Prior to walking the Camino de Santiago, I watched several YouTube channels of pilgrims on their journey. Almost all of them talked about lessons they learned daily on the Camino. I noticed the same thing on Camino de Santiago forums. People listed off the lessons the Camino taught them.
It could be lessons. Or it could be they became a different person. Maybe they had a revelation come to them during their pilgrimage, and the Camino helped them make a life decision.
Then there’s me. There were no life-altering lessons I learned on the Camino. I didn’t change as a person. No divine interventions happened. Miracles passed me by. What am I doing in this place? The Camino de Santiago is just a really long walk.
OK, so maybe the Camino taught me three lessons. The irony? I didn’t need to go all the way to Spain to learn them!
Friends, I will now share these three lessons with you.
1. Bad knees when I get older?
On Day 2 of the Camino, I climbed the Pyrenees from France into Spain and was walking downhill towards Roncesvalles. I began to feel pain on the outside of my knees. I’ve never felt this kind of pain before. My original plan wasn’t to spend the night in Roncesvalles, but due to the knee pain and the rain, I stayed in the big albergue there.
Even though I was popping pain killers, applying Biofreeze, and rocking knee braces, my knees didn’t improve.
After hobbling into the town of Estella, I saw a doctor who examined my knees and gave me a prescription for Ibuprofen 600. And told me to keep doing the things I was already doing and that I could continue walking the Camino. Adios and buen camino.
Walking downhill or down stairs. Ouch! I could barely move. Eventually my knee pain became tolerable, and I stopped wearing the brace on my right knee. I put it back on when elevation drops were part of that day’s hike.
I am no longer hobbling, but I fear I have seen my future.
2. The Spanish are NOT fans of Bob Barker
When I was younger I worked as an au pair in Madrid and traveled a bit around the country. There were cats and dogs everywhere. Mostly cats.
Fast forward a few decades. Same thing. Cats everywhere. Lots of dogs too. Especially intact male dogs.
The Spanish are still very resistant to spaying and neutering their pets. That’s why there is over-breeding and stray cats and dogs all over the country. And Spain is a rich country. The people can afford this vet procedure for their animals, but they don’t do it.
3. Bed bugs
I’ve gotten this far in life without seeing a bed bug, but now I know what they look like.
One of the biggest pilgrim fears is picking up bed bugs in an albergue (dormitory). There are a lot of pilgrims walking the Camino and if they stay somewhere that has a bed bug infestation, there’s a risk they could unknowingly transport bed bugs to the next albergue they stay at.
And so on.
I’d gone 32 days without running into a bed bug, though someone else I met had been bitten by bed bugs and suffered a bad allergic reaction.
My introduction to bed bugs happened in the town of Samos at the Tras do Convento albergue.
Rather than me write out what happened, watch my video where I describe the experience. It was a really rough night…
Lessons learned on the Camino de Santiago
So those are the three lessons I learned on the Camino de Santiago. Nothing earth shattering or life altering. All these “lessons” I could have quite nicely gone the rest of my life without learning.
Did the Camino de Santiago teach you any lessons?
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on January 14, 2024.
