Everyone deserves at least one Buon Camino Morning in his or her life, and ideally as many as possible. I first read about the Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) in James Michener’s book, “Iberia” years ago, probably when I was in my twenties. I was fascinated by Michener’s description of the Camino. I added walking the Way of Saint James to my bucket list, although at the time I did not know about bucket lists. Walking the Camino became a life goal for me.
One morning at breakfast in Saudi Arabia in late 2000 or early 2001, I was having breakfast with two consultants who had become close friends of mine: Lee Van Horn and Thom Handley. Lee brought up the idea of making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostella. I readily agreed, and so did Thom and, thus, we set the plan in motion. We decided to walk the Camino in May.
The three of us met in Bilbao in May 2001 because we wanted to see Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpiece, the newly-opened Guggenheim Museum. We toured the museum after we arrived, walked the city for a bit, and then had tapas and cold beer at a little restaurant later that evening. But, that was only the beginning. The next day we took the bus to Burgos, where we would begin the actual pilgrimage. We started very early the following morning and walked more than 18 miles that first day; that first day is a story in itself. Each subsequent day was an adventure, full of memories and sights—we start each morning at 6:00 a.m. after having coffee and usually a Spanish ham sandwich. We would stop at about noon for lunch, do some sightseeing, and, then, have a late dinner.
One morning we got up and began our daily walk. For some reason, Thom Handley went off at a much faster pace than Lee and I. He left us far behind. And so, Lee and I began to talk. We talked for almost six hours non-stop, only interrupted occasionally by one of us pointing out this sight or that building of note. Somehow, we got into the flow, and our conversation took us to our childhood, our education, special friends, and memories in our lives. We even shared a few jokes that came to mind as we walked. We shared so much that morning that I cannot remember every point, but it was wide-ranging, profound, and authentic. It was a conversation that bonded Lee and me as only such conversations can. That conversation was the high point of the Camino for me.
By noon we caught up with Thom as he rested by the road at a small restaurant having a beer. The morning had ended. Lee and I had walked about 12 miles or so, but we had covered the world and our lives. The people we met along the way often wished us, Buon Camino, as we passed by. That morning, that talk was truly Buon Camino for me.
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