#caminodesantiago #pilgrim #hiking

Hiking the Camino in Spain has been on my bucket list for a while. And even though I’ve been to Spain before there was something about the idea of that journey that called to me. So, when given the opportunity to join Molly, a friend who happened to be hiking it during part of my Spring Break, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. Did I already have a Marathon scheduled for day before I needed to leave? Yes. Was my body possibly going to revolt after struggling through the 26.2 miles and then trying to get on an international flight? Very possible, almost definitely. But with the help of two visits to the airport massages chairs during my layover in Philly and some nifty compression socks, I gave myself the best chance I could to land in Spain and be ready to hit the trails. After one Spiderman, one The Hating Game, some episodes that I’ve already seen of Ted Lasso and zero sleep, I was landing in Madrid.

In Madrid, I met up with my old neighbor and friend from San Francisco, Brian, who is the one who introduced me to his Aunt Molly. Together we’d make the journey to Ponferrada Spain to meet up with Molly for three days of hiking the Camino. While a three day visit and an amateur write up could never do it justice, I will try and let you see the Camino and its “ways” through my eyes and feet.

I didn’t even have to make Spain love me

From the very beginning of our journey right up until the end, the people of Spain welcomed me and what I thought was my much better Spanish with open arms. As we walked through the small backroads on our first day on our way to Villa Franca we received many “Holas” and “Buenas” and I couldn’t get enough. I’d basically approach every human and animal with a confident “Hola”. Most of you know that since moving back to Boston, I’ve been trying to make other runners love me back by saying “good morning” or giving them the silent head nod. Two and half years later and there’s been zero success with that. However, one day in Spain and I was already feeling the love. One moment in particular, there was this adorable little abuela sitting on the side of the road. Now I don’t know if she was someone’s grandma, but I sure did want her to be mine. As we passed and gave her an Hola she smiled and said “Buen Camino”. In a quick comparison when I ran Newport a few days earlier, I passed by a sprinkle of spectators here and there all waiting for their loved ones with signs such as “We love Patrick” and they would neither cheer nor say absolutely anything to me. I totally understand that they loved Patrick, but they could love me for the 2 seconds I ran by them too! And here’s this nana out here just wishing everyone she sees un Buen Camino. We tried to figure out if there was an American equivalent to this and while we really couldn’t, I said, Can you imagine if every time I passed some tourists on the Freedom Trail at the top of my street I said, “Have a great Freedom Trail.” Would they think I was weird or would they love it…maybe I will need to find out when I get home and report back.

Cows, Crickets and Cock a doodle dos

For the majority of our journey we were surrounded by gardens, vineyards, mountains or farmlands and sometimes three of each in one 15 mile trek. We’d occasionally pass through a town yet even at the peak of the day (not siesta time) they were pretty quiet. So quiet that while walking you’d hear roosters crowing and crickets chirping. Now I was under the impression that crickets only came out at night and roosters only did their thing bright and early, but not the case in Spain and maybe not the case at all I just don’t interact much with these beings. Now most people that know me, know that domesticated animals aren’t something I’m dying to have. Basically, I love other people’s dogs and horses and that’s pretty much it. Don’t even get me started on my loathe of zoos and city birds. Anyways to my point, I was obsessed with the animals along the way. Calling to the cows and their babies, making friends with horses and even (hold on to your hats people) enjoying the chickens. Maybe I just like them in somewhat of a more natural habitat. Now before anyone gets too shocked reading about my obsession with animals, there was a point on our journey up and over one of the mountains we came across someone’s land along with the sign Perros Sueltos. I mentioned earlier that in my mind, my Spanish was much better, so as I hiked on I was trying to translate the sign. I realized it roughly means loose dogs and right on cue I could hear them howling. No Gracias. Also, was it just me or did other people not know that female cows could have horns? I was muy confundido when I walked upon a baby cow taking his lunch from his father!

Just a City girl finding peace in the Country.

Every day on the Camino my heart grew more and more fond for the quiet and slow pace of the towns and the roads and trails connecting you to each one. It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that in three days I hiked roughly 35 miles passing through multiple towns and villages and yet as we headed back it took just under 30 minutes in a taxi. What else am I missing by taking the easy way there? When a town only has a population of 29, does it make it any less important than a big city? My answer would be no. I needed every one of those 29 people to continue on. Place to stay? Bienveneidos, we have a bed for you. Spot to grab a lunch with quite possibly the best papas fritas I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot) Sure! Come on in. Help finding a taxi back so I could sadly make my way back to the city of Madrid. No te preocupas, my friend will be here at 10:45 to pick you up. One day walking through a town, I noticed a sign on their garage door that said, Por Favor no Apacar Please don’t park. Slightly less abrasive than the American versions of “Your car will be Towed”, “No Parking” and “Don’t Block Driveway”. And while I don’t think people should block driveways that aren’t theirs it just goes to show you, you can be nice about it! A Speech Language Pathologist telling you your words matter, would you look at that!

Good Friends don’t always laugh at your jokes

Traveling with friends is a luxury I have known for quite some time. However, when it’s a friend you’ve never traveled with before you could be in for all sorts of adventures. And I have to say Brian and I had one heck of an adventure together. Brian and I have been friends since we were neighbors in San Francisco. Well, let me clarify, I thought Brian was my friend and he called me his neighbor up until about two years ago before I left San Francisco. We joke how we both remember that when we first met my energy was a lot and while he enjoyed hanging out with me, I knew it was a lot and as I’d be leaving our hang I’d say, “See you in a month or so.” Plenty of time to recharge that battery of his. One week of non-stop closeness and I can say we left each other at the airport in Madrid still one very good friendship intact. Did it annoy me that he wouldn’t share his photos? Yup Did my really terrible jokes on the trails and my immature renaming of the paintings in the Museo Del Prado make him roll his eyes at me? Sure did. I mean I thought the one about the woman in Rembrandt’s painting needing a TUMS was hysterical, but I guess not. You can judge yourself. More often than not, we found ourselves laughing usually at our own expense (insert Brian’s army chant of “I don’t know what I’ve been told….Caitlin Shanley is very old” here.), taking turns leading the way on the trails and sharing multiple breakfasts a day. Hopefully if I give him enough time away, he’ll want to do this again someday.

Pretty sure this was right after the chant about me being old

It truly is about the journey

The main reason I was going to Spain was to join Molly for a few days on her amazing feet of hiking the Camino from France all the way to Santiago de Compostela. Prior to getting there, Molly hurt her knee and wasn’t sure she’d be back on the trails by the time we got there or even finish the Camino at all. We all have ideas of what something is going to be when we set out to do it. Having expectations can be a blessing and a curse. This coming from the girl who for 7 marathons has told herself…you are NOT going out too fast and then does and has to readjust goals mid race. I know that changing the idea of what it was “supposed to be” and taking in every moment with joy for what it actually is can be tricky. Just like me, Molly adjusted “mid race”, figured out what she was going to need to do to finish her goal and was not going to let those expectations creep in to darken the light that being on the Camino brings to your heart. I was lucky that I got to see the smile on her face and a few welled up eyes as she made it to the highest point on the Camino surrounded by some of the most stunning views and a few of us tagalong pilgrims. One afternoon, I told her I had faith that she’d be back on the trail and she shared how much that meant to her. It was a good reminder for me to try and have as much faith in myself when things aren’t going right as I have in my friends. I mean as Brian would say, “You deserve it.” Brian is staying in Spain and will catch back up with Molly at the finish, but sadly on a snowy Friday morning in O Cebreiro this was it for me. We hugged, I gave her my faith once again in a “You’ve got this” and now the rest is up to her. I know in my heart she will be making it to her final destination just like she set out to do! Maybe it didn’t look like her original plan and like in a race maybe it wasn’t the time you wanted, but when you make it to the finish you still did it and that is something not everyone can say or even dream to do. Buena Suerte mi amiga and thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and an adventure I will never forget.