What is the Camino? This question for a Pilgrim is very much like the age old question, what is the meaning of life?
For either question, is there a correct answer? If there is, is it one answer or is it different for each person? I don’t know the answer to either but, I continue to ponder them both.
Why you may ask is this on my mind? Very good question. Friday, I met a Pilgrim named Mike from Australia. Mike was traveling with a group on a luxury two week Camino trip that cost $16k excluding air (he told me this).
Mike and I met while I was having a outrageously overpriced Martini at the Parador in Santiago, so based on the circumstances, maybe I deserved what I got.
While Mike was complaining about his luxury Camino, I began to think about what the Camino was. What I ended up with was what the Camino is not, at least for me.
After Mike told me that he always wanted to do the Camino, a luxury Camino (his words), I instantly knew that we had very different ideas of what “wanting” to do the Camino meant. He sat there in his expensive travel wear and I sat in my best clean clothes, happy that they were clean for a change.
Mike said to me, look at the old geezers, I have nothing in common with them, I wonder why I’m here. As I thought about my friends whom I desperately missed scattered across Spain, I wondered the same thing, why was he here?
Mike told me about their accommodations and how they were okay but for the price, they should be better, they were staying in the Parador in Santiago. I didn’t tell him that we slept in bunk beds, shared 2 or 3 showers and thought that having a blanket was pretty special.
Mike and his group were being picked up by a luxury coach to be taken to a special dinner with a wine pairing arranged by his tour company. While I was not having a Pilgrims dinner tonight, I smiled as I thought about all of them that I’d shared with my friends and Camino family, our wine pairing was easy, vino tinto.
Finally, Mike asked me if I enjoyed the Camino and if I got anything out of it. As I started to answer, he cut me off and said he didn’t really get it. I could only smile.
They departed as they arrived, enmasse. As they boarded their prearranged luxury coach, I felt a bit sorry for them all.
We each walk our own way. For me, the sore knees were worth it. For Mike, they we were a terrible problem. For me, the uphill (where I got a new nickname) and the excruciating downhills meant I was closer to meeting my friends, old and new and sharing the best beer I’ve ever had in the world…today, with anyone interested in joining me.
For me, the thought boarding my flight to Madrid and the the USA the next day was heart wrenching. Leaving this place and these people is like physically and emotionally removing a part of me. For Mike, apparently his Business Class seat back to Australia was all he was concerned about.
I’m sure Mike is a nice guy and I’m not judging him, we each walk our own Way. I’m not writing about Mike, the world is full of Mike’s. But I can’t help but wonder why he (and others) choose the Camino but only engage it at arms length. I’m sure their tour company managed to get them their Compostella and I hope they enjoy telling their friends how they walked the Camino de Santiago.
So, I don’t know what the Camino is but, I have a very good idea what it is not.
Buen Camino Mike, I hope you found what you were looking for. Sadly, I fear that you did.