A Picture's Worth a 1000 Words

I arrived home last Thursday from my 6 week adventure across parts of France and Spain. I was surprised at the airport by my dear friends, who made signs with yellow arrows and St. James shells for me, so that I would be able to find my way home!

My friends also graciously went grocery shopping for me, buying me some of my favourite things (i.e., chocolate milk and strawberries), so that I could comfortably settle in at home and rest. I'm not sure I've done all that much resting - I've been waking up between 5 and 6 am since arriving, and have already been biking and hiking twice since arriving home. Nonetheless, I was very touched by their generosity and despite being tired, it was great to be able to catch up with them.

A lot of people have been asking me about my "trip." Questions such as: how was it? What was it like? Did you enjoy it? What was your favourite part? When can I see pictures? You know the typical questions one would ask anyone returning home from a long trip. Normally I would have no troubles answering these questions, but this time I find myself a little lost for words. Hiking the Camino wasn't your typical trip! Instead, it was a transformational experience. I don't know just yet what has changed, but I know that I feel different. 

It's hard to put into words the things that I did, saw and experienced during my 34 days of walking, which is approximately 900 km. I could show you pictures and tell you stories, but I'm not sure to truly do those moments justice. The Camino gave me a lot of time - time to see beautiful things, time to meet amazing people, time to experience joy, time to be grateful, time to relax, to laugh, to cry, to reflect, to pray and then laugh again! I hope this video captures some of that! I've used the song Stand By Me, because my Camino Family and I would often start randomly singing that song at the start/end of the day, in supermercados, in coffee shops....pretty much anywhere and everywhere! It sort of became the unofficial theme song of the journey, because you really can't do this journey alone! Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/Ku2Uvki-Bu0

- Buen Camino