Yes, this is the second part of the blog post I started yesterday. If you did not read that, here it is, and sure I will get to the point of how I managed to get my boy on such a trip, in the third part. But before I get that far, I would like to show you some pictures and share some memories from that Camino.
Now in retrospect, I look at that trip as a kind of walking meditation. As we left mile after mile behind us, the words disappeared. We did not talk much. We would start the promenade after a simple breakfast around 06.30, and by the time we would arrive at the next stop, it was 5- 6 pm. Just time for dinner and after that the bed was calling. I guess this is the case when you walk between 19-24 km every day for many days in a row. Step by step through plains, forests, passing through cemeteries, by old churches, and monasteries. I remember the details and impressions around so vividly.
For example, how my son reacted, seeing a Spanish cemetery. In Spain, they bury their dead in kind of standing showcases. They do not bury them underneath the earth like they do in Norwegian graveyards.
Traversing through open plains and seeing animals grazing in the open landscapes gave farming another face and perspective. I recall, especially one morning, the two of us passing by a pig slaughterhouse, and my son was horrified. We could smell the blood from there, and hearing the pigs screaming was terrifying. I had read somewhere that pigs could notice when they were going to be butchered but experiencing, the mixture of blood smell and the screaming of terrified pigs was a pretty gruesome experience. At the same time, it also was a lesson about the meat we consume and where it comes from, not just from the nearby shop; even though it is there, we buy it.
Another memory is from after lunch one day, we were pretty exhausted and had still many km in the head of us, and suddenly I am pushing my son aside.
I had seen a snake, from the corner of my eyes, exactly where my son was going to put his next step. If I had not reacted as quickly as I did, well, you can guess the rest.
Writing this blog post ensures me, I want to walk the whole Camino, all the 780 kilometers. There are so many routes on our blue planet that I would like to explore. What about you? Do you enjoy hiking? Where is your favourite Camino so far?
