“I’m from Copenhagen, Denmark.” It rained a lot there, Kjartan said, so as far as he was concerned, a rainy day in Spain wasn’t too appealing. She lived in California, she explained, where it never rained. Then Loni commented on the weather – there were some clouds in the distance, and she was excited by the prospect of rain. “Buen Camino,” they said to one another as their eyes met. They were in a forested area, not far from the Spanish city of Burgos. It was around two weeks into their respective trips that Kjartan and Loni first met. Here's Loni, pictured hiking the Camino de Santiago. “It’s such a good phrase, because it means hello and farewell at the same time,” says Kjartan. Whenever Kjartan or Loni would cross paths with fellow pilgrims – as Camino walkers are often called – they’d offer the same warm greeting: “Buen Camino.” Other times, it’s more superficial,” says Kjartan. “Sometimes you have extended conversations with people, regarding all different kinds of topics, sometimes it’s really deep emotional stuff. Fellow walkers were instantly recognizable, with their backpacks and hiking boots. Other times she’d stay solo for long stretches, but enjoy greeting friendly faces along the route. Sometimes Loni would walk with other travelers for a little while. ![]() “It can be as independent or as social as you want or need on the day.” “It’s very open on the Camino,” says Loni. There was also plenty of opportunity for connection with fellow hikers. There was endless time for reflecting and thinking things through alone. There was something comforting – and exciting – about waking up each day and walking solidly. Loni and Kjartan set off from Paris within days of each other, each soon finding solace in life on Camino. He told his parents he was planning to travel around Europe, but kept specifics vague. Like Loni, Kjartan felt strongly that this needed to be a solo trip – so much so, that he didn’t even mention the Camino to any friends or family. “I went into Copenhagen, bought some hiking boots and a bag and basically left the next day on the train to Paris,” says Kjartan. ![]() In the end, his decision to embark on the trek was even more spontaneous than Loni’s. Was it the right path?Īn ex-girlfriend had once mentioned the Camino de Santiago – before then, Kjartan had never heard of it – but during late night study sessions when he should have been poring over medical textbooks, Kjartan found himself thinking about the Camino. But Loni was adamant this needed to be an independent adventure, so her parents bought a large map of the Camino route and hung it in their house to map Loni’s progress with sticky dots as she updated them on her movements.Īcross the Atlantic in Denmark, 24-year-old Kjartan Bergqvist was halfway through medical school and questioning his decision to become a doctor. Her loved ones were supportive, albeit a little concerned about Loni embarking on the trip alone. Over the next two months, Loni trained and prepared for the adventure. “It was very spontaneous, very random, but also at a moment in time where I just knew I had to do something else to really shake up the habits that I had – and give a lot of reflection time to my life and where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be,” says Loni. Loni booked a plane ticket to Paris there and then. The historical pilgrimage’s multiple routes conclude in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, at its spectacular cathedral. Some late night Googling led her to discover the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage trail that spans some 500 miles (800 kilometers) across France, Portugal and Spain. One night, tossing and turning and unable to sleep, Loni decided, definitively, that she was going to take action. Would she end up stuck? Even more unhappy? She was a “bit fearful” of what would happen if she just left things rolling on, unchanging. ![]() “Workwise, I was also in kind of a rough spot, I had a really tough year of teaching.”Īs she tried to escape these feelings by socializing and keeping busy, at the back of her mind, Loni knew what she really needed was time to pause and reflect. “It really spun me into questioning my own values and my own future – whether I wanted kids, what was my path for that?” Loni tells CNN Travel today. Loni was a 29-year-old Californian school teacher who was “at a crossroads.” She’d just endured a tough break-up and was feeling adrift. When Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, she was adamant this was something she had to do alone.
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