Conclusions

 

Nico

I enjoyed doing the Camino very much because I went with my family and especially my cousins. 

I loved playing monopoly deal and wizerd with them after each day of walking. 

However I didn't like how at the end of each day of walking my feet really hurt and I had to unpack everything and get ready etc. 

I was happy that Mamae downloaded the audible app and audiobooks for me, so then I could listen while I walked to all these stories.

I loved the fact that we could have a big rest at the end of the walk and not having to wake up early the next day. 

I wasn't happy with the uphill and the fact that I couldn't stay up too late. Also when I asked for a break Mamae always seemed to say no. 

Overall I really liked the Camino even though there were those few bad things. I was very impressed with Nina for doing all this even though she is so much older than me. She is very fit and can really carry a lot.

Thank you, Nina, for inviting us all on this great family Camino!

 

Paulo

I found the walk very enjoyable. Not just because we were walking, but because it was a sociable activity that we did with our entire family. We talked a lot and hadn't seen each other for a rather long time, so it was nice to see each other again. Also, the food was very nice and because we were walking in Portugal and Spain it was more or less a given. Moreover, because we walked through different towns the food or specialty always changed so we could try something new. The pathways and where we walked were often scenic and very calm which enhanced the experience we had. Luckily the weather wasn't too hot, unlike the last Camino which was a pain with the high 30s to 40-degree weather. Lastly, the hotels were very nice and of course, some were better than others such as the last one. But all of them were very comfortable and the last 2 had swimming pools. All that being said I think that it was a very enjoyable trip to do with the whole family.

 

 

Franzisca

I enjoyed walking the Camino very much, especially since it was my first time. I had not seen some of my cousins in over two years so it was nice to see them again and to have a lot of time to talk. At the end of each day I was really exhausted and I liked how easy it was to fall asleep. Also, it was really fun to play cards or table tennis or go swimming at the end of each day. While walking I enjoyed talking to everyone and the time passed a lot faster than I imagined. Finally, I admire everyone who walked the Camino with small injuries. The whole week was really nice and I would have liked to have started with everyone else. Thank you to Oma Ina for inviting us.

 

Nicola

For me the best part of the Camino were all the evenings I could spend together with the whole family. Sitting together in a restaurant enjoying very good food or just in the hotel playing cards after a really long day of walking on the Camino was really fun. The Camino itself was a great experience as well with an amazing landscape and scenery to look at along the way. It is definitely a walk that I won't forget that easily.

 

Leo

I very much enjoyed my time during the last Camino. Unlike some of the other walks I have done, this one felt far more relaxing, allowing me to spend quality time with family (especially Clara who I hadn't seen since pre-lockdown). Still, I doubt I would've been able to endure the whole week without the classic Camino traditions of constant monopoly deal playing and endless consumption of Kas Limon. Just like last time, we ended our trek with a very rewarding weekend of relaxation which is a mandatory requirement for me, but this time with the addition of a swimming pool (all to ourselves) and a delectable seafood dinner in a fancy restaurant. Cannot wait till next time!

 

James

I thought the camino was really great, especially because it was with all my cousins and we hadn't been all together for ages. It was pretty difficult at times especially the days where it was hot and the walking was long, the reward of cafe stops definitely helped! Overall it was really enjoyable and I would love to do it again. 

 

Clara

It’s fair to say I found the Camino del Norte much more challenging than the Camino Portugues. Although this Camino was shorter in length, I had much more difficulties with the walking than the last; I was very nauseous and faint for a night and had to take a day off, as well as my right leg hurting on and off throughout the walk. Despite, or maybe because of this, it was all the more rewarding to arrive in a new town in each evening and then eventually in Santiago. Everyone walked incredibly well, with little complaining and lots of lovely catch ups after several disruptive years … So the real question, is where are we going next time?

 

Max

Going on a pilgrimage was a first for me. It was also the first time for me to spend a longer amount of time with multiple members of Clara’s family. However, both firsts turned out to be great. Whilst I cannot say that I became religious, I do understand why people decide to go on pilgrimages, for whatever reasons. The feeling you get after falling into one’s bed in the pilgrim’s hostel after a long day of walking, is one of pure joy. But the exhaustion and the following recuperation of energy alone is not what made this trip unforgettable to me: the long conversations whilst talkin about anything really, the extended rounds of ‘Wizard’ and ‘Monopoly Deal’ each evening and Spanish dinners after each stage of the walk really made this pilgrimage special. The feeling of finally arriving in Santiago de Compostela is also hard to compete with, given that we all worked hard as a team to reach this goal and doing all this as part of Ina’s birthday trip from two years ago was amazing. I really enjoyed my time at the family pilgrimage and would not want to miss the experience I gained in this time. Obviously, I hope that the rest of the family, and Ina in particular feel the same!

Andrea

After the disappointment of cancelling this Camino in April 2020 and then waiting for two years to replan it for this August, it was amazing to finally set off altogether from Mondonedo to Santiago on the 27th. Even though Alison & Richard and Duncan & Vera were missed, having Nina with all her grandchildren together was very special. 

 A very fun group, chatting away, listening to music or audiobooks and taking turns to walk with Nina whenever she was in the back. Nico, who was by far the youngest and smallest, was a real trouper, never complaining and just concentrating on the 6+ books he listened too. Even though there were some ailments (Clara's hip/leg, Nicola's feet from tight shoes and Max & Clara getting a stomach bug), these never disrupted the group and we all just adjusted (skipping a day walking or swapping shoes - yes Nicola's shoes were definitely not good as both Kika and I found out too ...). Somehow becoming the tour guide who had to follow the route on Mapy and do lots of ordering, asking, camino cello/stamp collecting or whatever in Spanish whenever we stopped kept me rather more busy than expected (could have worked that one out before ...). All worth it though for being able to spend all this time with my family!

Most impressive of all was Nina managing to do all this walking and rucksack carrying with far less breaks/siestas as she would have had walking alone or just with me. 

Thank you, Nina/Mamilein, for inviting us all to join you on this enjoyable Camino and for being such an inspiration to us all !!!

 

Serge

I had really been looking forward to walking my first Camino to Santiago de Compostela. Especially since it would be with the whole family. I am glad to say the Camino did not disappoint.

 It was a pity that due to circumstances it ended up not being the whole family. Luckily for the grandchildren, the missing family members were boring parents and not exciting grandchildren. It was nice to see that the grandchildren had so much fun together. There was lots of chatting, lots of game playing (some on mobile phones but mostly the classic kind with playing cards), lots of fooling around. Also for us parents it was lovely to have so much time with all the children. And to see how nice all children interacted with Ina, taking turns to walk with her and talk to her. One of the things I love about long, multi-day walking trips is that there is lots of ‘idle’ time. Which means that people have plenty of time to do their own thing (listen to audio books / podcasts / music, think about things or just stare in the distance. But then there is a lot of time also to interact, to discuss, to chat. About all kinds of topics. Often topics that normally, in the stress of everyday life, do not get discussed.

 The area we walked though, from Mondonedo to Santiago de Compostela, was beautiful. We were lucky with the weather, in that it was relatively cool for the time of year, with even a little drizzle from time to time. Maybe not good for sun-lovers but for me that weather was perfect. Two of our hostels were beautiful ‘paradors’. I felt it as a privilege to be able to stay in such historical and soulful buildings. The highlight of the Camino for me was Santiago itself. What a beautiful and beautifully preserved city ! With a real buzz about it because of all the pilgrims and their joy of having made it all the way to Compostela. Walking through the city you can really imagine what it must have been like 500 or even 1,000 years ago.

 So thank you Ina for getting us all together and showing us that age is no limitation. Thank you Andrea for doing so much in planning the trip and keeping us organised during the Camino.

 

Ina

For me it was a wonderful experience in so many ways. Being together with all of you doing one of my favourite activities – long distance walking with backpack! What a lovely birthday present! Watching all of you harmoniously together in ever changing group formations! With you taking care to always have someone patiently walking beside me which meant conversations you would not have walking and talking in a group! Serge taking care of individual members of our group! Andrea taking care of the overall organisation and so many details like making sure there is space for us in the next bar, rushing into the supermarket before it shut to have enough food in those places where we could not have a bocadillo for our lunch time picnic, etc etc etc! Serge and Andrea putting us up in the parador in Vilalba and the big hotel in Santiago!

A special mention goes to Nico who kept up with us without complaining and often even managed to run overtaking everybody at the end of the day when everybody was tired and I was seriously flagging.

Which brings me to how I managed to hold my own – I feel I did alright. Was not more tired than on previous caminos. My foot hurt again, but not too much – a short pause always brought relief. Overall this experience was a tremendous morale booster for me. So much so that I want to do a long distance walk every year as long as I can. And if anyone of you can/wants to come along part of my walk you are invited!

A big thank you to all of you for this wonderful birthday present!