The Camino

These past three weeks have been some of the best times I have ever had.  We saw so much, explored so many new places, and learned a lot about history and ourselves.  I had never traveled outside of the country and without my family, so there were a lot of new experiences.

I really enjoyed visiting all of the various cathedrals and churches along the camino.  Each one of them was so unique and different and had its own atmosphere of peace and tranquility.  I felt a sense of tranquility every time we entered into one of these spaces.  The amount of time and patience that it would have taken to create any of those places always astounded me.  I especially enjoyed when we got to witness a mass or worship of some kind in one of these holy spaces.  It really helped make the trip more powerful for me as I as able to partake in worship and practice my faith while travelling.

However, my favorite part of the trip was getting to observe and interact with other pilgrims.  I met two pilgrims in Burgos, Spain and had a very nice conversation with them about their journey so far, and one of them said something that has stuck with me ever since.   She said that the camino is your camino.  You are in charge of your own camino and your own journey.  I was floored by the depth of that statement, because it was so true.  Everyone is on their own journey and walk of life, and while multiple people may be doing the camino, each and everyone of them is going to experience it in a different way, and walk away with a different meaning.  I couldn't believe how relevant that statement was to all people, in every situation.

There is so much more that I could say about this trip.  I could talk about the food, the places, or even the music we listened to in the van, but none of it would do this trip justice in explaining exactly what it was like.  This trip has changed my perspective on the world and shown this small town girl just how big the world is.  I have often thought before the trip that it might be fun to someday walk the camino.  After this trip, it will definitely be happening.  I don't know when or how, but someday the camino will see me again.