Walking becomes a simple spiritual journey as days shrink to the world around us: the cobbled path, the waves on the beach and the fellowship of other pilgrims.

When I received the layoff news, I knew I had to walk another Camino, and with time available now, I decided to walk the Portuguese Camino. Walking across a country provides a lot of time to think.

Walking the Camino de Santiago is an experience of a lifetime. Read about the challenges and triumphs of a Camino first-time solo walker.

Florida columnist Fabiola Santiago walks the legendary Camino de Santiago, The Way of St. James, a pilgrimage from Portugal to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela.

For me, this puts appreciation of living at the forefront of my thinking. Walking also gives you time to reflect on what is important in life. So no, the Portugal Camino was not our last adventure.

UNION — Walking the Portuguese Camino will be the discussion topic at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at Vose Library, 392 Common Road. The talk is part of the Armchair Adventure Series.

For more than 1,000 years, people have walked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Spain. Some search for a trip closer to heaven. Others seek a path out of hell.