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  1. Northern Laurie

    What “baggage” do you wish you had not brought on your second Camino?

    I appreciate that - I chose to do a different route this time, partly because of time constraints and a lingering desire for “completing” the pilgrimage, partly to avoid expectations of places and people. The world has changed so much, i have to assume the Camino has as well. But I am not sure...
  2. Northern Laurie

    What “baggage” do you wish you had not brought on your second Camino?

    I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the Portuguese. The last time, I met many people doing their second Camino that brought the expectations from...
  3. Northern Laurie

    Can we please talk kilometres, litres, Celsius, right-side driving, etc.?

    I’m a Canuck and work in building engineering. Our building codes are metric. Our construction materials in imperial. The only place I know you can buy 10m rebar (10mm) in 9 foot lengths. Why? Because the great construction market to our south. And I know exactly how big a metre is and how...
  4. Northern Laurie

    What does the camino mean to you?

    Misery punctuated by grace, companionship, compassion, love, revelation and joy. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Depends on how much it rained and what condition the feet and knees are in. I am resistant to calling it a vacation. It requires work, effort and sacrifice to achieve a pretty...
  5. Northern Laurie

    Do ladies pee in the woods? I think we know the answer.

    Or the inconveniently closed-for-the-season public washroom.
  6. Northern Laurie

    Has anyone ever walked principally at night?

    I love walking at night. I did not do the Camino at night-mostly chicken because I was a solo walker on the Norte. I share this because your partner may find it helpful depending on the nature of their sleep condition. Because Spain is in the “wrong” time zone, walking between September to...
  7. Northern Laurie

    Cell phone manners at night

    Some of the albergues I stayed in did not have common rooms, and sometimes I was in the top bunk of an extremely wobbly bunk bed. There was a 9 hour time difference between home and Spain, and I desperately wanted to check in with my spouse, so we would have text conversations in the evenings...
  8. Northern Laurie

    dreadful walk,awful people,

    Oh YES! There was a series of days towards the end where I felt like I had really made the wrong decision. I found myself hanging out with a couple that were comparing the Norte to the Frances, and complaining bitterly and loudly about the disappointment. I called them Joy Thieves and I...
  9. Northern Laurie

    Coming home: Help for the heartbroken

    Update number two - the Camino gave me the courage to make change, the wisdom to judge what is important to me, and to trust myself... So I will be leaving a job of 10 years in the consulting engineering sector and working in the non-profit sector. From 60 hour work week to 28! I will be...
  10. Northern Laurie

    Showering and changing/washing clothes...how often?

    Nope. While hiking in the wilderness (perhaps backpacking would have been a better word). With a tent. Where there are no showers :) I've spent lots of time camping in places without showers, and the closest thing to bathing is a glacier fed lake. Showering wasn't really possible, and as...
  11. Northern Laurie

    Showering and changing/washing clothes...how often?

    No one else showers everyday while hiking. So it is totally acceptable to go multiple days without. But you will be going into villages and towns, and sitting in bars and restaurants with people who are going about their normal day. You will probably want to be in-town presentable. I washed...
  12. Northern Laurie

    Coming home: Help for the heartbroken

    Its four months since I returned home, and it is wonderful to see this thread come back to life. Thank you @Albertagirl and @CaminoDebrita I've realized part of the "heartache" and the senses of baggage had to do with three fairly significant life choices I'd wanted to make, and that I'd...
  13. Northern Laurie

    How accessible and frequent are bathrooms on the Camino?

    I was too-until I assumed the position and discovered it was the most natural and comfortable position possible
  14. Northern Laurie

    How accessible and frequent are bathrooms on the Camino?

    I can't comment on the distance (I did the Norte), but do carry a small amount of toilet paper or tissues (they work especially well). As well as a little baggy to put the used product in until you get to the next stop. A lot of people use the TP in the bar washroom and then take a few extra...
  15. Northern Laurie

    Credencial Questions

    @A Good Wander I ordered my credencial from the Canadian Company of Pilgrims ahead of time, and displayed it at my desk for months before I left. It started lots of conversations and was a pick me up when in the preparation stages. When I went to albergues, it became a topic of conversation...
  16. Northern Laurie

    ? when does a hard walk in Spain become a Camino

    All I can think of were the wild and crazy emotional swings. Moments of elation and exuberance; moments of intense spiritual beauty; moments of mundane laundry; and moments of mundane chores become ritual and rite of pilgrim. Oh and moments of whiny, self-centred self pity (not my prettiest...
  17. Northern Laurie

    The back of beyond

    I lived in Argentina for a year as an exchange student - lots of families from Germany (and Italy too). There is some complicated history there I'd bet... In my family (southern Canadian), you might talk about "up North", wilderness, middle of nowhere (again), in the middle of bloody nowhere...
  18. Northern Laurie

    Anyone know of any good Spanish distance learning courses?

    In addition to whichever courses you take, Netflix and other streaming services have foreign films. I will often watch in Spanish with English subtitles. It helps with comprehension, but not speaking.
  19. Northern Laurie

    Post-Camino Lessons: a recording

    In fact, it was that painting that motivated me to read up on the history of Guernika - I had learned about it in an art history class 15 or 20 years ago, but couldn't remember the details about why it was important. I read a very moving series of first person accounts of the days leading up to...
  20. Northern Laurie

    Post-Camino Lessons: a recording

    Hi all, I am sharing because I am rather proud of myself. I told the story of my Camino, and the link below is to a recording. Its about 22 minutes long. Writing the story was a fantastic experience, and really helped/forced me to meditate on what I had learned along the way. The link is...

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