With or without a mask, I’ll keep on walking…

My dear pilgrims,

I wanted to write to you to tell you all about my very first trip after five months of being quarantined in my apartment.

I don’t have the words to tell you how much I enjoyed it, it was as if it were the first trip I’d ever taken!

I’d never needed to travel so much in my life.

I wanted to feel free and get away from everything, to leave my house, to breathe fresh air, to share time with others, to meet new people and visit new places, to be in NATURE and above all to feel my son’s LOVE. I wanted him to hug me again and again.

Believe me – I enjoyed every minute of it. I didn’t care if I sometimes had to wear a mask – on the contrary, I was grateful that everyone was wearing one: there was a real sense of civic responsibility.

It really put my mind at ease to see how the hotels were taking every possible precaution to avoid the spread of the virus. The restaurants were incredibly well-organised. All the tourist spots that we visited had taken EVERY measure to make sure that visitors felt safe.

None of these safety measures stopped me from enjoying my trip.

It would have felt like a “mortal sin” to complain about anything.

The thing is, we have ALL been affected by this situation. For this reason, I knew that I had to be understanding if, for example, a waiter took a while to bring my food, or if I had to wait a little longer to get into an attraction. What did it matter? I knew that they were suffering too, but it was amazing to see that ALL of them were doing their absolute BEST to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves.

I felt that it was my duty to help them out, and to show them as much empathy as possible. I was surrounded by solidarity, support and kindness, and my heart felt full.

I can’t even describe the places and the walking routes that I discovered in Asturias. I completely fell in love with the area 💘. We explored beautiful villages, we ate the most amazing food. Everything was perfect… it was as if my trip had been organised by Marly Camino!

I’m dying to tell you about my latest pilgrimage to San Sebastian de Garabandal. You’re going to love it, it was such an exciting journey. But that’s a story for another blog.

I won’t lie to you, it’s true that nothing is like it was before. Of course it isn’t – everything has changed, and many things won’t go back to how they were before.

But the one thing that’s still the same, the one thing that will always stay the same, is my desire to keep travelling and to keep enjoying every step of every “camino” that I walk. It’s what makes me feel ALIVE.

My dear pilgrims, you make your path through love.

Let’s continue walking with gratitude, and let’s be generous with our love and affection.

We’re all very lucky!

We must keep on looking after each other. Our paths will meet again in 2021 🙏

I love you all so much!