No Camino this Year

In 2013 and 2016, I began my Caminos with a flight to Madrid on Easter Sunday. In the best of worlds, we would be flying to Spain today, right now perhaps. Or Tuesday at the latest. But we are not. The Camino is closed down. Indeed, most of the world is closed down at this point thanks to the Coronavirus.

Back in 2018, I posted the following image here:

Our plan had been that I would start in Saint-Jean – or possibly Lourdes – and Francine would rent an apartment in Burgos or, more probably, Santiago, where she could do some research and writing on her Camino novel.

We’d meet up and spend a day at various places we specifically wanted to research, including Roncesvalles, Burgos, León, and Astorga. We’d most likely walk some sections together, certainly including the last 100km.

Well, this was torpedoed by a drying up of paying work. Even if it hadn’t, the current plague would have certainly put an end to it.

What now? An autumn Camino, assuming it’s possible? Perhaps the Holy Year of 2021? Or 2022? These things are in the Lord’s hands.

But we will walk again, of that I’m relatively certain. Perhaps many times.

And we will serve as hospitaleros. When? Who knows?

For now, we can but pray and walk and hope.