Destination or Journey?
There are two ways to think about a Camino. You can focus on the destination: reaching the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Or you can see arriving in Santiago as the final step in a series of daily experiences. I think of that as focusing on the journey.
Is one way better than the other?
Honestly, I don’t know. For me, the journey has always mattered more than the destination. Reaching the Cathedral is still the goal, but when I wake up in the morning, I’m thinking about the day ahead: breakfast and second breakfast; the churches and monuments I’ll visit; the hills I’ll cross; friends I’ve made and people I’m yet to meet; the conversations we might have; where I’ll stop for the day; and drinks, an afternoon with friends and dinner.
My goal is to get the most out of each day and enjoy whatever the Camino brings. That’s one of the things I love about it: living in the moment and not worrying too much about tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring its own experiences and challenges, and we’ll deal with them when we get there.
I realise it can be different for other people. I’ve seen enough emotion in the Praza do Obradoiro to know that: joy, tears, silent reflection and everything in between.