Ten Years Ago Today

Ten years ago today, I got on an airplane to go to a country I’d never been before. I didn’t speak the language. And I was going to walk 500 miles across the country, mostly alone. The plan was to meet up with Francine in León, which is more than halfway to Santiago, a couple of weeks into the walk.

I was both excited and terrified. And it changed my life forever.

Now, as I plan for a longer adventure across two countries later this year, I’m remembering, and to an extent reliving, the confusion and excitement of those days.

Walking in France is definitely different from walking in Spain; I’m still learning the differences between the Spanish albergues and the French gîtes. And then there’s the whole “demi-pension” learning curve – is it available and do you need it in a particular place? Or are there other dinner options?

One of the main differences seems to be reservations. Basically, whereas in Spain you only really need to reserve places to sleep in advance during the last 100 km, it’s much more frequent in France, though still not required in most places. However, in bottleneck places, where due to natural or human geography most pilgrims are forced into one location, they are prudent. And some gîtes require them. I’ve already begun booking some of these, as where options are limited, gîtes fill up fast.

In this endeavour, Google Translate is your friend.

One of my favourite responses from a monastic gîte contained a note that pilgrims with donkeys were welcome to keep them in the meadow behind the abbey. The Camino – whether in Spain or in France – is always an adventure!