Arnhem, where my 2 Caminos meet
Alison Laycock
During April and May I walked the Camino de Santiago, you may even have read my posts about it on this blog and also our sister blog Being the Best you can be. In a way, those 2 months in France and Spain provided me with this idea of travelling for 2 months although I hadn’t quite decided upon where I would travel at that point. I simply enjoyed the idea of walking through and discovering many hamlets, villages, towns and cities. Having the chance to spend time in a country rather than simply visiting the capital and claiming I had been to Spain really energised me and got me planning.
When I was in Leeuwarden, I saw a map indicating the pilgrim routes around Holland so I knew my Camino was still grasping at my thoughts and reminding me of the positive aspects of my walk. I’ve also been reminded of the benefits of walking for myself and others along this journey as I have often found refuge in nature, walks next to water or simply being able to kick up the autumn leaves or hear them cradle beneath my feet as I walk on them.
I’ve already shared my day at De Hoge Veluwe just outside of Arnhem For the love of Art and more at the De Hoge Veluwe National Park and how much I enjoyed walking around the sculpture garden as well as the park. Today, I also discovered Park Sonsbeek on the edges of Arnhem centre where I spent most of the morning strolling along the paths mindfully taking in the surroundings, the waterfall and the groups of people taking part in the Urban Trail.
In addition to the walks and being out in nature, there is another Camino link to my stay in Arnhem and that is my Camino friend, Gerry who you may have read about in his Camino story Gerry and the Bidcoins on the Camino.
How wonderful to get the chance to meet up with a fellow pilgrim who was a key part of your Camino journey whilst you are on your own personal Camino. Even better then, I’m sure you’ll agree, to meet some of the family members he talked about during our time together. When you travel solo, forming those connections with other people along the way is often a necessary part of gaining perspective about your journey or simply enjoying an evening with others. To be able to enjoy an evening then with friends and their family is as refreshing and rejuvenating as a walk out in nature.
So, in Arnhem my 2 caminos joined together. We did of course miss Juan who was a major part of both of our journeys and whose experiences you will have read about in Juan’s Camino story.
