Walking the Camino de Santiago works best without expectations, experienced hikers say
On Latvian Radio's show "Kā labāk dzīvot," writer Grencberga and traveler Eniņa shared their experience of the Camino de Santiago, a route that can even be started from home in Latvia.
The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, is an old pilgrimage tradition that today draws people with very different motivations. For some, it is an attempt to heal emotional wounds or to test physical endurance; for others, the journey becomes a spiritual quest.
Two women who have walked the route themselves — writer Grencberga and traveler Eniņa — shared their experiences on the Latvian Radio programme "Kā labāk dzīvot" (How to Live Better).
A need to walk
According to what the two women described, the Camino de Santiago brings together people who feel an inner need to set out on this walk. The programme also noted that the journey can be started even from home in Latvia, not necessarily from the route's traditional starting point.
Walking without expectations
One of the main lessons both women drew from their experience is that the Camino is best walked without fixed expectations about what will happen along the way. Such an approach allows travelers to remain open to whatever the journey actually brings, rather than trying to fit the experience into a preconceived idea.
The experiences of both Grencberga and Eniņa suggest that the Camino de Santiago can become a significant personal experience, whether someone approaches it as a spiritual pilgrimage, a test of physical endurance, or a way of processing inner struggles.
