What did you wish you had known before your Camino?

[Shazenalan]

I am right at the end of my second CF - flying home tomorrow. I was amused that this time I never left behind a decent serviette/napkin in a cafe - decent size tissues are hard to find right? . It led me to wonder what others have learned from experience on their Camino ……and perhaps wish they had known beforehand?

 

[wisepilgrim]

I learned to improvise. It is something that the Spaniards are masters of. When something’s not right/available/as-needed/expected, one needs to adapt and the Camino presents many more than expected opportunities to do so.

 

[Shazenalan]

I learned to improvise. It is something that the Spaniards are masters of. When something’s not right/available/as-needed/expected, one needs to adapt and the Camino presents many more than expected opportunities to do so.

Hah yes - I recognise that too. Do you have any examples?

 

[Bradypus]

I'm Scottish. I wish I'd known what that big yellow thing in the sky was and what it can do to you when you try to walk across the meseta in August

 

[Shazenalan]

I'm Scottish. I wish I'd known what that big yellow thing in the sky was and what it can do to you when you try to walk across the meseta in August

Eeeek - how did you deal with that? Someone I met on the CF recently said they did 40k days just to get it done?!

 

[Bradypus]

Eeeek - how did you deal with that? Someone I met on the CF recently said they did 40k days just to get it done?!

I walked my first Camino in summer 1990. Numbers then were very small and there was no bed race. After learning quite painfully how damaging the afternoon heat and sun could be I got into the habit of taking a long siesta in whatever shade I could find during the afternoon and then walking for a few hours more later. On days when I could find a restaurant/bar at lunchtime I would have a long leisurely lunch then crash out under a tree for a long nap. Most refugios were unstaffed then and there was no 10pm curfew. Where dinner was available in a bar or restaurant it was served at normal Spanish hours (ie. after 9pm). No menu peregrino. That meant that the typical walking day had a different pattern from the norm today. Walking into the early evening was quite normal then rather than finishing at lunchtime which seems to be standard practice now. I did walk the odd 40km day but 30km would be more normal for me.

 

[mspath]

I relearned to point.

 

[malingerer]

I learned to improvise. It is something that the Spaniards are masters of. When something’s not right/available/as-needed/expected, one needs to adapt and the Camino presents many more than expected opportunities to do so.

As an ex-member of Her Majesty's Royal Navy this comes quite naturally! One has to draw the line of course at " if its not nailed down " its mine

Samarkand.

PS I wonder if this could be construed as a "fundamentalism " ?