Testimonials

What a wonderful trip! Beautiful scenery, people and friends, old and new. Thank you Juan and Donal for all the wonderful memories we’ll share for years to come.

A well planned trip, with the skills to make all the last minute changes as needed when “life happened.”

Wonderful time…challenging and fun with great friends new and old!

We had a wonderful trip and the best part was sharing it with all of you. It was great making so many new friends.

Juan,
It’s been a pleasure meeting you and spending the Camino with you. The food you recommended was excellent.

Juan,
We had a very enjoyable week thanks to your hard work.

Juan,
Thank You for your amazing organizational skills. You kept us on track and no-one got lost!

Dónal,
Thank You for all your support. You were fantastic.

Dónal,
Thank you so much for your care and patience during our trip. You are a credit to your company.

Dónal,
Thank You for all your support. You were fantastic.

Juan – A week ago today we made it to Santiago! It seems like a dream but what an unbelievable lifetime experience.
This is what we liked-
Your positive attitude and enthusiasm -plus your passion for the Camino was contagious!

Your participation in our group activities be it Mass, prayer service or meals
You are very social and allowed us to get to know you as persons.

The accommodations and restaurants you chose were wonderful and gave us a true feeling of Galicia- the food offered was delicious and allowed us to feel connected to the region.
We always felt our safety was paramount to you.

Our only suggestion for improvement would be that in the slower group there were times that over an hour would go by before we might see either of you.
Thank you so much!

Hi Juan:

We had a long trip, but we finally got home about midnight Boston time (6:00 am Santiago time). So we were traveling for 24 hours!

We want to thank you for being such a wonderful guide and friend and helping tend to my blisters! Your concern for each person in the group was amazing.

If you ever need a reference, we will be happy to provide one.

Again, many thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

May you have many Buen Camino.

Juan.

Michele and I had a great time.
Thanks for all your help.

Hello Juan,

Thank you all for making our Camino pilgrimage special.
Juan, I appreciated seeing your fantastic organizational skills in action. It was great being able to do the Camino at our own pace.
Juan you are wonderful people and are a true blessing for our pilgrimage!!!
La Mama appreciated you both.
Juan thank you for caring and treating us like family.
I enjoyed staying at the hotels you selected for us. It was truly special meal at the hotel and establishment of the family.

A million thanks Juan and Fr. Schwartz and Stephanie!!!!

With love and a huge hug,

Dear Juan, it was a great walk and I do not think you could have done a better job. Truly appreciate all that you did for us and amazed at how you were able to face the challenges. I was very Impressed with how you provided opportunities for those who found challenges doing the whole walk to still experience much of it and feel success.

‘Though it was an unexpected change of plans I absolutely loved our meal of traditional dishes of the area. How the family provided what they did at the last minute was amazing. Please let them know again what a great job they did. I also appreciated the beautiful location you provided for our Sunday mass. All in all I have no complaints with your services and thank both of you so much.

May you have a good summer and do stay in touch. Maybe there will be a trip that my husband would like to do with me.

I would so like him to meet you.

Sincerely.

Juan – Thank you for sending on the group picture – brings back fond memories. Although I enjoyed the trip in general, and the people we traveled with, it was a challenge for me personally since I had a bad cold the whole time and the rain for 5 days didn’t help it.

Aside from that, I am glad I was able to walk the entire route and my husband as well (who has a bad back and hips).

So it was a personal victory for us. You were good guide, although I would have liked to learn a little more about our journey as we walked each day, maybe more of the history of the area and the El Camino trail in particular. And one or two more days to complete the walk would have made it more enjoyable and less strenuous (especially the last day).

God bless you as you continue to guide pilgrims along The Way.

Thank you for the very nice picture of the whole group. I am happily in Manresa right now. Enjoying my Catalunyan family. I hope you know my feelings about the services you provided along the Camino., in spite of the rain, I personally had an excellent journey. I accomplished my personal goals and met some wonderful people including you.

Again, thank you so much for all you did – your guidance, your recommendations, your friendship. I think you will always remember us because we were a CRAZY BIG group! I will always remember you because I probably won’t do the Camino again – I’m getting too old!! Hahaha.

I hope our paths will cross again in the future. One thing I would still love to do is go to Machu Picchu. Yes I’m still trying to finish my bucket list…it’s been 44 yrs since I went to South America and I have to get back before everyone I know there either doesn’t remember me or dies!!!! Hahaha – just kidding.

I’m sending you a big hug!

Thanks.

Juan,

Thank you for a wonderful trip along the Camino. I have been very busy and am now beginning to get caught up on things since my return from Spain.

I wanted to extend my great thanks to you for your hospitality, guidance, and the wonderful work you all did to make us feel welcome and comfortable each day. I would like to return some day and either bike or hike the whole Camino … I’ll let you know if I get a chance to do that.

If you’d ever like to come to the US for a visit to Kentucky, I’d love to host you. You’d be welcome to stay with me any time!

May God bless you as you continue to help others along their Way 🙂

Peace,

All went well and I brought home very special memories of my own Camino experience. I had read Fr. Kevin Codd’s book “To The Field Of Stars” about eight years ago and had added the Camino to my “bucket list” at that time and then the movie “The Way” just clinched it for me. In ’13, I had my 70th birthday and spent it, and the next two weeks, in the hospital. My husband wanted to do something special for that birthday and a year later he came upon this pilgrimage. So, it was very meaningful to me.

As I trudged along on the “longest day”, I was asking our Lord, why am I doing this!!!!??? I will always remember Juan saying to me as we approached Santiago, walking the stone street, “the Church is right up there, you will see it soon and there is something very special about it, you will see”. The moment I saw the spire of St. James the grace of God flowed into me and I became overwhelmed with joy and peace, my tiredness gone, only anticipation remained. I still live some of that feeling and will remember it for the rest of my life. Walking into that beautiful cathedral was overwhelming. I wish I could explain what I felt/feel but words cannot describe.

The Eucharist, the incense carrying our prayers to our Lord in praise and thanksgiving are such a personal experience—one that has become a part of my being.

Thank you so much for helping to make this personal journey one of great spiritual joy for me.

Your kind care and patience was a gift to me personally, shows a great deal of professionalism and joy in your work. It is difficult keeping safe, and happy, such a large group under any circumstance, you did it well and I thank you. We couldn’t have asked for better care.

Spain is a beautiful country and I loved the antiquity of the farm lands, the people are helpful and warm, the food awesome!

All made walking the Camino pleasurable, even the rain.

Thank you again for your kindness and professionalism, you will ever be in my heart and prayers. May our precious Lord keep you in His care and open your heart to His grace as you make your own personal journey through life. May He be your guide!

In love and thanksgiving.

Dear Juan,

I want to personally thank you for your professional and kind services on our Camino walk. It was really very pleasant, and your attention to detail made the trip delightful –although grueling at times! It was evident that you are very attentive to even the smallest details, as well as knowledgeable about the area, terrain, and accommodations available. I will remember this trip for a lifetime and I am so thankful that I not only completed the walk but enjoyed everyone’s company.

My only suggestion would be more advance information about the terrain elevations so as to train effectively before arriving. I honestly thought the mountains were in the Pyrenees, and that the lowland plains would not have the “saucy” hills that it did have. I was walking to prepare, but not on hills. And for being one of the slowest, I am very pleased I made it and thankful that you were so gracious in your patience waiting on me.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip!

Thanks.