Swelling feet

Fellow pilgrims waved at us, warm and sweaty after having successfully completed their daily kilometres, half the kilometres we had daunting on us still, the sun shinning just on top of our heads , a second reminder of our oversleeping and our more than probable future of having to pass the night in the middle of nowhere or, as it turned out to be, in a mosquito-furnished stable.

We were amidst our second day and felt already a deep communion with our resolute and devoted path-neighbors, a communion mainly forged by our swelling feet and aching backs. Pilgrims from all parts of the world were sharing the same path and even in this myriad of people, we, 4 long term friends that had rashly decided to make one week of our summer more enthralling, felt special and unique. Conscious that the way in which we had decided to undertake this journey was not the most usual,stopping to rest at every cosy shade, laughing and cursing at steep slopes, water battles, joy at recognizing faces, we were walking towards Finisterre, the end of the world ,the end of the pagan walk.

Such was our rashness and ingenuity, that on top of our 5 days of sacrificed walking, we had each of us decided to spice up our journey by adding a 10 kg backpack ,fully equipped with what we and our equally inexperienced but caring families had deemed may have had a possible use in our walk. From a 4-seasons closet to a bright blue walking stick, sunglasses and brand new mountain shoes , the feeling of our disparity as a group was for sure further enhanced. In this way 4 joyful, audacious hunchbacks as green as the grass around us forcefully walked our way kilometre after kilometre.

From this 5 days of adventure we secured many anecdotes and stories, we had not any strong commitment or any special purpose driving us forward for this was part of our vacation and we had merely come to explore and live adventures. But, el Camino de Santiago entails a sacrifice which to us came physically and which , even without looking for it, built up into a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that wrapped up the whole voyage.

It is of popular knowledge that the value of any travel increases if shared with good company but it is not as common to understand that the value of a travel is also considerably enhanced if new things are experienced and goals/sacrifices undertaken. It is therefore my recommendation to always try to seek challenges and if experienced with friends, the better.