Does the Camino ever leave you?

You might think that you have finished your Camino after arriving in Santiago de Compostela, but by now I can tell you that the Camino will never leave you. The longing for the long walks, the comradery with fellow pilgrims, the meditative moments alone; every now and then the desire to return to that experience will come back.

I’ve had it for the past years, since walking my Camino to Santiago de Compostela in 2013. I knew I would return to the Camino some day, and for long there were general statements like “yes, I will do it again“. Yet never with a firm date, until now.

This year my son Laurens is walking his Camino. He is doing the same route as I did, all the way from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Perhaps he too is continuing to Finisterre and Muxia, who knows. The plan to join him on his Camino was dormant for a while, yet difficult to firm up.

Now, with a little push, the opportunity presented itself. It is time to go back to the Camino! Saturday I will travel to the León region and join up with Laurens to have a quality week together. A week later he will continue through the beautiful Galicia region on to Santiago de Compostela and I will return home.

Follow us here, if time and internet connection allows me, I will post regular updates on this site.

Now, let’s hope León will show itself to me in a friendlier weather dressing than during my previous time on the Camino!

Update 20/5/16: Laurens is progressing already beyond León, so Tomorrow I will travel to Astorga instead. Rain or shine, León will have to do without me.

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