6 Reasons I walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal
There are as many reasons to walk the Camino as there are people who walk it. I’ve walked on the Camino nearly a dozen times and I love it. And while walking along, I’ve often asked myself why. What keeps me coming back time and again? I’m not sure I’ve fully answered this question yet, but I wanted to share with you the top six reasons I’ve identified to date.
The Camino de Santiago was solely a Catholic pilgrimage for its first 1000+ years. People walked to gain salvation (although some were paid to walk for someone else or were sentenced to walk as criminals). In the second half of the 1900s the Camino in Spain nearly died out and when it again surged in popularity, the walkers and the reasons they walk grew more diverse.
Some walk to contemplate a potential life change. Others grieve the loss of a loved one, or walk in gratitude for surviving severe illness.
But what about me? I don’t long for life changes, I’m fortunately healthy, and while I’ve lost loved ones, I’ve worked through my grief in other ways.
As best as I can make out, here is why I walk:
A simplicity of life
Our lives are complex. From the moment we wake in the morning to the point we lie down at night, there are decisions, there is uncertainty, there are things we must do, there are deadlines. Even those of us in retirement, or who go out of our way to avoid stress, find life at times to be a struggle.
But walking on the Camino is different. You get up in the morning, eat breakfast, and start to walk. You stop for coffee along the way, have lunch, and arrive at your day’s destination in time for a shower and perhaps a nap before dinner. You eat and then sleep. Then repeat.
There is no stress. You know exactly what you will be doing each day. There is nothing to do but embrace it.
Time to observe nature
Walking on the Camino is generally through villages, farm fields and vineyards, but there’s still much opportunity to see the observe of the natural world
As a birder, I’m always on the lookout for our feathered friends, whether they be British Robin Readbreasts, Wag Tails, or giant vultures that soar above.
If you prefer flowers, there is an abundance growing along the path, especially in the spring.
My fascination with a different sort of history
There were battles, kingdoms rose and fell, religions came and went. Certainly this is history, but it isn’t the history that fascinates me. The history that speaks to me is what I find while exploring a small village on foot.
The old, stone buildings interest me, both the ones standing nobly and the ones in decay. People built these and have lived in and among them for centuries. There is a river, a road, or some natural resource that first gave birth to this settlement. Perhaps there’s a bridge. And of course there is a church. And while I’m not particularly religious myself, I’m drawn to explore their great variety of designs and adornments.
Walking through farms
Between the villages are fields. Some grow wheat that blankets them in green each spring. Others are planted in straight rows of grapevines. Others still have olive or even walnut trees. On other parts of the Camino, you may find fields of red peppers, or asparagus, nearly as far as the eye can see.
I’m not a farmer, but I’ve always loved being on a farm to see what’s growing.
In the fall, I might eat a few grapes that have been forgotten on the vine, or take a ripe fig from a tree growing over the path, or even break open an almond that still clings to the tree.
A chance to make new friends
In addition, there are the many people I meet along the way. Pilgrims come from all corners of the world. Naturally there are Spaniards, French, Germans, Dutch and Italians. Americans, of course. And don’t forget the Brazilians, South Koreans and Australians.
They are all there on the Camino and they all have stories to tell.
Best of all, since people are simply walking along, everyone is open and ready to talk. You can meet more new people in a week on the Camino than you would in a year at home.
And when you see someone you met the day before, or even a few days before that, it is like being reunited with a life-long friend.
The great outdoors
How often in our lives do we have the chance to spend nearly every waking hour of every day outdoors?
Travel Fever Tours takes groups to walk the Camino in both Spain and Portugal. Follow this link to find more information about our Camino tour in September 2024.
