Once upon a time there was an old country, wrapped up in habit and caution

... We have to transform our old France into a new country and marry it to its time. - Charles de Gaulle

I spoke with a couple close to seventy years old, both doctors, who had made the pilgrimage together 4 years ago. They repeated many of the things that Janine had told me, and they said that the best thing about the Chemin was stopping at a gite or albergue and meeting the same people you started out with on the first day of hiking. Monique, who talked much more than her husband, told me a lot about the history of the Chemin, much of which I knew already, but it was interesting to observe how much the connection to history affected her. She is also a devout Catholic, and she was very moved not only by the many religious shrines along the Chemin but also, for example, by walking along the same road as Charlemagne and Roland had used in their fight against the Moors. It was very impressive for me to hear Monique and her husband describe historical events as though they had occurred yesterday. While Monique was telling me about the people from different countries they had met on the Chemin, her husband interrupted to tell me that he liked people from all countries, everywhere, except the English. He detested the English. When I asked him why, he leaned forward and looked at me very seriously. He said, very slowly, “Because the English, they burned Joan of Arc.”

Monique remembered a man who had started out from his home in the Netherlands; when they met him, he had already walked 1 000 kilometers. They also walked with people from Canada, Italy, Holland, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Austria, and Australia. They still keep in contact with some of their friends from the pilgrimage. They also told me that most of the people who make the pilgrimage are more than 50 years old. One Canadian pilgrim celebrated his 70th birthday in Santiago, and there was a couple who had 80 years making the pilgrimage, also.

They both complained bitterly about the rhythm of the Spanish day. A typical day has you loading your pack at 6 in the morning and beginning the trail while it is still dark. Rest stops occur midmorning, wherever you can fill your water bottle and buy a cup of coffee or a sandwich. After the midmorning break, you walk for the rest of the day, stopping for brief rests, for lunch, or to take care of your feet. It took about 8 hours to reach the next village, meaning that they usually arrived in a village at the moment when the entire village shut down for siesta, and it was necessary to wait several hours to buy food and water for the next day. They were also frustrated because the Spanish, habitually, do not dine until 10 o’clock at night. But they discovered many restaurants that offered a special Menu de Peregrino starting at 8 o’clock, and by 10 they could be in bed with their earplugs.

When I asked Monique what people looked for on the Chemin, she said that she thought we all seek something at some time in our lives, even if it is just a new awareness or perspective on life. Sometimes we do not even know what it is we seek.