Same Camino

[Deleted member 397]

I'm curious to hear why people want to walk the same camino several times. I walked the VDLP last year and this year plan to walk from Le Puy. Next year the Danish bloke I met last year will be joining me from Granada. Thereafter I would like to try camino del norte, from Arles and maybe paris. Why would you want to go over the same ground rather experience new terrain/people/experiences on different caminos?.

 

[Anonymous]

HHmmm, interesting. For me, to go over same ground is to be given the opportunity to 'do it better' or 'appreciate it more'. Do you not look back at something you have done and think "if only I had had time to do that" or "if only I could do that again and sleep there rather than rushing on" and so on. Instead of craving new experiences perhaps to revisit can be a good thing (or perhaps not? perhaps it can be a disaster to 'go back again')?
For me, I want to do the Frances again - and perhaps again a few times - before I move on to another Camino.

I am really looking forward to reading this thread.

 

[Whalleyranger]

When I walked the Camino Frances for the second time I found myself looking forward to re-visiting particular places, such as the Meson Cowboy, or the crosses woven through the fence before Rabanal. Also the first time I passed the Cruz de Ferro the cloud was down so I missed the scenery. The second time I did it in glorious sunshine and the views were spectacular.

Coming back to these places is almost like seeing an old friend again.

Also I tried to vary it the second time by staying in different towns that I'd only passed through the first time. So although I walked the "same" Camino twice, both times were completely different.

 

[sillydoll]

El Camino

I walked the camino Frances from Roncesvalles in the Spring of 2002 and did the last bit from Sarria in July of the 2004 Holy Year.
Now I will walk the Camino Frances again in September. Am looking forward to the different landscapes of a different season; have different walking companions and will walk at a different pace. Walked the first camino in 27 days and will take 37 this time.
Would love to walk all 20 camino routes one day but I might just have to dream them!

PS: Walked from Durban to Cape Town in 2003 - have done almost 1000kms of the via Turonensis from Orleans to Spain - and did 700kms of the Via Francigena to Rome last year.
Would like to do the Abraham Path or St Paul's Trail in Turkey, the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage in Japan, the Jomsom trek to Muktinah in Nepal...... etc etc etc.
SIGH! So may trails... not enough time ... not enough money ... getting older by the day!

 

[Minkey]

Why not? Ok, so you see the same places again, but you meet different people, thus offering a totally different experience whilst covering the same ground!

 

[Dawn of a new Day]

i would prefer to do something new. yes do the same thing and there will be different people, however i tend to compare what was instead of being in ther here and now.how things in the past were different , or better. things change, so does the scenery. i really learned this when i arrived in santiago, standing out in the street, and SO many people rushed up to me to greet me (i had met on the trail) after walking to finisterre and returned to santiago i knew no one and no one met me. i was bummed out forawhile as i was COMPARING, then i looked at it as a great opportunity to meet new people.
so yes do it with an open mind, not to compare to What was!

 

[Minkey]

That's precisely the way the people I've spoken to who've done it several times, say... Be open minded.

Love the Camino for what it is. I'm not obsessed with it, I just feel myself when I do it... With the job that I have, I don't get much of a chance to do what I feel is right and the Camino, whichever route it is, gives me the license to do as I feel to be myself and to allow other people, strangers to see who I am... Self expression, for me, has a lot to do with the experience... and I love meeting new people, hence the reason why I will always do it on my own.