Hello from a future Camino walker!

[Too Many Choices]

Hi everyone, I'm new here so I thought I'd just introduce myself.

I've just finished year 12 in Australia , and have just book flights with a friend to allow us to complete the Camino de Santiago (St. Jean - Santiago), starting in early Autumn 2012!!!

Me and my sister just got into an arguement, because she thinks I'm being absolutely stupid, because in her opinion we're NOT doing anything cultural (apparently the only thing she thinks is cultural is the La Tomatina), this...angered me to say the least!!!!!!

So I felt inclined to sign up here, and start gathering all the information I can.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Too Many Choices!

Well you'll be on the first European Cultural Route, so you're bound to find a bit of culture somewhere! You'll have the opportunity (if you wish!) to the speak Basque, Castillian and Galician languages along the way and notice the difference in the food etc. If you're lucky you will stumble across a local festival that doesn't involve tomatoes!

Not to mention cities such as Pamplona, made famous by Hemingway for its bull running etc.

You'll have a great time. Good luck with all your preparations. Buen Camino!

 

[David]

Why does she think that travelling to Europe has to be 'cultural'? Are you so uncultured over there that you have to come and suck it in here? Silly girl.

Just walking anywhere in Europe is 'cultural'. For a start you will be in a different culture :wink:
also, Europe is living history. It isn't a guidebook it is a real place with real people in it.

Does she want you to 'collect' seeing things such as old buildings or art galleries? Is a European visit to her like ticking off items in an I-Spy book?

HHmm ... ok.

The Camino is like a necklace threaded with beautiful historical pearls ... ancient churches, sanctuaries, bridges ... on the Frances you will even get to walk along sections of genuine Roman roads! each city of significant size will have a cathedral, museums, art galleries - all the 'culture' one would need to suck in and breathe out when back home.

Personally I think that coming to the end of 12 years of sitting in a school room obeying orders and being fed from dry books is a perfect time to just go somewhere foreign and just BE, just learn to be - who you are, what you are, at your own pace - to have some fun.

The Camino is a wonderful place to do exactly that. Life isn't about accumulating 'things', accumulating a tick-list of 'culture', it is about becoming human, fully human, awake, aware, kind, generous, loving .... the Camino is a great place to start - you will love it.

Send her some postcards, or, even better, invite her to go with you :wink:

p.s. Actually, thinking about it ... we all live somewhere 'cultural' perhaps we could all send her a postcard, from all over the world ...

 

[tyrrek]

p.s. Actually, thinking about it ... we all live somewhere 'cultural' perhaps we could all send her a postcard, from all over the world ...

That would be funny. :lol:

 

[Too Many Choices]

Thanks everyone!

And yes to my dear sister Europe does seem to be a bit of a list, and she doesn't seem to realise that you can always return to these places, and that they don't simply vanish!

As for walking after school, I honestly don't think I'd survive if I didn't escape from Australia
My home is a bit of box and I've been getting pretty bad cabin fever

Still, it hasn't really sunk in that I'll be doing to walk, the idea was thrown to us by a friend who returned from a holiday in Spain, having heard about it over there. Now that person isn't going and it's just me and another mate that held onto the idea!

 

[Too Many Choices]

when you get back briming with interesting stories your sister will come around ! My wife and I are planning for the spring of 2013 and in a few days have met some interesting characters already. Congrats on your decision and I look forward to reading about your experiences.

Mark

Gosh, you're all making me nervous a good nervous, but nervous none the less.

Actually maybe it's more excitment