Setting Off! Toronto to Monteal to Paris to Madrid

Setting out on a new journey always fills us with enormous gratitude, anticipation, excitement, and a little nervousness.  The ability to step back from the hectic pace and unrelenting demands of daily life, to explore the world at a more human pace, and to reconnect with ourselves, each other, fellow travellers, and the natural world is a privilege we never take lightly. 

This time, we find ourselves at the beginning of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The call to walk The Way again has grown steadily louder over the past two years as we've struggled to continue moving forward while projecting a message of inspiration, inclusion, and empowerment into a world that seems to have grown more divided, frustrated, and uncertain than ever.  As we set out now we carry some of this uncertainty with us - North America is experiencing the sixth wave of the global pandemic, a war is being fought in the Ukraine, and strangers around us feel highly frustrated, volatile, and unpredictable.  Yet, it feels right to keep moving forward, and we are grateful for the opportunity to look for guidance along The Way. 

 

 

Mostly we are filled with excitement and anticipation.  This story hasn't yet been written, and we can't wait to see what lies in store.  Although we've walked several Caminos in the past, each one has been very different.  We walked the Camino Frances in 2016, where we met a lot of other pilgrims, many of whom spoke English. Pilgrim culture was strong along the entire route, and amenities were plentiful.  

In 2017 we walked the Via Podiensis (aka Le Chemin du Puy or Le Puy Way), where we found ourselves mostly walking with French speaking pilgrims.  On the first part of the trail most of our companions were not pilgrims heading to Santiago, but rather hikers enjoying a walking holiday.  The food was amazing, and much of the time we stayed in B&B type accommodations which required reservations, allowing a more leisurely walking pace.  It was a wonderful but very different experience to the Camino Frances. 

On the Camino Portuguese we walked with a tight-knit group of international pilgrims.  The first part of the walk from Lisbon to Porto offered a chance to visit places that were part of Portuguese culture, while the section from Porto to Santiago allowed us to experience a bit of the pilgrim-centered culture that has developed along the Camino Frances.  These experiences were all wonderful in their own way, and they leave us wondering what this journey will be like. 

So where are we going?  In a few days we will begin the Camino Madrid, which heads northwest from Madrid to Sahagun, on the Camino Frances. A couple days of walking on the Frances will take us to Leon, where we will turn north onto the Camino San Salvador, heading for Oviedo.  From there we will follow the Camino Primitivo back south, joining the Camino Frances again near Melide, which is only 2-3 days away from Santiago de Compostela when traveling on foot.  If time permits, we will then walk the Camino Inglés, from Ferrol back to Santiago de Compostela.  If not, we may walk back to Fisterra or Muxia.  If we are able to complete this itinerary, we will walk just over 900 km over what have been described as some of the wildest, most rugged, and picturesque sections of the Spanish Caminos.