A different point of view

[martin1ws]

I start my first Camino in less than a month.
I am very excited.

Sometimes I am more afraid of the question "how long will it take to make my second Camino" than I am afraid of the troubles of my first Camino...

So I think I am not very objective and maybe I have got wrong expectations... even if I try to have no expectations.

So I am looking for postings or blogs with a different point of view.
Here are two examples:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-parting-thoughts-on-my-camino.56135/
http://francistapon.com/Travels/Spain-Trails/10-Reasons-Why-El-Camino-Santiago-Sucks

 

[scruffy1]

You have answereed your question all by yourself - do not be objective and have no expectations. You should have a very generalized plan but very very flexible, issues like distances to be walked daily, albergues which you have pre-booked, worries about physical condition should not be worrisome. You will be passing through some beautiful ever-changing scenery, 1000 years of art, architecture, and history will pass before your eyes, opportunities for social encounters with hundreds of fellow pilgrims all sharing the same ideal - provided they will put down their cellular phones, spiritual experiences both religious and personal all bordering on epiphany, the Camino will change many things in your life - if you allow it to happen. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy every minute, eat well and enjoy every bite, spend time in the obvious Pamploa-Burgos-Leon-Santiago but also allow time for chance encounters with small towns and villages which may take your fancy, allow time to spend with new found friends. Well planned rigid itineraries and tight schedules will only ruin the experience so take your time, take hundreds of photographs (a hint for later - take a photo at the signpost entrance of every hamlet village and town otherwise you will never remember where that most beautiful picture was taken), true the Camino is a pilgrimage but it can and should also be enjoyed.

 

[jsalt]

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/what-i-learnt-along-the-way-short-film.49141/

 

[martin1ws]

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/what-i-learnt-along-the-way-short-film.49141/

This is already my favourite short camino video.
I have linked it several times...

Edit:
... but it is nice to watch it again.

 

[Bradypus]

That piece by Francis Tapon is perhaps the finest example of why someone should approach the Caminos with a little research - at least enough to have a fair idea of what the Caminos are and (perhaps more importantly) what they are not. Tapon's argument seems to be
(1) I like wilderness trails
(2) the Camino is not a wilderness trail
therefore (3) the Camino sucks.
Every now and then someone posts a question here on the forum asking "Where are the campgrounds?" or "Should I carry a gps distress beacon?" or similar that strongly suggests the writer is imagining something more akin to the Appalachian Trail. A perception that might sometimes be reinforced by over-dramatic descriptions of the difficulties of what is in reality a very straightforward walking route. As you have already taken the time to read other's experiences both here on the forum and elsewhere I think you will be better prepared for the reality that you find.

 

[scruffy1]

 

[november_moon]

Yes, everybody's experiences are their own experiences. You'll walk the Camino and make your own conclusions about it.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I read Tapon's article before our Camino and thought it a fair assessment of the pros and cons of a Camino versus a wilderness backpack. It is his title that is provocative but it gets people to read the article. I decided to try walking the G10 along the Pyrenees but Peg decided she still wanted to walk the Camino. Together we decided to try the CF first and then try the G10 going west to east (there are a number of reasons we decided on this order.) In the end we we're too slow and only completed the CF and with some injuries that Peg suffered we decided not to attempt the G10 as it would be too far to reach medical help. Still, I thoughly enjoyed the CF.

 

[tomnorth]

You may not really know why you needed to walk the Camino until well after you've finished. I think my answer to the question of why I'm walking the Camino next year will be that it's not done with me yet, or something along that line.

 

[miffy]

Good to see everyone has a different point of view.
For me, it's the wine, short stages, sometimes long nights and lots of stops in bars with my mates that is enticing me. But who knows, maybe there will be something of the spirit that doesn't come from a cocktail.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@martin1ws , kia ora (greetings, have good health)

I live about 2km (1 mile) at about the mid-way point of Te Araroa (The Long Way), a 3,000 km trail running the length of Aotearoa-New Zealand. And occassionaly encounter walkers undertaking this trek. From them, from my own knowledge of parts of this trail and from the guardians on this trail it is clear that I could not hope to undertake a large amount of that trail.

But I had no great trouble walking the 1,600 km from Le Puy-en-velay to Santiago de Compostela, 400 km along the Thames River and 150 km from Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral.

The two articles you cite are describing and preferring the equivalent of my Te Araroa. Let's call these apples. And assuming that all walks that involve a backpack have to be provide the same challenges and be undertaken in the same way, even though many people would cakk some of these walks as oranges.

And we know you can not compare apples and oranges other than to say they are diifferent. And to agree that some people prefer one and some the other.

With respect to your upcoming walking I say:

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)​

 

[Geoff Shepherd]

@martin1ws , kia ora (greetings, have good health)

I live about 2km (1 mile) at about the mid-way point of Te Araroa (The Long Way), a 3,000 km trail running the length of Aotearoa-New Zealand. And occassionaly encounter walkers undertaking this trek. From them, from my own knowledge of parts of this trail and from the guardians on this trail it is clear that I could not hope to undertake a large amount of that trail.

But I had no great trouble walking the 1,600 km from Le Puy-en-velay to Santiago de Compostela, 400 km along the Thames River and 150 km from Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral.

The two articles you cite are describing and preferring the equivalent of my Te Araroa. Let's call these apples. And assuming that all walks that involve a backpack have to be provide the same challenges and be undertaken in the same way, even though many people would cakk some of these walks as oranges.

And we know you can not compare apples and oranges other than to say they are diifferent. And to agree that some people prefer one and some the other.

With respect to your upcoming walking I say:

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)​

Hell’s Bells - 3000km !!!!
And I always thought that NZ was half the size of Tasmania.
Cooee Kiwi.

 

[jeffnd]

My first night in Valcarlos, all of us at the albergue were standing around talking about what we were going to do different "next time" before we had a collective realization that maybe we should focus on getting this one done first!

 

[Richmond Gardner]

Good to see everyone has a different point of view.
For me, it's the wine, short stages, sometimes long nights and lots of stops in bars with my mates that is enticing me. But who knows, maybe there will be something of the spirit that doesn't come from a cocktail.

Well, that’s putting it right out there! The Camino IS a social odyssey and you will not be disappointed in that regard. Sometimes that long stretch, where you get into another mindset will also reward you in another way
Buen Camino