You Have Finished the Camino But You Wish To Travel More....

[Rodeojones]

Did you find you wanted peace and quiet or did you visit a big city?

I will be traveling the Camino Frances by myself but my wife will meet me in Santiago. We have never visited Europe and will spend the next 10 days traveling before going home to the States. Not knowing how I will feel is making it difficult to plan our travels once I am finished with my pilgrimage.

Anyone travel after their Camino and what was your experience?

 

[zammy]

You wondre how you feel after the Camino? loaded with adrenalin and endorphines.
First time in Europe? with your wife? take the Easyjet straight to Paris. Do one week tour of the classic sites there, rent a car and drive around in Normandy and its small villages.Romance her.

 

[D.Matthew]

I backpacked through Europe for quite a while before starting my Camino, 8 countries in all. Once I finished, I made my way south to Porto and Lisbon, before finally flying out of Madrid to head home. For me, the friendship and companionship was the best part of the Camino. I definitely felt more open to meeting people in the hostels. Also, walking 20km each day to "site see" was something I did without even thinking.

 

[fortview]

Peace and quiet, definitely !
But I had my husband with me, and I'm English.....

Your wife might be quite overwhelmed in Santiago , with all the elation, last suppers, meeting of old friends etc !

Seville, cordoba and Granada would be amazing places to visit. The Alhambra in Granada, and the Alcazar in Seville are wel worth visiting, you can practice the Spanish you've learned

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Perhaps driving to the Camino highlights would interest your wife. She will be hearing you talk about all the great places and people, and she could at least connect to the places! You could stay in the modestly priced hostales that you passed during the walk.

Sarria
Samos
O Cebreiro
castle at Ponferrada
Burgos
Leon
Estella
Pamplona
etc.

 

[fortview]

Falcon - that is SUCH a cool idea

 

[nreyn12]

I second Falcon's suggestion - What a great idea to share some of the Camino with your wife.

Would she be game for a short walk with you? You could pick out your favorite two or three day stretch and walk it together. No need to force march her into 20 or 30 kms days; you could have a wander through the vineyards of La Rioja, take a stroll on the meseta if it's spring-time green, or walk a couple of days in beautiful Galicia, say from Palas de Rei to Arzua or Pedrouza (easy bus connections from Santiago and accommodations every 10 kms or so).

My other vote would be head south to Porto, Portugal and enjoy the seaside, gorgeous historical center, and port wine tasting overlooking the River Douro. Lisbon isn't far from Porto, and then you are nearly in the south of Spain for Seville, Granada, etc. With these ideas you don't have to commit to any non-refundable flights, only an easy-to-cancel car rental or just buy bus/train tickets as you need them.

'First trips' to Europe often take on the weighty responsibility of having to be 'once in a lifetime' great. But once you've had your first taste of the Continent, you will likely be planning your next trip on the flight home. In other words, you can see Paris the next time!

 

[Rodeojones]

I love the idea of driving the "highlights" of the Camino with my wife. I would not have ever thought of that and something that we will strongly consider.

LiseT Thank you for sharing your experience.. It sounds like it is a good idea to "decompress" immediately following the Camino if possible.

Our plan was to travel to Paris and spend our time focusing on the city itself and day trips. The more and more I read about "post Camino" experiences, I began to second guess that plan.

Several Portugal recommendations...Porto looks beautiful and I have read some nice things about the Southern coast. I will look into Portugal some more... 8)

I appreciate all the feedback thus far.

 

[Al the optimist]

One thing to consider is that your frame of mind after a camino and your wife's who has just arrived with jet lag will be very different.
allan

 

[Tia Valeria]

When Terry walked in 2009 I went with a friend, in her car, to meet him in Santiago. We had a full day in Santiago then drove to Finisterre and back through Lugo and up to the coast, then back past places he had walked through on the Norte to Santander. He travelled in 5 days a distance he had walked in 5 weeks. He was able to show me parts of his Camino and as a result we then walked together in 2010 etc. Even if I hadn't ever walked the Camino it would have been good to be able to share some experience of where he had been.
It also helped him to ease back into 'normal' (??) life again. What would your wife like to see/do when you are re-united? We had made some decisions about places to visit and stay before he left home.

 

[november_moon]

I haven't walked the Camino yet, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think that I would choose my subsequent travel plans by what I most want to see in Europe. If Paris is tops on your list, go to Paris. If the Black Forest of Germany is someplace you have always wanted to go, then head there. Since you don't know really how you will feel, just focus on going where you really want to.

With just 10 days though, make sure you don't try to pack too much in - choose one geographical area such as southern Germany or Benelux, etc. - that way you don't spend too much of your 10 days bouncing around.

 

[Pieces]

I would have hated a big city after my Camino...

I even hated SdC which isn't even all that big, maybe the crowds from Sarria onwards take the top op the culture shock of arriving, I walked in from the south and wasn't happy about the transition...

I like the idea of redoing the Camino, maybe after that 3-4 days in Paris..

I don't know, thats just me....

 

[robertt]

If one finished before or after the summer peak, the Rias Baixas and Pontevedra might be nice. I'm told there are many spots to linger out around the bays, and it's hard to beat Pontevedra for a fun Spanish town. I grew up overlooking Sydney's Kogarah Bay and Georges River, and the water views from on high as I walked the Portugues really took me back. Okay, the surfing might have been better at Cronulla, but the seafood in Galicia is unbeatable. Those Gallegos seem to be planning tomorrow's seafood feast while they're eating seafood and reminiscing over past seafood. They really do seafood, is what I'm trying to say.

 

[Kathy F.]

A friend (and pilgrim) has suggested Fatima in Portugal after the Camino. Any thoughts?

 

[Rodeojones]

If one finished before or after the summer peak, the Rias Baixas and Pontevedra might be nice. I'm told there are many spots to linger out around the bays, and it's hard to beat Pontevedra for a fun Spanish town. I grew up overlooking Sydney's Kogarah Bay and Georges River, and the water views from on high as I walked the Portugues really took me back. Okay, the surfing might have been better at Cronulla, but the seafood in Galicia is unbeatable. Those Gallegos seem to be planning tomorrow's seafood feast while they're eating seafood and reminiscing over past seafood. They really do seafood, is what I'm trying to say.

Middle/End of June....

I love seafood...i'm already interested.

 

[lindseh]

Don't rule out ending up somewhere you didn't expect due to generosity of your pilgrim family! I ended up in Portugal afterwards staying with an older couple with whom I didn't even share a language. They were lovely, drove me all over and showed me all the sights of Northern Portugal. And their beautiful house with a huge backyard with fruit trees and a pool were perfect for winding down after my camino...

Otherwise, you can get most anywhere in Europe for fairly cheap on RyanAir or EasyJet- so pick one or two spots and enjoy the hell outta them!

Buen camino,
Lindsey