I was in Florida last week visiting my family, and we went to an Italian restaurant on my last night there. As we began dessert, the staff also indulged in honor of a staff member who was working her last shift. Making small talk, Chris asked where she was going. Spain. What is she going to do there? She's doing some long hike across the whole country. I was outside as this conversation took place, defrosting my body from the ever-present air conditioner beast. My bro grabbed me to come inside, where I realized that Theda (the woman going to Spain) was on her way to hike the Camino de Santiago.
The Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) is a thousand-year-old route from western France to Santiago de Compostela on the west coast of Spain. Originally, the route was a very religious journey for people wanting to travel to the tomb of St. James, which is allegedly located in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Santiago. Now, people walk it for a number of reasons - religion, spirituality, travel, Spanish language, culture, history, etc.
I decided to do the Camino in 2003 for a number reasons:
1. I had lots of time and little money.
2. I wanted to improve on my Spanish before moving to the Tex-Mex border.
3. I wanted to see a few countries in Europe I hadn't seen before.
4. I randomly met someone who convinced me that it had to be done.
I should paint a picture of what my life was like five years ago, pre-Camino. I had graduated two years previously and set out to Munich for an internship. I was able to capture tiny glimpses of Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Austria during this time, but of course this only left me craving more travel. I came back to the states and headed to New England, where I worked at an environmental non-profit for a year. This position allowed me to gain much knowledge in biology, as I spent most days teaching kids ecosystem-based lessons in the great outdoors. I got used to being outside, and figured that if I can handle being outside in New England weather every day, I can handle a lot. During this year I was also surrounded by many great new friends who taught me things that shaped many of my future life decisions. One of the major decisions I made while I was in New England was to become a teacher. I signed up with Teach For America and committed to move to The Tex-Mex border that summer.
With the next few years of my life secured, I had a few months to play. When I had first lived in Australia a few years later, I read a book called The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho. The book is fiction, but is set on the Camino de Santiago. This book planted a seed, and I kept my radars on. Sure enough, when I returned from Australia, I stopped to visit my good friend Willa in LA. We went to a party, and she introduced me to a friend of hers who had not only competed the Camino, but also wrote her thesis on the topic. (To get an idea of how rare this is, during my entire 475 mile journey on the Camino, I did not meet one other American completing the journey.) After talking with this woman, I KNEW I was going to walk the Camino when the time was right.
When March of 2003 rolled around, my friend Cori and I set off to Spain and began our journey. I don't want to give away too many specifics about the Camino, but I will say that it is a magical experience. Things happen there that I've never experienced elsewhere. Where else will you meet an 80-year-old woman wearing a Mary Poppins dress and riding a $10 thrift store bike who manages PASS ultrafit cyclists on the mountains of Spain? How this woman rode over 500 miles on her raggedy bike with no preparation or maintenance is beyond me, but on the Camino, it is possible.
The Camino is a path filled with mysticism, and Pilgrims (who have completed the Camino) share a special bond. That's why when Theda told me she wanted to do the Camino, I instantly felt protective of her. As I told her some of the banalities of the journey (what to pack, what to buy, how to get there), I tried to keep some of the nuggets to myself. Sure, I did let it slip that I keep in touch with some of Mi Familia from the journey still today. I also couldn't help but tell her that she won't meet many Americans there. And that the people she will meet in the villages and on the path are some of the nicest people she'll ever encounter. But beyond that, I curbed my enthusiasm. I realized as I talked to Theda that I'd come full circle since my pre-Camino days. With regard to the Camino, I was now the master.
I've posted here some of my favorite photos from my journey. Click on any of them to see a larger version. If you like the pics, you can see my entire album (mapped across Spain) at http://picasaweb.google.com/megansembera1/CaminoDeSantiago.
A view from the trail.
Some of Mi Familia. It snowed that day. Why I'm not wearing shoes eludes me.
Perros peligrosos, defending their turf.
Walking Stick Salute.
Ruins.
A Stork's Nest.
One of Many Furry Friends I Made Along the Way.
The antithesis of my yard in Austin.
Cori celebrating Easter with John from Nova Scotia and Gordon from Australia.
Two of the nicest people we met.
Everyone posing with the Texans outside the Cowboy Bar.
Hanging out in the Bookstore. Check out the name of the book she's sitting in front of.
Green views.
Palacio de Guadi.
View of the final destination, The Cathedral.
Montage of the Cathedral.
Group shot at the cathedral.
Finnesterre, ("end of the earth") the end of the Camino
and most easterly point on mainland Europe.
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