Camino 2023 – ?

So, we finished it for the 5th time. What now? That’s where we find ourselves…

With our France trip beginning early tomorrow morning, it’s too difficult for us to stop and process our feelings or to make any meaningful assessments or reflections in so short a time.

Camino2023 was in some ways very similar to previous ones but also different. The pace of our upcoming “visit to the vineyards” will allow time to process Camino2023 and to think about what’s next for us and how to gleen the most from this most recent experience along the Camino Frances.

…. So, we savored the wines, French cuisine and relaxing environment of Provence for 30 days. On our trip back to Paris we stopped for a night in Chamonix, France and took in the awesomeness of the French Alps. The next night/day we stayed on a farm east of Leon, France with the Saône river in our backyard. Our drive into Paris the next day was uneventful and after spending a restful night in a modern hotel near Charles DeGaulle airport, we returned home after 91 days.

Our reflections on Camino 2023 continued even after returning to a more normal routine at home in the U.S.

Conclusion and what next?

In 2002, we discovered the Camino Frances via a book-on-tape, The Camino- A Journey of the Spirit, written and narrated by Shirley MacLaine.

We have walked on the Camino Frances 8 times since 2012. We have walked from St Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago, Spain, earning 5 Compostela’s. One would think that it might be time to move on.

For sure, the newness of the Camino experience has diminished. The preparation and planning are more routine. Some of the original mystery, enchantment and excitement is no longer there…. but, the Camino Frances keeps calling us back…. incentivizing us to maintain our health and physical conditioning in anticipation of “another Camino”…. and rewarding us with revitalized physical, mental and spiritual health, each time we complete it.

So, in spite of , or perhaps because of our advanced ages (78 & 79), we’re excited about embarking on Camino 2024 in August.