The Final Siren: Reflections from The Camino Queen

Looking Back: The Journey That Changed Everything

As I sit in the early hours of a crisp Sydney morning, the echoes of the Camino still ring in my heart. I started writing this 3 weeks after my return, I am now at nearly 6 weeks post walk and found writing the final blog really hard. I wasn’t ready to let go. I hope writing retrospectively doesn’t influence my writing, but it is of course inevitable.

This blog began as a space to teach myself to be vulnerable, share my experiences and reflections authentically and without taking myself to seriously while doing so.

Really it was a way to process what I was experiencing and digest the big days. Now, after countless kilometres, blisters, laughter, and moments of quiet awe, tears of joy, tiredness and frustration I find myself reflecting on just how I have changed — yet how little has changed overall.

When I started out, I was searching for something: connection, adventure, perhaps even a sense of purpose. The Camino delivered all that and maybe a little more. Walking through villages, swapping tales with strangers who became mates, and learning to embrace the rhythm of life on foot, reinforcing a resilience I have relied upon most of my life.

Sarria to Santiago de Compostela

Walking from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela was a very different experience from the earlier stages of the Camino. Arriving in Sarria, I immediately noticed a significant increase in the number of pilgrims. The quieter trails and familiar faces of previous days gave way to crowded paths, larger groups, and a constant buzz of conversation.

But I was also about to be walking with Neale. I was beyond excited to standing and waiting for him at the train station, repeating to myself repeatedly to give him the space to have his own Camino experience. When the train arrived it was full of new Pilgrams , with many being met by weary ones like me. I attempted to not to tell Neale how I had done things, to let him discover it for himself my intention being to circumvent some of the hard lessons I learnt. I tried and failed miserably.

It turns out, he taught me the ultimate lesson about what the Camino is really about, and I will forever remember our long lunch with our American friends as the best day on the Camino. Where the sharing of meal, so many laughs and wonderful conversation superseded the need to be back on the road to get to the motel. We took a cab that day and I was better for it. I finally understood that my Camino wasn’t about how far I walked or how hard I walked but that I connected to the important moments in life rather than the doing of life.

As Sarria is the starting point for many people completing the minimum distance required to earn the Compostela, the atmosphere changed noticeably. At first, adjusting to the noise and the larger crowds was challenging. I was twitchy and startled easily by the loudness and bustle. I had become accustomed to long stretches of peaceful walking and solitude, and suddenly sharing the trail with hundreds of new pilgrims required patience and a shift in mindset.

I was trying not to be resentful and judgy of the new arrivals considering I was walking with one. Inwardly I am not too sure I was successful at that but outwardly I kept my thoughts to myself for the most part.

Over time, however, I came to appreciate the energy that the new arrivals brought. The trail was filled with excitement, laughter, and anticipation. Hearing the 35 Irish school girls walk and watching the group of Spanish Arterially officers run with packs on some of the larger hills of the final stretch reminded me that the Camino means something unique to everyone. Everyone is there for a difference experience and that’s what makes it so powerful.

While the increased numbers occasionally made the experience feel less personal, I was tired and weary, and grateful to have the energy of Neale and others walking beside me.

Emotionally, the journey became more complex as Santiago drew closer. I found myself increasingly anxious to reach the cathedral as it was getting harder to get up each morning and face another 25 kms of walking, I was becoming unmoved, at this point, to seeing yet another beautiful building, river, forest, sunset.

Yet I was also filled with white line fever. Each kilometre heightened my anticipation and excitement. At the same time, I began feeling anxious about the journey ending. The daily routine of walking, reflecting, and connecting with others had become my normal life, and I was not ready to let it go. I didn’t feel like I had transformed yet, I still needed time to learn, to think to plan. I felt I couldn’t even answer the most basic of questions like what was I getting out of the Camino?

The questions of have I grown? Has it changed me and how will I tell? Did I learn enough to change…do I need to? My greatest fear was remaining unchanged. Surely that means I need walk for a little while more. All this swirling in my head to the rhythm of my feet on the ground. Still moving forward, still putting one foot in front of the other.

One of the most memorable aspects of the Camino was the camaraderie among pilgrims. People from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds shared a common experience, creating a unique sense of community. Simple conversations, shared meals, and words of encouragement along the trail, fostered connections that made my journey even more meaningful. Despite often walking alone, I never truly felt isolated.

The Camino also provided valuable time for personal reflection. Away from the distractions of everyday life, I was able to think more clearly about my priorities, reengaging with who I am, and I wanted to grow while appreciate my own company in the present moment and develop a greater sense of gratitude. The rhythm of walking encouraged me to think creatively, curiously and engage with passion and clarity of thought that is often loss through the insistent interruptions of technology and busyness of life that I thought was important.

These mixed emotions were strongest upon arriving in Santiago de Compostela. Seeing the cathedral filled me with pride, relief, and gratitude, but also a sense of sadness and emptiness. I was greeted by my good friends Karen and Greg, wrapped in a beautiful embraced that said all the words none of us had.

Finishing the Camino was both joyful and bittersweet. It taught me that endings can bring

fulfilment and loss at the same time, and that some journeys continue to shape us long after the final step has been taken.

The Next Step: Where to from Here?

Though this is my final blog post as the Camino Queen, it’s certainly not the end of adventure. I’ll continue walking — perhaps not always on the Camino, but with the spirit of it wherever I go.

What’s Different Now?

I keep thinking the world has shifted but it me who has shifted. Travel is no longer just about ticking off destinations or chasing the next big thing. It’s about meaningful experiences, deep connections, and living with intention.

I’ve become more mindful — not only of my own journey, but of the impact I have on

others. Personally, I’ve changed in ways that might not be obvious at first glance. I’m more patient, more open, and far less afraid of uncertainty. The Camino broke down barriers and invited me to grow; I’m grateful for every step, stumble, and conversation shared along the way.

I want to take into each day that there are not small days. To be intentional, to be still and focus on being present.

I did get myself that tattoo I may have mentioned, but it’s still not finished. I want to add to it, but it was important to me to get something done in Santiago to sear into to me my achievement, so I can look down and be reminded whenever I feel like I have lost my way there will always be people there to show me the Way.

Gratitude

Thanks to my walking buddy Geoff and the wonderful, amazing people who I met along the way that shared the rolling emotions and experiences (both the big and the small).

Thanks to the small few who may have read this blog, it’s been a terrifying experience making myself vulnerable to put my writing out there for all to see and as it turns out the sky didn’t fall in. However, a good proofread wouldn’t have hurt occasionally.

And the most important thanks goes to Neale who continues to love me even at my worst and whose support and encouragement of me to do the walk ( and the blog) I couldn’t have done without.

This chapter may be closing, but the story continues. I’ll carry the Camino spirit in all that I do.

May your paths be clear, your feet be strong, and your hearts open to every possibility.

Until we meet again to all the friends I have met along The Way

Buen Camino or more traditionally ‘Ultreia Et Suseia’

‘Let us go further and higher’

Brooke