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It's helpful to remember that doing repeat caminos is a rather modern innovation. Back in the day, walking to Santiago was a once-in-a -lifetime event... and then you got to walk back home! People made their wills before they left, and made sure the family, business, and personal affairs were...
A pilgrim adjusts to the situation.
You posted when it wasn't even 7 am yet!! Sahagun doesn't really wake up until about 9. If you want coffee, you should have some at the albergue before you leave -- many have vending machines. Alb. Santa Cruz has breakfast coffee in the dining room...
Maybe it's time to not walk. Maybe it's time to step into a different role -- the one who enables others to make the walk. Have you served as a hospitalera?
You can also join others in activism, keeping the Camino (and other cultural treasures) free from over-development and exploitation...
Life goes on. People change and grow. The camino is forever changing, and so do are the people who walk it, and maintain it. You've given it loads of attention over the years. Maybe it's time to find a new fascination... I daresay most people who do the camino do. There's no shame in that. Get...
he got a little incoherent with his point #2, could've done a little research on the legal protections the camino's gained in the last 30 years. The info is not hard to find. He left it dangling, as if the Camino only really resurrected after Covid.
Still, it is a very interesting article and...
A friend who lives in Otur, near Luarca, up on the Camino del Norte in Asturias, was weeding her garden one evening and was bitten on her wrist by an adder. Her entire arm turned an odd shade of Bruise, she spent two days in hospital, but survived. She said the bite was not painful, just...
It is very rare to find yourself sleeping outdoors on the Way. I have done it twice, never alone. Both nights were pretty sleep-free, but I am still here to tell about it.
If you are there, take a hint from the ever-resourceful homeless and go to the blue recycle bin and pull out some sheets...
The Camino is not too crowded if you are on a pilgrimage and you're flexible. If you insist on booked accommodation, private rooms, etc., you may be out of luck in September.
I've lived on the meseta for 18 years, have seen snakes exactly 3 times... and I do a good bit of bushwhacking every day. All of them were high-tailing it away from me. They're more scared of you than you are of them.
No fears.
It's up in the mountains and in the deep woods you need to be careful.
As tough as the trail can be, and as out-of-shape and un-suited to the job as some of the pilgrims appear, I am forever amazed that so FEW people die each year on the Way.
The flowers are blooming like crazy RIGHT NOW on the meseta of the Camino Frances. The show is spectacular! We had lots of rain in the past couple of weeks, which brought them on strong in mid-May. Last year, however, was very dry -- the wildflowers didn't appear til mid-June, and the showing...
Just a footnote to Gerard's declarations re: civic responsibility for pilgrims?
Wrong. Nobody owes a pilgrim anything. The pilgrim takes on his role voluntarily. He sets aside his privilege and becomes, effectively, homeless for a while, dependant on the good will of others to meet his needs...
May 2001: Patrick and I took a cab up to Roncesvalles in a whirling snowstorm. I had planned this trip for years. Paddy came along for the beginning bits, because he spoke Spanish and I did not. He was sure I was barking mad. We stayed at the hotel in Roncesvalles, because Paddy was "on his...
I have dealt with two pilgrims involved in e-bike accidents. Both required emergency medical care. These vehicles do not belong on the same trails with people on foot.
Also, I know of several non-profit albergues that don't accept e-bikes. If you can afford to be riding one of those, you can...
One of the shockers of this week of full-up camino stories is the group of American ladies traveling with a fully-booked and supported tour, complaining they "just aren't feeling it."
I asked them if any had slept at a municipal or parochial albergue, or met a volunteer hospitalero. They did...
stay at any non-profit municipal or parish albergue along the path. Each one is a unique experience in itself, and the people you find there are often real characters.
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