brault-singh
Member
- Jun 28, 2015
- 36
- 76
- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF Sept/Oct 2015
CP Sept/Oct 2022
walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago
Good day. We are contemplating our second Camino, walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago. What are your experiences coming to a finish in SJPDP, where many people are just starting their camino?
Which translates as, "We are concerned, having read the last chapter of the book first, that we won't find the earlier parts of the book quite as interesting."We are contemplating our second Camino, walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago.
I agree. I did the same thing. Having already walked from SJPP to Finisterre, I wanted to walk the route in France from Le Puy. SJPP didn’t seem like an ending place, so I went ahead to Pamplona (by taxi and bus, since crossing the Pyrenees once was enough for me) and then on to Barcelona. The next year I walked from Geneva to Le Puy. Ending there was wonderful! I had not seen Le Puy the first time because I had inadvertently decided to set off on the weekend of the grande fête de Renaissance and ended up having to stay 10 km away. The next morning the host drove me back to Le Puy, but the central area was closed to traffic and I didn’t see any of it.We walked from Le Puy to Pamplona. We had already walked in Spain and weren't sure what we would do once in SJPP. We walked until Pamplona and decided we were done and caught a train to Barcelona and spent a couple of days at Monserrat.
We don't tend to do the same thing twice. We like a new adventure so that worked for us.
Thanks Felipe,I’m planning to walk Le Puy- SJPP in September. I’ve done the CF twice and have no real need to enter Santiago again. The “going home” connections are great from SJPP and thank you for the idea of attending mass at the cathedral in St Jean PP. the Camino really is personal and each of us decides how we want to start, to walk and bring it to an end and then we also have the Camino surprises which will interrupt all agendaI walked the Piedmont two years ago. Most of the pilgrims were French, and most of them finished their walk in SJPP. To them, praying and attending Mass at Notre Dame (the old gothic church, just before the bridge) was the highlight of their pilgrimage. They were completely uninterested in the crowds going to Roncesvalles; to them, there was not an "us".
I´d say that the emotional relevance of a destination point is a very personal, subjective (and, given my own bittersweet experience in Compostela) unpredictable issue.
There is also a practical side to consider: SJPP is well communicated, with a short regular hop you are connected to the main railway network or an intl' airport. Roncesvalles, instead, could be difficult, and requires some planning.
My 2 trail pals and I came across a blind 68 year old French lady by the name of Linda Vincenze. We were walking from le Puy to SJPDP in April 2016. She had 2% vision which is legally blind. We found her in a forest on the Massif Central where she had been lost for 8 days and nights. Blind, lost in a damp forest with freezing nighttime temperatures, no sleeping bag, only a raincoat for shelter! She was in bad shape. She had decided to walk the Compostelle alone "no matter what". We had a quick conference discussion and immediately offered to lead her for the remaining 500+ kilometers. We took turns making sure she wouldn't stray more than a couple of meters from our heels. She relied on her hearing to keep her distance.Good day. We are contemplating our second Camino, walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago. What are your experiences coming to a finish in SJPDP, where many people are just starting their camino?
Apparently the small-group walking tours of SJPP offer tourists a similar opportunity. I was sitting on the bench inside the SJPP entry gate, late of a morning, waiting for a friend. Along came a small walking tour (maybe 6-8) with a tour guide speaking English. The guide was giving quite limited and somewhat inaccurate information. So I piped up, told the pilgrim story, told my story, and let them try on my pack. Perhaps I made a few recruits? (Although I would not have made the effort with the busload cited above, I must admit.)...tourists, with cameras on the ready, were waiting at the edge of town to witness the "arrival of pilgrims". It seems there are bus tours that offer such cultural experiences.
thanks for posting.My 2 trail pals and I came across a blind 68 year old French lady by the name of Linda Vincenze. We were walking from le Puy to SJPDP in April 2016. She had 2% vision which is legally blind. We found her in a forest on the Massif Central where she had been lost for 8 days and nights. Blind, lost in a damp forest with freezing nighttime temperatures, no sleeping bag, only a raincoat for shelter! She was in bad shape. She decided to walk the Compostelle alone "no matter what". We had a quick conference discussion and immediately offered to lead her for the remaining 500+ kilometers. We took turns making sure she wouldn't stray more than a couple of meters from our heels. She relied on her hearing to keep her distance.
When we arrived at SJPDE it had been raining and we were quite muddy; by chance it was my turn to lead her for the last leg into town. Just as we arrived a large(ish) group of bus tourists, with cameras on the ready, were waiting at the edge of town to witness the "arrival of pilgrims". It seems there are bus tours that offer such cultural experiences. Linda couldn't figure out what was what, so I stopped and explained to her why dozen of people were crowding us making progress tricky. We were tired, hungry, cold and wet and really had to go for a pee.
She burst into tears.
The crowd went stone quiet, let us through, then we walked to the Le bureau des pèlerins de SJPDP where we all enjoyed a much deserved pee in privacy where each of us had the time to reflect on what had just happened. It was profound.
I would never contemplate any Camino not reaching Santiago -- but then that's me, and I'm one of those pesky "purists" ...
My 2 trail pals and I came across a blind 68 year old French lady by the name of Linda Vincenze. We were walking from le Puy to SJPDP in April 2016. She had 2% vision which is legally blind. We found her in a forest on the Massif Central where she had been lost for 8 days and nights. Blind, lost in a damp forest with freezing nighttime temperatures, no sleeping bag, only a raincoat for shelter! She was in bad shape. She decided to walk the Compostelle alone "no matter what". We had a quick conference discussion and immediately offered to lead her for the remaining 500+ kilometers. We took turns making sure she wouldn't stray more than a couple of meters from our heels. She relied on her hearing to keep her distance.
When we arrived at SJPDE it had been raining and we were quite muddy; by chance it was my turn to lead her for the last leg into town. Just as we arrived a large(ish) group of bus tourists, with cameras on the ready, were waiting at the edge of town to witness the "arrival of pilgrims". It seems there are bus tours that offer such cultural experiences. Linda couldn't figure out what was what, so I stopped and explained to her why dozen of people were crowding us making progress tricky. We were tired, hungry, cold and wet and really had to go for a pee.
She burst into tears.
The crowd went stone quiet, let us through, then we walked to the Le bureau des pèlerins de SJPDP where we all enjoyed a much deserved pee in privacy where each of us had the time to reflect on what had just happened. It was profound.
One of the many joys of walking solo is being able to decide when and where to end your walk, last year I walked the Le Puy route and when I got to Navarrenx I had done enough. There were more and more people on the route and booking accommodation a day ahead was getting more difficult. This year I am planning to walk the RLS route from Le Puy and at the end get a train to Carcassonne then follow GR78 toward SJDP for as far as I want to go, maybe a 6 - 7 week walkGood day. We are contemplating our second Camino, walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago. What are your experiences coming to a finish in SJPDP, where many people are just starting their camino?
I saw, at best, no more than 10 people walking against the current. A few of those were doing a round trip on the GR65..... alternatively, would it be an option to walk from SJPP to Le Puy? (Just throwing it out there?)
WOW! What a Camino tale that is! God bless you!My 2 trail pals and I came across a blind 68 year old French lady by the name of Linda Vincenze. We were walking from le Puy to SJPDP in April 2016. She had 2% vision which is legally blind. We found her in a forest on the Massif Central where she had been lost for 8 days and nights. Blind, lost in a damp forest with freezing nighttime temperatures, no sleeping bag, only a raincoat for shelter! She was in bad shape. She decided to walk the Compostelle alone "no matter what". We had a quick conference discussion and immediately offered to lead her for the remaining 500+ kilometers. We took turns making sure she wouldn't stray more than a couple of meters from our heels. She relied on her hearing to keep her distance.
When we arrived at SJPDE it had been raining and we were quite muddy; by chance it was my turn to lead her for the last leg into town. Just as we arrived a large(ish) group of bus tourists, with cameras on the ready, were waiting at the edge of town to witness the "arrival of pilgrims". It seems there are bus tours that offer such cultural experiences. Linda couldn't figure out what was what, so I stopped and explained to her why dozens of people were crowding us making progress tricky. We were tired, hungry, cold and wet and really had to go for a pee.
She burst into tears.
The crowd went stone quiet, let us through, then we walked to the Le bureau des pèlerins de SJPDP where we all enjoyed a much deserved pee in privacy where each of us had the time to reflect on what had just happened. It was profound.
well doneWOW! What a Camino tale that is! God bless you!
Yep, I crossed at least a half dozen trekkers walking west to east on the GR65..... alternatively, would it be an option to walk from SJPP to Le Puy? (Just throwing it out there?)
We are going to Puente la Reina. Have been to SDC 5 times.Good day. We are contemplating our second Camino, walking from Le Puy to SJPDP, but are thinking maybe it won't be as amazing as coming into Santiago. What are your experiences coming to a finish in SJPDP, where many people are just starting their camino?
Actually it's not a bad idea, after completing our first Camino we made plans to return to St Jean and walk to Le Puy. However we got distracted by other paths and didn't get to it. We did manage to walk a section and it was amazing to dodge in an out of the forests past castles on hills and arrive in Le Puy. And I loved that the base is covered in walnut trees, made me fee at home..... alternatively, would it be an option to walk from SJPP to Le Puy? (Just throwing it out there?)