Walkers:

These are the people who stay in hotels or even send their backpacks ahead. It's an interesting way to do it. I totally get the backpack thing and support that! The hotels are a nicer way to stay, but for me the alburgues are an important part of the experience. Sure, sometimes it's hard, but the Camino is supposed to be challenging. And if I'm honest, the alburgues can be more challenging than the hike sometimes! I've noticed those who always stay in the hotels are just a little more separate from the group. All that said, I know about once a week and sometimes more, I really need a private hotel room too. Personally, the good, the bad and the ugly are all a part of my Camino. But my favorite part is the people I've met, and the alburgues are a shared experience between us. Some people will complain about a less than stellar alburgue, but again I take the good with the bad and chalk it up as part of the journey.

Some people are Spiritual Walkers:

Often these people are in a transitional phase of life. These are the deep thinkers and they want to talk philosophy as we walk. Often these are people who have done something a little crazy like quit their job to come do the Camino. Although the job quitting seems to be the Americans, the Europeans are usually taking a vacation, maybe considering a life change too, but they all seem to be able to take 8-10 weeks off easily. I've met several women who are taking their family time. Apparently in Europe you not only get maternity leave but you also have family leave time that you can take during the first EIGHT years of your child’s life. An American girl was trying to explain to a group the other night that we don't have that in the US. The Germans we were talking with said you would give a dog more time with her pups...oh my goodness that analogy really hit home! Yep, that sums up family leave in the US. As I was saying though, life transition tends to be a big element of the Camino.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, but as we get further down the Camino when I meet people, they'll say, “oh yes I've heard of you! You're the fast walking American who sold everything and quit her job! Where have you been?” (The answer is going off trail or taking a short day to explore a city).

Hmmm. But then again, yes.

Yes that is who I am. So maybe I'm all of the above?

Buen Camino!

XOXO,

Bon