Editor's note: The Camino de Santiago is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes across Spain, Portugal and France that lead to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Once primarily a religious pilgrimage, today the Camino attracts people from around the world seeking spiritual reflection, personal challenge, cultural experiences or simply the joy of walking through the countryside.

There are so many reasons why one should walk part of the Camino during their lifetime. The reasons are different for everyone. They can be spiritual or religious, as was the case for many pilgrims in the past. Escaping the relentless pace of modern life is now a common reason for this kind of slow, authentic travel. This is a walk and not a hike so there is time to literally stop and smell the roses. Time to linger over dinner as no one is trying to turn over a table for another seating. Time to savor the supple mouthfeel of the local red and white wines. Time to stop and listen to the birdsong whispers through the forests and vineyards.

Walking part of the Camino had been a goal of mine for over twenty years, and with some knee issues in my sixties, I decided to go with my best friend while we still could. We ended up agreeing to a third friend coming along who had just retired. The three of us got along wonderfully for two weeks. We all had separate rooms. This allowed for quiet time at the end of each day for a siesta, a shower and catching up in our journals before dinner that night. Restaurants don't open until 8 p.m. for dinner.

We chose to do part of the Portuguese Camino, from Tui, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, the ultimate destination of the Camino de Santiago whether you start in France, Spain or Portugal. We all met up in Porto, Portugal for 3 days where you can also start the walk. This route is less travelled than the Spanish Way across northern Spain. This part of northwest Spain is known as Galicia, home to many small, rural Romanesque churches made of thick walls of local granite and elevated granaries that were used to store food called hórreos. These are now historically protected structures. Almost everyone is growing a vineyard in their back yard, with the vines often supported by granite columns. Granite was also used to build the stone walls along the roads, many covered with roses, hydrangeas and alstroemeria. Old stone crosses built in the 14th century, called cruceiros, are located along the Camino and also made of granite.

Our walk, considered an "easy option," was 85 miles in 9 days. We experienced rolling hills with mostly flat and meandering paths, small roads through farms, dirt paths along small streams in forests, and narrow paved roads into small historic towns. Hiking poles were not always necessary but beneficial. Walking up and around Trout Pond in Wrentham was perfect training for me, although I must admit 6 miles in one day was the most I did to prepare.

Here are some of my takeaways to ensure a great experience.

May is a great time to go for cooler weather and to experience all of the blooming flowers along the way. Have your luggage taken ahead to each accommodation so you just have to carry a day pack. All of the tour companies have this option. At my age, there is no need to sleep on cots in church basements like they did in the movie "The Way." The accommodations we stayed at were 2 and 3-stars and very clean. A couple of the casas were in the countryside outside of the towns and offered dinner for an extra fee. All breakfasts were included.

Choose a self-guided option also offered by all tour companies. We could get our luggage ready for transfer in the morning and then have a leisurely breakfast while watching others rush out to follow their guide. The yellow shell signs for the Camino route are everywhere as well as yellow arrows, so there is no need for a guide. The local people are so friendly and will quickly let you know if you take the wrong path.

Don't choose the dinner option offered by most tour companies. Ask the front desk, Google, or just follow your nose. The seafood in this area is so fresh. Arcade is known for its oysters which will cost you twenty euros for 24 oysters. Not buck a shuck but still half our usual price here in New England. We had so much lightly breaded calamari, grilled octopus, mussels, sardines, and tuna that steak and pork were a welcome change on our last night in Santiago after a day of rest.

There is no need for upscale 4-star and Michelin-rated restaurants, often promoted by tours on the Spanish Camino. In my opinion, that would be the opposite of experiencing and supporting the wonderful small, family-run and farm-to-table restaurants all along the way. We were often given small complimentary appetizers at our late lunches with our beer and/or wine. Two euros for either a bottle of beer or a glass of local wine makes this area a great bargain. A good wine at dinner ran under 15 euros and most of the dishes were 12 euros or less.

There are walks that have longer days with more mileage but that would not have allowed the stops along the way that we experienced, including seeing farmers working the land, laundry being hung out, and families going to church on Sundays. There were also local musicians along the way playing historical instruments. Ancient Celtic tribes influenced the region so traditional music features a lot of bagpipes. These stops in the shade were welcome and resulted in interesting stamps for our Camino passport which you have to show at the end of the walk in the baroque style Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The stamps are colorful, inked impressions featuring local artwork from the local churches, albergues and cafes on the route. They are great souvenirs and prove you walked at least 60 miles to get your Compostela certificate of completion in Latin at the Cathedral.

We met people of all ages as we walked. One woman was 84 and was walking alone so she was quite an inspiration for us three women of a certain age. A couple was helping another couple as one of the husbands had MS and could not walk as far as the other three each day. There were also many young people who had just graduated from college and were walking before starting a career. My Canadian friend called the walk the "Chemin de la Recuperation" as she had fallen a month before and hurt her knee. She had not completed her rehab when the walk began and was worried she would not be able to complete the longer days. I think one's aches and pains are forgotten when seeing new sights and laughing and talking. We did enforce a few hours of silence, except for greeting others that passed us with the words "Buen Camino."

The last night resulted in an interesting experience of seeing a group of law students dressed in old-style clothes, playing instruments and singing traditional songs in the plaza across from the Santiago Cathedral, which must be experienced at night when it is lit up. The musicians are called Tuna de Derechos de Santiago and apparently this tradition has been carried on since the 16th century. The entire area of Galicia is like a walk back in time. Santiago de Compostela is a historic UNESCO World Heritage site, so take a couple of days to enjoy this beautiful city at the end of your walk.