It's hard to describe exactly what makes the Camino so special. Most people fall back on the rather unhelpful 'You just had to be there' line when telling their friends and family about it. But, confidence in my own ability being pretty high after having walked 800km, I reckon I can have a pretty decent try at explaining why I loved the Camino so much.
The atmosphere of the Camino sets it apart from other long-distance hikes. So many people from so many countries - the diversity is incredible. Where else could you speak (well, try to speak) five languages before breakfast? Everyone is really open as well,so you can start a conversation with anybody, whether you just want to joke around or explore profound truths (though as I had to point out to one of my friends, questions about age and marital status should probably be avoided!) Above all there is a great sense of togetherness on the Camino. People are united by a common goal, and rather than the spirit of selfish competition which pervades much of modern life, cooperation abounds: food and medical supplies are always shared and other walkers will go out of their way to solve your problems. It really restores your faith in the fact that most people are basically nice.
They say the best way to get to know someone is to walk a mile in their shoes, but I reckon walking a few hundred miles beside someone is just as good. Friendship is certainly one of the most important parts of Camino life. Relationships are forged quickly on the Camino, the process sped up by shared experience and purpose. Everyone quickly develops a group of friends who they walk with and hang out with at the albergues (pilgrim hostels); in fact, you become so close to these people that they're like a second family. I won't write thousands of words describing all the amazing people I met, but I will just say that I feel very blessed to have enjoyed their company, and I know I wouldn't have made it to Santiago without them.
Perhaps the most obvious feature of Camino life is the walking. It's great to be outside for a month, even if you do end up getting ridiculous tan lines. You can feel yourself getting stronger (OK, I'm ignoring the injuries here!) and your body becomes comfortable walking distances that seemed exhausting a few days before. Your body clock adjusts to a more natural rhythm as you wake up and go to bed with the sun. While the scenery isn't as spectacular as other hikes, there is still plenty to appreciate in your surroundings. The majestic mountains of the Pyrenees, the ordered vineyards of La Rioja, the wheat-filled flatness of the meseta, the verdant greens of Galicia - each has its own beauty. However, the Camino isn't a path through a natural wilderness. It eschews rugged isolation and regularly passes through villages, towns and cities which have offered comfort and respite to pilgrims for centuries.
The simplicity of Camino life is attractive, especially in our increasingly complicated 21st century world. Every day is essentially the same: wake up early, walk for several hours with a few coffee/snack breaks, find an albergue, relax, eat and wash your clothes, and then go to bed early. Possessions are kept to a minimum; it's surprising how many things you can do without when you have to carry all your things in your pack. On the Camino, the myriad objectives from your real life about work, relationships and money are forgotten as you have just one goal: arrive at your destination. And there are no difficult choices to be made about how to achieve this goal - you just have to follow the yellow arrows. If only the rest of modern life were so helpfully signposted!
This simplicity leaves your brain, usually preoccupied with the stress of daily life, to think about more important things. And the beautiful landscapes, not to mention the new people you meet, with all kinds of different perspectives on life, certainly give you a lot to think about. I don't know if some people manage to find answers to all the questions in their lives - I definitely didn't! But I know that walking the Camino helped me to discover a few important things about myself and the life I want to lead.
Don't let all this positivity obscure the fact that sometimes the Camino can be a struggles though. Most people can't walk 800km carrying all their stuff without suffering at some point. I seriously considered giving up after stabbing pains in my right ankle made one morning thoroughly unenjoyable, even making me forget the interesting size to which my left ankle had swollen. (Luckily I was OK again after some coffee and ibuprofen, or Camino candy as it's otherwise known.) And this was nothing compared to others who had feet covered in blisters or one friend who developed symptoms rivalling medieval plague descriptions after being bitten by insects. However, the suffering, struggle, and exhaustion are just part of the challenge. They make you really appreciate your health and mean the eventual arrival in Santiago is all the sweeter. As they say, sin dolor, no hay gloria!
So there you have a few of my thoughts about the Camino de Santiago. Perhaps I described it so well that you don't feel you had to be there to understand what it was like. I hope not though. I hope I gave you a flavour of the magic of the Camino, just enough to inspire you to go and experience it yourself. I promise you won't regret it!
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