A lesson in slow travel: walking the Camino de Santiago with my brother
The Camino de Santiago has been a confluence of culture since the 8th century, a trail where like-minded souls from around the world share the sacred act of pilgrimage. Routes from the north, south, east and west of Europe criss-cross Spain but all converge on the Sanctuary of Saint James the Apostle in Galicia's capital, Santiago de Compostela. /p>
Not that this is a pious walk. Of the 178,912 people who would have completed it in 2021, a third did so for non-religious reasons. But pilgrims of all faiths share a common goal and “Camino culture” of reaching out to help other walkers and sharing the food you have in your backpack. Everyone is working for the common good and that alone is a reason to go. It's rare to find a grumpy pilgrim.
A few years ago I dreamed that I was walking the Camino with Reuben, my youngest brother. But would he be able to do it in real life? One of the attributes of his Down syndrome is flat feet, and he is not an avid walker. But I shared the idea with Nathan, my other brother, and his response was "Let's do it!" After several months of planning, we arrived in the city of León, about 200 miles east of Santiago, to begin our Camino.
The Camino de Santiago has been a confluence of culture since the 8th century, a trail where like-minded souls from around the world share the sacred act of pilgrimage. Routes from the north, south, east and west of Europe criss-cross Spain but all converge on the Sanctuary of Saint James the Apostle in Galicia's capital, Santiago de Compostela. /p>
Not that this is a pious walk. Of the 178,912 people who would have completed it in 2021, a third did so for non-religious reasons. But pilgrims of all faiths share a common goal and “Camino culture” of reaching out to help other walkers and sharing the food you have in your backpack. Everyone is working for the common good and that alone is a reason to go. It's rare to find a grumpy pilgrim.
A few years ago I dreamed that I was walking the Camino with Reuben, my youngest brother. But would he be able to do it in real life? One of the attributes of his Down syndrome is flat feet, and he is not an avid walker. But I shared the idea with Nathan, my other brother, and his response was "Let's do it!" After several months of planning, we arrived in the city of León, about 200 miles east of Santiago, to begin our Camino.
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