On 22 May 2011 I had the urge and feeling to walk the Camino. No preparation, not even enough money to do it. My will was greater than I thought. I asked friends for help. In June I was able make the decision to plan go to do my Camino. In July 2011 I took the train from Maastricht, Netherlands to Saint Jean Pied de Port. I thought this was going to be a journey of 40 days of walking. It wasn’t. I did 800 km in 25 days and didn’t rush. The pace you get while walking is amazing. It’s like Jack said in the documentary trailer: You walk the pace and you live it. People who have walked the Camino understand these feelings.
Getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 without any alarm is a good feeling. You don’t know where and what you will do for breakfast, lunch and sleep. Really mind-blowing considering I was used to only hotels and arranged holidays. This is a freedom which you can’t describe. You have to experience it. I have missed it every day since. As someone living in the center of a city, I had no real connection with nature. The Camino activated my true senses. My sense of smell and vision became better. My orientation sense was working really well. I even helped people with a guide while I didn’t have one myself. Just walk … my destiny was Santiago.
I walked the Camino because I wanted to have some questions answered. My life changed a lot two years before. I had started my journey alone but I quickly found fellow pilgrims. The connections and relationships you make during the Camino are really special. I have contact with several pilgrims via the internet. I speak with men and women from all over the world. We all have the same questions. Some have good answers. I understand other people better now. Everyone has his own demons to conquer. It’s like Wayne said: Everybody is on a different level in life, but here you feel the connectivity with humanity.
Running into people later who you have helped (or who have helped you) on your Camino can offer some magical moments. One time I was walking with an Irish woman named Aisling and we went to lunch and I didn’t have enough cash with me. She told me, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay and you can pay me back later.” Amazing.
Walking the Camino is about connecting with people, different kinds of people. I was fortunate that after the Camino I met Lydia, the director of The Camino Documentary, and a Danish woman named Anne-Marie in Amsterdam.
I enjoyed walking alone, with company, with other groups, men, women, all kinds of beliefs and different views and opinions … but the Camino showed me we are one of a kind, seeking ourselves. I saw a lot of people being positive and nice. When you come back to the real world, that’s a shock.
Did I get the answer during my pilgrimage? Yes, I did:
If you don’t know what to do, give love …
Camino de Santiago … España … Pilgrims … te echo mucho de menos …
¡Buen Camino! Our journey never ends …
PTQI
Pilgrim Ramond de Vrede The Netherlands
camino.ramonddevrede.nl, facebook.com/ramonddevrede, @ramonddevrede
Completed first Camino in 2011
Dear pilgrim. I did the camino Frances last year in September/October. It was life changing for me as well. I experienced the same feelings as you. Te echo mucho de menos! Ever since I’m back I have this aching in my heart for my friends all over the world. I miss them the most. I miss the simple way of living and the free spirit among everyone! Keep well …..un beso muy fuerta! Buen camino! Erna
Erna… aqui el mismo… abrazo muy fuerte de Holanda 🙂 Buen camino! Ramond
The answer you found is lovely and very similar to one that a a dear friend who walked the Camino with us also discovered. Like you, I miss the Camino; my heart returns there again and again. I am in between jobs right now, life is very uncertain but the mere thought of the Camino gives me strength. ¡Animo! Buen Camino también.