If anything, the movie, The Way with Martin Sheen, highlighted the formation of “Camino Families” or at the very least, “Camino Friendships.”
There are a lot of people each year who walk the Camino alone or maybe they have a friend that they brought along with them for this adventure. You don’t see big packs of people doing the Camino together. However, you do see the formation of Camino Families. I, myself, have found a family of sorts. There’s Gayre, a Brazilian who lives in California and Esther, a Spanish woman from Burgos. Each of us chose to do the Camino alone and the first day, Gayre and Esther became friends. The second day, I joined their family. This isn’t something I expected. I expected to walk alone, talk to people when I wanted to (I have a little bit of introvert tendencies), and pretty much keep to myself. But after the first day, I knew I needed more than to be alone. I needed friends. Even though Gayre has fallen behind Esther and I, we are still in contact with her and hope she can catch up to us. Esther speaks some English and I speak hardly any Spanish, but some how we communicate. And laugh together. Esther is looking for an American boyfriend, if anyone knows one that's available. She’s pretty and has great taste in music. Last night, I was separated from Esther because I just didn’t have the stamina to make it to the next town. But it gave me a chance to see other Camino families in action. My favorite so far is a group of men (3-4 or so) who I know nothing about, but can tell from their lively conversations and excitement over dinner that they truly enjoy each other’s company. They danced around taking pictures of one of the men making dinner for all of them. It was a lovely sight to see. There are other groups/families that have formed over the trek. Some are just a couple of people who started walking together at the beginning. At this point, I feel as though we are a herd of people headed to Santiago. Most of us are stopping in the same towns along the way. I see familiar faces everyday in cafes or albergues. For some I know their names, but others I don’t. However, it doesn’t matter. In an odd way, we’ve become an even bigger Camino Family, or an extended one at that. We share the same aches and pains (feet, legs, back), but we always greet each other with a smile. Buen Camino!
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About Marcy I wear many hats. First, I'm a wife to an amazing husband, Joe. Second, I'm a mom to 2 incredible kids, Caitlynn and Miles. Professionally speaking, I am a chef, dietitian, and writer working as an instructor in Hospitality Management at Montana State University in Bozeman. Photos: See InstagramMarcy's other Site |