What to do with a week after Camino?

[LakeMcD]

Hello everyone!

New to the forum here. I've planned for 5 weeks for Camino Frances including Finisterre and then an extra week. So what to do with the extra week that would not cost more than 400 euros? Portugal? Ireland? I was in Ireland about 5 years ago and have fond memories. Ideas and input welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers, Gary

 

[SabsP]

Hello everyone!

New to the forum here. I've planned for 5 weeks for Camino Frances including Finisterre and then an extra week. So what to do with the extra week that would not cost more than 400 euros? Portugal? Ireland? I was in Ireland about 5 years ago and have fond memories. Ideas and input welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers, Gary

Or you could take it slow on the camino and do some smaller etapas , stop when a little town or village interests you... But if you will and can walk in the time you planned I would recommend you a couple of days in the south , Andalucia for instance.

 

[Dutch]

Portugal for sure. Great option, close by, cheap and easy to reach, nice people, GOOD food! You could bus to Porto, stay there for a few days, than train or bus to Lisbon and enjoy that for a few days. Soooo many great option!.

 

[Pattii]

Im thinking of heading down through Portugal and then into Morocco ...just a thought...albeit I have no idea if one can do that on 400 euro's

 

[rometimed]

I'm going to Porto... flying to Newcastle and walking Hadrian's wall right after (though i'm doing a bunch of other walks after as well).

 

[Pattii]

In 2009 i went to Paris
In 2013 i went to Portugal (Porto, Nazare and Lisbon)

I would just suggest....where ever you go to not plan to do too much or to cram in sight seeing.

I found I was super tired the day after I got to Santiago and pretty much fall asleep over my Spanish omelet in a cafe in 2009.

When I got to Paris....i pretty much ran everywhere to then wait in a line...and fit everything in. When I got home I was exhausted. I kinda felt I had disrespected my Camino experience.

In 2013...although my Camino ended early due to injury I had allowed for chill out time at the end and I spent 10 days at the beach in Nazare and loved it. I slept in...sat on the beach....had late lunches and pottered around tthe village. It was bliss.

Oh that sounds fantastic too!

 

[JohnMcM]

Gary,
SabineP hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned. Take more time with your Camino is a great idea.
Buen Camino

 

[peregrina2000]

I think the one thing you can never predict is whether you will feel like jumping into "tourist mode" when you finish walking. It would be a shame to have a big trip planned and to then find when you reach Santiago that you really aren't up for it. It happens to me and many others I know. Lise T's experience resonates with me. But then I know lots of people who have arrived in Santiago, picked up their stored suitcase of "real world clothes" and gone happily on their way as a tourist. But beware, if you go to Porto and see a yellow arrow, you may find yourself irresistibly drawn to starting to walk again! buen camino, Laurie

 

[whariwharangi]

I remember getting to Santiago and feeling less than enthusiastic about making like a tourist and visiting yet another pile of rocks configured as a Cathedral. I think one gets emotionally exhausted. If you have a week left (and 5 weeks is ambitious) then I would suggest staying in Fisterra. Nice beach and a picturesque quiet town.

 

[peregrina2000]

One place I've always thought would be fun to visit is the Little Fox house, run by a former member of the forum. Seems like people who go there to "decompress" really enjoy themselves. http://www.thelittlefoxhouse.com/

 

[Dutch]

But beware, if you go to Porto and see a yellow arrow, you may find yourself irresistibly drawn to starting to walk again! buen camino, Laurie

You could easily walk from Porto to SdC for 400 euro if you wanted

 

[uniQ]

I stayed in Santiago for 4-5 days then took the Bus from the station to Porto where I stayed for a few more days before flying to Barcelona. I would definitely recommend Porto it's very easy to get too from Santiago and lot's to see and do for a few days all for excellent value!

But beware, if you go to Porto and see a yellow arrow, you may find yourself irresistibly drawn to starting to walk again! buen camino, Laurie

I stopped in a hostel went out for a little walk and immediately spotted yellow arrows on the high street, I followed for nearly 2KM in automatic mode before I twigged I wasn't on the Camino anymore and all my things were back at the hostel!

 

[amorfati1]

Hello everyone!

New to the forum here. I've planned for 5 weeks for Camino Frances including Finisterre and then an extra week. So what to do with the extra week that would not cost more than 400 euros? Portugal? Ireland? I was in Ireland about 5 years ago and have fond memories. Ideas and input welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers, Gary

very wise allowing for time ...
in my experience, after arriving in santiago and having to stay longer due to sudden health-hic up, i craved for silence and stillness.
i found that out by fancy-ing a return trip to Porto to do things i did not feel inclined to do while walking from lisbon to SdC. - but once i was back in Porto, i was not amused. too loud, too noisy, too busy ... thus after one night i packed up again and took the train south, towards lisbon.
but stopped over in two places where I had already stayed on the way north.
i 'parked' myself for five days on an old horse-farm/Quinta, in the Tejo region, doing nothing besides 'de-pilgrim'.... listening to the stillness, the reeds in the wind along the river, ... i did not want to be entertained, or see things, or do anything.
the pilgrimage had a very profound effect, and i just wanted to be with THAT, alone, ....to let it linger, expand, plunge ...
after that i was for 3 days in Cascais before flying to Manchester.... and even then i felt like blasted from the 'wilderness' into 'civilization'.
i felt grateful that i planned for all that extra time, as a buffer of sorts.
hope you'll find the suitable location / place.
perhaps don't plan ... and see what draws you after the pilgrimage. trains can get you far ... or perhaps you find a last minute flight-deal for a good rate.
best wishes! y buen camino ...

 

[Tia Valeria]

We have taken time to retrace our steps a little (by bus) and visit Lugo, which we had walked through. Then gone onto the coast to use the FEVE back to Oviedo and then Santander. A good way to re-enter the normal pace of life gradually.
This year we plan to visit Pravia (Romanesque church) and also once the capital of Asturias and of Christian spain - before the Reconquista. We enjoy churches and history so this suits us, others might prefer a different few days.

 

[Pita]

I ended up staying in Santiago for another five days. Arrived on a Friday and flew out on the following Tuesday. We had planned on continuing on to Finisterre but I came down with a 24-hour bug on that Saturday evening and was down-for-the-count for about 36 hours. Based on that experience I'd recommend trying to spend another few days in Santiago if you can. It was great to wander the town and to run into others you had met along the way who arrived earlier or later than you. It seemed like a another reunion was around just about every street corner. One of my Camino highlights was the time I spent among my Camino friends (old and new) in Santiago

 

[LakeMcD]

I think the one thing you can never predict is whether you will feel like jumping into "tourist mode" when you finish walking. It would be a shame to have a big trip planned and to then find when you reach Santiago that you really aren't up for it. It happens to me and many others I know. Lise T's experience resonates with me. But then I know lots of people who have arrived in Santiago, picked up their stored suitcase of "real world clothes" and gone happily on their way as a tourist. But beware, if you go to Porto and see a yellow arrow, you may find yourself irresistibly drawn to starting to walk again! buen camino, Laurie

Oh my again! Wouldn't that be fantastic? But I do have to get back to the states to greet my new students for the upcoming academic year.

 

[LakeMcD]

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses. Andalucia sounds very tempting perhaps just to Seville to see the influence of Moorish design. Also of interest would be a photo essay of a flamenco school. I know that I have a tendency to take in too much, so perhaps it will be best to see what comes my way. A good point was made about jumping into tourist mode. A reverse to Porto as time allows would also be interesting if it beckons.

 

[LakeMcD]

very wise allowing for time ...
in my experience, after arriving in santiago and having to stay longer due to sudden health-hic up, i craved for silence and stillness.
i found that out by fancy-ing a return trip to Porto to do things i did not feel inclined to do while walking from lisbon to SdC. - but once i was back in Porto, i was not amused. too loud, too noisy, too busy ... thus after one night i packed up again and took the train south, towards lisbon.
but stopped over in two places where I had already stayed on the way north.
i 'parked' myself for five days on an old horse-farm/Quinta, in the Tejo region, doing nothing besides 'de-pilgrim'.... listening to the stillness, the reeds in the wind along the river, ... i did not want to be entertained, or see things, or do anything.
the pilgrimage had a very profound effect, and i just wanted to be with THAT, alone, ....to let it linger, expand, plunge ...
after that i was for 3 days in Cascais before flying to Manchester.... and even then i felt like blasted from the 'wilderness' into 'civilization'.
i felt grateful that i planned for all that extra time, as a buffer of sorts.
hope you'll find the suitable location / place.
perhaps don't plan ... and see what draws you after the pilgrimage. trains can get you far ... or perhaps you find a last minute flight-deal for a good rate.
best wishes! y buen camino ...

Where do you live in California? My family lives in San Francisco and honestly I can not imagine going back to the city after the camino. But then again, maybe that's why I chose to live in Montana.

 

[amorfati1]

Where do you live in California? My family lives in San Francisco and honestly I can not imagine going back to the city after the camino. But then again, maybe that's why I chose to live in Montana.

i'd be living in montana or WY as well if i could handle the long winters and had a good income job. - living in the bay area, in the hills beneath the redwood and cedar trees is the only way i'd handle this area. lots of lovely trails here ...

 

[jpflavin1]

Hello everyone!

New to the forum here. I've planned for 5 weeks for Camino Frances including Finisterre and then an extra week. So what to do with the extra week that would not cost more than 400 euros? Portugal? Ireland? I was in Ireland about 5 years ago and have fond memories. Ideas and input welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers, Gary

LakeMcD:

I like to spend 2-3 day after I arrive in Santiago meeting up with new friends, sharing dinners and going to Pilgrim masses, then onto Finisterre and back to Santiago before heading home.

You could also go back to someplace on the Camino you found interesting and spend more time there.

London, Paris, Dublin, Barcelona and Madrid are all great cities to visit but not likely to be able to do for a week on 400 Euro's.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[LakeMcD]

i'd be living in montana or WY as well if i could handle the long winters and had a good income job. - living in the bay area, in the hills beneath the redwood and cedar trees is the only way i'd handle this area. lots of lovely trails here ...

If you ever venture up to Montana, look me up. I've you love the mountains, I'm about 15 mins from the west entrance of Glacier National Park, and I treat it like my back yard. As a matter of fact I'll be cycling there today.

 

[amorfati1]

If you ever venture up to Montana, look me up. I've you love the mountains, I'm about 15 mins from the west entrance of Glacier National Park, and I treat it like my back yard. As a matter of fact I'll be cycling there today.

swoon !! and thank you! a very kind offer ...
i'd love to venture out to those great lands and mountains. on my wish-list is a visit to the grand tetons. (will send email via PM).
happy cycling !! and enjoy the sights and stillness. saluti.