I’m beginning to understand why people return to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago more than once.  When we reached Santiago, the end of our journey, I was beyond exhausted and thought to myself, okay, that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Jump to the PDF:  Camino de Santiago FAQ

I Understand the Desire

Grateful for completing the journey I couldn’t even begin to think about walking it more than once. When Abi suggested maybe one day we’d return to walk the meseta, I thought he was out of his mind.  I still have no intention of walking again, but now I think I understand the desire.

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Crossing the river in Portomarin, Spain.

Once we stopped walking my Camino aches and pains faded away, but I lost a toenail while walking and another is still partially bruised.  I suspect it’s permanent.  I actually don’t mind though, I see them as badges of honor; after all my feet carried me 350 miles. But why subject myself to such a grueling task a second time?

Surviving Each Day

Here’s what I think.  The first time you walk – although it seems painfully long – it actually passes by pretty damn quickly.  You’re so focused on surviving each day, making it to each destination and getting up each morning to do it all over again, it’s possible that something was missed along the way.  We gave as much time to each day as we could.  However, there are only so many hours in a day.  Between the two of us we probably took well over 1,000 photos.  As I look through them I can barely remember being there.

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Our Camino de Santiago FAQ Guide

Seriously, I don’t see us walking the Camino a second time, but I could be swayed to take on another trek.  Somewhere reasonably flat that doesn’t leave me feeling as if I gave birth to a mountain.  And, if there is someone to transport our packs for us, all the better.  Maybe then.

Update:  April 2019 we walked 145 miles from Porto to Santiago and it was an excellent adventure.

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Looking back at Puente la Reina, Spain.

In the meantime though, for those of you who are dreaming of walking the Camino de Santiago – or if you are just interested to read more about our Camino – we’ve put together a detailed FAQ guide of our experience to share with you. Our 15-page free download offers detailed practicalities not included in our real time posts.

We’ve shared our itinerary and our list of accommodations, as well as pilgrim tidbits, for you to use as a source of reference while planning your Camino.

Never Say Never

Walking the Camino de Santiago was by far the most exciting, challenging, breathtaking, exhausting, and pain inducing but fabulously rewarding, travel experience to date.  I think it would be hard to top it.  Although, I just learned of the European Peace Walk and it’s on my radar!  Never say never, right?!

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Our final morning on the Camino. Never say never!

Here is our 15-page free download.

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