Walking the Camino — by Emma Pence

Reflections by Emma Pence (from 26 May 2017)

Walking the camino provides a unique opportunity to experience Spain. Not only does the path allow you to literally walk from town to town journeying through northern Spain, but the path also provides a platform for intimate interactions. Because you are walking twenty plus kilometers a day, every day on the camino allows for countless interactions with fellow peregrinos and locals of the towns.

The culture of the camino is compelling and after a couple days, or even one day, you grow to appreciate it on a new level. Conversations with locals along the path, or store owners when stopping for second, third, or even fourth breakfast on the trail reveal meaningful aspects of the culture in Spain. You come to understand their way of life in Spain more through these small, everyday interactions than you would traveling through a country simply visiting the busy main attractions filled with tourists.

The camino showed us how many of the people in Spain value time spent in conversation with one another, especially when that time is spent indulging in cafe or tapas. The Spanish way of life is definitely one I think we can all get behind.