So I’ve been home nearly 3 weeks and I’ve just about returned to normality..whatever that is!

This year’s time in Spain has been different in many ways. I walked for a longer time, the people I met were different, and I met more people. When I arrived home last year, I took a few days off work to get rid of flu and went back to work like the previous 10 days or so didn’t happen. This time around, even though I was away for two weeks, it became routine for me to check my email, Facebook and various forums to read about peoples’ times on the Camino. I also ventured to this WordPress blog to read how some of my fellow followers were getting on. And when I finished the above…….

……….I checked my email, Facebook, forums, blogs etc etc,…you get the gist! So, it became difficult to concentrate on the things that I should normally be concentrating on. Work played 2nd fiddle. I had developed a new obsession, a new way of looking at things, whether it is healthy or not is another story. Spain is all I talked about and all my friends and family got to hear of.

And apparently this is normal!!

Yep…I met people and walked with them for 8 or 9 days…20-30km a day. We ate, drank and sang together..not forgetting, walking too. There are things we talked about that I would find hard discussing at home, even with family members. I mean..there was a great respect for everyone there and it was very easy to be comfortable with who you meet. I barely knew some people’s names; language barriers weren’t a problem and what my new found friends did in their “normal” lives meant nothing to me.

So when I arrived back in Ireland, it was only natural to want to get up early, put on a pack and walk 20km on a dusty senda. Instead, it was a case of getting a train to work and speaking to people who have no idea what the Camino is and what it can do to you. It is frustrating at times.

It really a life changing experience. There is no question of that. Like it or hate it, you will change in some shape or form. The other people I walked with feel exactly the same. There should really be a health warning on this damn thing!

So to those who know me, please understand…I’ve been hit by a bug and it will be hard to shake off.