In June 2013 I did the Via Podiensis, for the first time I waøked outside Norway, and it was breathtaking! I continued to Pamplona before I went home and reconnected with the Camino two years later (might as well do the Pyrenees when I had worked up my muscles in France). I didn't prepare very much for the walk, but did short days in the beginning - also because the weather at that time wasn't too good (wearing woolen underwear was almost a must the entire first week!). Via Podiensis was far from crowded in June, although we were more than 50 pilgrims attending the morning mass in the Le Puy Cathedral. I met a few people in the gîtes in the evenings, but I didn't socialize much due to my limited ability speaking French (I am a very good listener, though!).
The Spanish part of my 2013 walk was quite different - a lot of people from around the world seem to start in St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, and both the walks and the evenings were quite different form Via Podiensis.
The July 2015 part of
Camino Frances was HOT! A heat wave was covering most of Spain for weeks, and it wasn't until I reached Galicia that the temperature became more walking-friendly.
Do I miss the routes? Not sure. Will I ever return? Absolutely, but probably not by the same Camino - more likely El Norte. Have I turned into a pilgrim way of thinking and living? Absolutely, over the past 10 years I have walked several routes in Norwau and abroad, and I definitely will find other routes to walk.