The Camino de Santiago was truly a difficult journey for me.
Nevertheless, I decided to set off.
Because if I couldn't leave this time, it seemed like it would be difficult to challenge myself again.
Even if I couldn't finish the race due to a deteriorating disc and had to return home midway, I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't even try.

Considering it was my first stay at the albergue, I had booked a room for four, but the three other people were all women.
I sent my wife a KakaoTalk message saying that I slept with three women, and she replied with a short message, “You’re a swindler!”

Bookmark of Joseon Dynasty queen's costume.
When I told her a lie that if she put it between her books while reading, she would become a queen, she smiled brightly and was very happy.

As you walk the Camino, you will naturally meet pilgrims from all over the world.
Everyone we meet along the way greets us with “Hola!” or “Buen Camino!”
In Spanish it means 'Hello!' or 'Have a nice pilgrimage!'
This greeting, which may not seem all that special, strangely gives me great strength and comfort whenever I feel tired.

Even though my body is tired, why do I feel small joys while walking the Camino? Perhaps it's because it's an experience completely different from my usual daily routine.
Moreover, I thought it might be even more so because it was my first time spending a long time of a month and a half alone in a foreign country.
Anyway, the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is difficult, but there are small joys, and those small joys seem to help me get through the difficult moments.

When the laundry was almost finished, the Spanish woman came up to me and said something again.
This time, when I didn't understand, I went, "Waak~ waak~ Isn't that the sound of a dog barking? Ah! Oh no~ It was then that I finally realized that the laundry basket I put my laundry in was for pets only.
Looking closely, I saw that there were small pictures of a dog and a cat drawn in front of the laundry basket.

What was in my afterlife? I longed to be perceived as gentle and righteous by those around me, even though in reality, I was never that way.
I wanted to look like a feminist while still being macho.
Although it sometimes popped up out of the blue, I had to act differently from my true nature.
Through such hypocrisy, I had a strong desire for recognition and wanted to be evaluated as a decent person.
Isn't that the very path I should be taking?

It was only when we arrived in Burgos that we decided to skip the Meseta section and walk back to Finisterre after arriving in Santiago.
Rather than the Meseta, a vast plain of endless loneliness and silence where you can introspect yourself, I was more drawn to the Fisterra Via, where you can walk while reflecting on the path you walked from Saint-Jean-de-la-Camino to Santiago and then meet the Atlantic Ocean.

While I was organizing my backpack at my accommodation, I found my glasses that I thought I had lost.
It was stuck between the sleeping bag compartments in my backpack.
I was so happy that it was as if my daughter-in-law who had run away from home had returned.
I always lose things, but I guess it comes back like this.
No, it wasn't that I came back, the glasses were still there, but I couldn't see them because I was blind.
How much more are there things that I miss out on without even knowing it?

Almost a month has passed since I left home.
When I first started walking the pilgrimage route, I felt like a traveler who was unfamiliar with everything, but now I've become accustomed to it and feel like a pilgrim who has been wandering since the beginning.


To complete the pilgrimage, it is most important to walk at your own pace.
Again, everything is unfamiliar and every day is new.
A place you visit for the first time, a person you meet for the first time, a dish you try for the first time…
Will there ever be another moment as special as this in my life?

Now, there are less than 40 kilometers left to Santiago de Compostela.
When I first started walking the Camino de Santiago, I felt a subtle sense of pleasure as the distance to Santiago decreased, but as soon as there were 200km left, the feeling of regret grew rather than pleasure.
Especially after passing the 100km mark, I lost all desire to walk quickly and didn't even want to look at the dwindling distance marker.
Why? Perhaps it's because I know that once I arrive in Santiago, the most special and surreal time of my life will be over and I'll have to return to my ordinary life.

The laundry that was dried and hung out to dry around 3 p.m. was completely dry by 6 p.m. when I returned after finishing dinner.
I was reminded of how strong the Spanish sun is.
I wonder if my impatient hair will dry out completely if I let it dry in the Spanish sun.

There were many happy moments while walking the pilgrimage route.
But there were many more cases where I realized I was happy after it had passed rather than feeling happy at the moment.
If we could sense happiness in the moment as we go through life, our lives would be much richer.
Will I be able to transform into someone who can instantly find happiness in even the smallest things once I finish all my schedule and return home? Looking at myself today, I'm still skeptical.

Looking back, I see that many angels visited me while I was walking the pilgrimage route.
Now it was time for me to become an angel.
I thought now was the time, so I gladly paid for dinner for the group.

She is said to have cut the heads of about 20 people while walking from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago.
It was truly beautiful to see him donating his talents while walking the arduous pilgrimage route.
Getting a haircut while on the Camino was a very special experience.


The yellow arrows that can be seen throughout the pilgrimage route can be said to be the lifeline of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
If there are no yellow arrows on the road, it is not the Camino de Santiago, it is just a road.
Thanks to this yellow arrow, it was clear where I was going.
Pilgrims from all over the world simply follow the yellow arrows and walk silently, reflecting on the meaning of their visit.
Whenever I'm struggling with what choices to make in life, how great would it be if there was someone like a yellow arrow on a pilgrimage road to show me the way?

??There is only 63km left to Fisterra, a port town facing the Atlantic Ocean.
The rain was pouring down so hard that even the inside of my Gore-Tex shoes were soaked.
It was a special feeling to walk alone on an empty road for about three hours in heavy rain and wind.
Lonely, miserable, cold, hungry… .
It seemed as if someone was asking me this as I walked alone.
What are you doing there?

“What are you doing these days?”
“I’m preparing for the Camino de Santiago.”
Now that the pilgrimage is coming to an end, what will I be able to say when I return to Korea?
Just because you walk the Camino de Santiago doesn't mean you'll gain some great enlightenment or your life will change.
But having accomplished one of my bucket list items after retirement, I am at least confident that life before and after Santiago will not be the same.

A 46-day pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, started by a timid middle-aged man with a mixture of excitement and worry.
There were quite a few mistakes and trials and errors, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult at all.
But it was such a happy time that I wonder if there will ever be another moment as special as this in my life.

--- From the text