I am often asked why I chose to go back again and again to the Camino where thousands of people walk each year, when I can easily hike in solitude, or with a few dear ones, in spectacular places near my home in Colorado.
I’ve been thinking about the answer to that question:
I feel a sense of wonder each time I revisit Galicia, as well as a deep sense of place. I enjoy learning more and more about the history and “prehistory” of the Iberian Peninsula. I am inspired by the fact that thousands and thousands of people have walked in the same direction, on the same paths and roads on the way toward Santiago de Compostela. Each pilgrim seeks something more, whether it be mental clarity, spiritual insight, or pure physical challenge. I feel this collective energy along the Way.
Each day is different on the Way, hiking through forests and towns and farmland. I cherish walking past farms with many shades of green and through many “caserios,” which are small clusters of 3-4 farmsteads, each named as if they were a town. Their houses, sheds, and barns ramble together, all with thick stone walls of granite. Narrow slits carved through the stone look like ancient mail slots, but instead of letters, they let air into the interior spaces for animals living there. Sometimes there are strong smells of pigs or cows, a glimpse of a woman hanging up the wash or tending the garden, a man driving a tractor, or, more rarely now, an ox cart.
I feel as if I am walking through history on the winding narrow lanes lined with mossy stone walls or brambles and through caserios. Perhaps I am channeling some ancestral connection to farming life.
I chuckle every time I see the kitchen gardens with kale growing taller than me – how do they grow so big here? Kale called “berza” is a key ingredient in the tasty Caldo de Gallego, a thick bean, potato and kale stew, which is slightly different every time. I eat Caldo pretty much every day I am in Galicia!
And while we meet many pilgrims and locals, there are also ample opportunities for solitude and reflection.
My experiences on the Way through Galicia are different from those in my beloved mountains in Colorado. I am beyond grateful to have both!
We have one lucky spot left on our Artsy Way. I hope you will join us!
Beautiful, Brenda! You capture perfectly the alluring quality of the Camino, how it’s different from a solitary walk in the mountains, how the mass of humanity over thousands of years fills you with a sense of place and intention when you walk those cobblestone lanes. I love these little sketches and especially that round house!
I can’t wait to walk it again with you Andre and our Artsy Way pilgrims!
Such a delightful piece Brenda. Helene and I have ventured to Europe a couple of times and the Iberian peninsula seems to be calling our names for our next trip. Your description has us thinking we will not be disappointed – and the Caldo de Gallego sounds delicious.