I want to talk to you
about how Anniewalker trips
usually go.
We are not tour guides.
We are simply two pilgrims
who love the Camino
and enjoy helping others
achieve their dream of walking it.
From the time we arrive in Pamplona,
travel to SJPP,
and walk over the Pyrenees,
our pilgrims usually stick pretty close to us.
By the 3d or 4th day,
they often break into smaller groups;
the "hares" who walk fast
and the "tortoises" who walk slooooow.
Some continue to hang with us,
but that is entirely up to you.
We want this to be YOUR Camino
as much as is possible in a group.
You are not expected to walk with us,
though you are more than welcome to.
Stop and rest when you need to.
No need to rush;
you have a clean bed and a shower waiting.
Eat when you're hungry.
Drink when you're thirsty.
Take a taxi if you get too tired to take another step. It's ok. You can do that.
People might judge you.
That's ok.
That's THEIR problem, not yours.
The only requirement if you want your Compostela is that you walk every step from Sarria to Santiago.
Those days are fairly flat and easy walking.
The rest of the route is up to you.
This 2022 Holy Year Camino will be special.
Not only is it a Holy Year,
but we have all had the darned pandemic
to deal with.
It will be a time of thanksgiving
for those of us who survived it.
It will be a time to offer up prayers and thoughts for those who did not.
This Holy Year Camino
will most certainly be different.
We may be as surprised as you are
at some of the differences.
There will be changes, and challenges -
you will do best
if you can roll with the changes and the challenges.
The first lesson of the Camino is to "travel lightly" and the second lesson
is to "let go of expectation."
This can be painful for some,
hilarious for some,
refreshing for others.
You will meet pilgrims
from every country in the world,
and every walk of life.
Some will be grouchy and tired.
Maybe you can uplift them?
Offer a smile?
Pay for their beer?
Give them a foot rub or carry their pack?
Some will be giving.
Allow yourself to receive.
One thing is for certain,
the Camino will provide,
and not always in the way you expect.
And if there's anything I can promise you,
it is that you will come back home changed,
in ways you never imagined.
Have a Buen Camino!
Love,
Annie