The thud of the walking sticks reverberate though our bodies, the crunch of our dust coated boots drones across the stone strewn path and the pain invades the body. The Camino supposedly takes the walker on three distinct journeys - one of pain, meditation and finally a journey of faith and spiritual development.
The Camino is a brut; thus far, it has provided us with wonders: the sun setting over vineyards, where the first buds are awakening from the winter's thaw, across mountain plains that divide two nations. We have crossed valleys alive with colour, poppies sway in the morning breeze and a kaleidoscope of greens, pinks, yellows, reds and blues greet us. Forests swallow paths as fingers of sunshine dance between trunks and yoga moves are performed next to cascading rivers framed green with the flow of glacier water. On days such as these the camino has provided us with its own mediation quality and opportunity to reflect.
There are also days where the Camino punishes you. It provides you with utter bone numbing, brain zapping, zombie like boredom. It throws you across freeways, where the smell of exhaust fumes sting your eyes, it takes you through industrial estates where the remnants of the homeless linger, through residential properties, to operational factories that typify the oxymorn of recycle and pollute. The Camino spawns graffiti everywhere and at times becomes a commerical wonderland where slogans such as 'smile you are the 10,000,000 to walk the Camino this year' scream sarcasim to the profound 'it's smiles not miles that count', or if it doesn't challenge you then it wont change you.'.
We have felt all of these emotions thus far, but the what has stood out is a sense of liberation and adventure!
Buen Camino.
The Camino is a brut; thus far, it has provided us with wonders: the sun setting over vineyards, where the first buds are awakening from the winter's thaw, across mountain plains that divide two nations. We have crossed valleys alive with colour, poppies sway in the morning breeze and a kaleidoscope of greens, pinks, yellows, reds and blues greet us. Forests swallow paths as fingers of sunshine dance between trunks and yoga moves are performed next to cascading rivers framed green with the flow of glacier water. On days such as these the camino has provided us with its own mediation quality and opportunity to reflect.
There are also days where the Camino punishes you. It provides you with utter bone numbing, brain zapping, zombie like boredom. It throws you across freeways, where the smell of exhaust fumes sting your eyes, it takes you through industrial estates where the remnants of the homeless linger, through residential properties, to operational factories that typify the oxymorn of recycle and pollute. The Camino spawns graffiti everywhere and at times becomes a commerical wonderland where slogans such as 'smile you are the 10,000,000 to walk the Camino this year' scream sarcasim to the profound 'it's smiles not miles that count', or if it doesn't challenge you then it wont change you.'.
We have felt all of these emotions thus far, but the what has stood out is a sense of liberation and adventure!
Buen Camino.
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