Since I made it all the way to Condom yesterday, today’s stage was very short. 18 km (11 miles).

One of the most joyful parts of the day is the morning as you walk out of your starting town. It’s cool. It’s usually quiet and often locals greet you with “Bonjour” or “buon chemin” (“good way” or “good camino”).

For me, the hardest part is approaching the finishing town. The last 3-4 kilometers seem to take forever.

Bill, can the Camino be enjoyed by a non-Christian?

Yes, definitely. The majority of pilgrims seem to be non-believers or at least it’s not the focus of their journey. That’s been true of all the people I have encountered in books, podcasts and here in France.

Of course, when you spend this much time in self-reflection and out in nature, even unreligious people report having spiritual experiences on the Camino.

While you don’t have to be a Christian to be a pilgrim, Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is found all along the Camino. Each day you see 3-4 different churches, and crosses can be seen everywhere. There are Pilgrims’ blessings and masses you can attend in the larger towns, as well.

I found it interesting that one atheist that I had dinner with talked about the positive emotional response he had whenever he entered a beautiful church on the Camino. He attributed it to the history and architecture, I think there may be something else at work too. 😉