My wife and I were stymied twice. First it was the pandemic and then it was Kim's plantar fasciitis. Were we starting Croatia's Camino Krk off on the right foot? Kim was already favouring her left. The Camino has proven to be a mutual dog whistle in our relationship--the irresistible magnet that propelled us to walk 920 kilometres on the Camino de Santiago in 2018 lured Kim and I back to another 150-kilometre pilgrimage around Croatia's Krk Island and the 274-kilometre Coastal Route of Camino Portugués.

Relying once again on our feet and fate (and no cell phone), we wondered if the Camino's patina had tarnished since our last adventure. Whimsy seemed to have been replaced by wi-fi. The predictable bunk bed blur and sleeping bagged stays of the Camino Frances quickly became a stress-soaked ordeal of no vacancy resort towns. And why were there no waymarkers or pilgrims for days on end? What was once carefree and car-free became an increasingly expensive disillusioned wander. At least it was blister-free.

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