So if you are not walking the ancient paths why are you walking? For us, we are creating the kind of travel we like. The feeling in the morning when you first start out is wonderful. Stopping for coffee, and now pintxos, is a pleasure. Finally getting there is satisfying. We walk short days, 7-10 miles, and so are not usually too tired and are in time for a nice lunch. Here the late Spanish lunch hours 1-4 pm, are just perfect.
We like walking past peoples’ houses and farms and seeing how the people live. We like the little churches. We like the small restaurants where the food seems to be the same thing as their grandmothers made, simple with fresh ingredients.
In some ways rural Spain seems to be like the US was 50 years ago and we like seeing that. We like the evenings where the whole town is out walking, from the children to the grandparents.
We usually stay in hotels or pensions rather than albergues. We like having a private room and more space to spread out in.
As we get older we plan to start using the backpack transport services to make the walking easier. and maybe stick to the Caminos flatter than the Camino del Norte.
It is still a spiritual experience for us. We have modified it to fit our needs.
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