After Santiago

[jpflavin1]

Hello to all and Happy New Year.

I am walking the Camino this Spring and am looking for some ideas after I have finished this years journey. I am planning on having about a week before returning to the States. I would appreciate ideas regarding activities in Europe. So if you have an experience that you thought was great and would like to share, I would appreciate any and all ideas. I will be finishing this years Camino around April 24th.

Thanks,
Joe Flavin

 

[markss]

In 2010 I planned my Camino to arrive in Santiago over the Easter period. That timing was a mistake. The last 100 km of the Camino was filled with waves of people who came by the busloads to Sarria to begin their Camino. While it was nice that so many had an opportunity to walk that part of the Camino, for hundreds of teenagers included it that population it was Spring Break party time. That was a real let down after a more tranquil earlier portion of the Camino and changed the vibe both along the trail and in the albergues. Likewise the city of Santiago itself was far too overcrowded. In 2010 events around the Cathedral were very chaotic, organization and crowd control very poor. A mob mentality prevailed. Heavy rains didn't make things any more celebratory.

Despite all of that and not trying to be discouraging, it was overall a wonderful experience. The point is that in the future I would choose a different week to arrive in Santiago.

Whenever you will arrive, a good post-Santiago top off is the three day continuation on to Finesterre. As fewer people include this part in their journey, peacefulness will return allowing you to reflect on your entire Camino experience. It is a scenic and tranquil trek. Most take three days to walk to Finisterre then return to Santiago on one of the regularly scheduled daily buses.

Given that you have remaining time to spend in Europe, a convenient and worthwhile excursion from Santiago is a trip to OPorto, Portuagal. The city is a gem which can easily be reached via a short train ride from Santiago. Train schedules and other information are available at the tourist office in central Santiago. If you are interested, the city of Fatima can then be easily accessed by one of the regualrly scheduled buses departing from Oporto and taking an hour or so to get to Fatima.

The last week of April is a wonderful time virtually anywhere in Europe. You are sure to enjoy yourself wherever you go.

 

[Anna-Marie]

Hi Joe, and Happy New Year to you, too.

Europe is rather a large place, so it's hard to give advice without knowing what kind of things you're interested in. If you want to see a very different part of Spain, Granada is beautiful, and the Alhambra shouldn't be terribly packed with tourists in April.

Personally, I hung around Santiago with some pilgrim friends for close to a week after my pilgrimage. It gives you a chance to meet up with people you lost track of on the trail, and maybe take a day trip out to Finisterre and/or Muxia, if you don't want to walk there.

Buen Camino!
Anna-Marie

 

[sillydoll]

In 2007 we hired a car in Santiago and drove back to Pamplona - taking a week to get there. We drove to Fistera and Muxia and spent a night in Lugo, Oviedo, Castrojeriz, Santo Domingo do Silos, then to St Jean-Pied de Port and a night in Roncesvalles.
21st April 2011 marks the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral in Santiago. Santiago will probably be packed again for that celebration.
The Xunta was quoted as saying that they would "work not only with everything that was already being organized this year, but would arrange a “very special” program to properly celebrate the 800th anniversary of the consecration of Santiago de Compostela’s Cathedral next April".

 

[Sagalouts]

Hi Joe and a happy new year to you too.
I have found we tend to make too many plans for the Camino,I tend to let the Camino and the people I meet on the way decide what do do with any spare time if any I have left in Santiago,there should not be a timetable to the Camino as I believe you found out early this year when you were hospitalized from roncesvalles with heart problems. I wish you well for 2011 but poco poco and enjoy each day the weeks will take care of themselves.
Ian

 

[josephleaf]

I finished CF on 15-Nov last month. I traveled around Spain and onto Paris, then Taize and Paris again to catch the returning flight.

Big cities like Madrid and Barcelona are too noisy and crowded after spending 6 weeks on the camino. I find more peace at smaller towns/villages like Avila, Toledo and Salamanca. I love Salamanca for the very scholastic atmosphere. I only stayed a night there but I would recommend it to be the first stop after Santiago, maybe a couple of days to just get yourself transited back to the 'modern' life, and move on to Madrid.

You may go south then to Seville or east towards Barcelona. There are abundant info so I'll not elaborate here.

Taize turns out to be a very nice last stop, too. Due to last minute planning I was only there for a few nights. I would recommend a stay of a week or so (Sunday - Sunday) to get soaked in the youthful and ecumenical environment it offers. From Santiago, you can fly to Paris or Lyon and get a connecting TGV to Macon Loche, then bus into Taize.

I was there on the camino with spiritual intention, thus my recommendation may or may not work out for you. I made my subsequent travel plan only when I arrived at Santiago although I did have some idea in my head when I left home.

If this is your first camino, I'd recommend not to pack too many post-tour and focus on the camino proper. Allow some extra days and you will find your way home ultimately.

 

[renegadepilgrim]

I flew to Barcelona three days after I arrived in Santiago(booked the flight the day after I arrived in Santiago on Vueling Airlines) and spent a week wandering around there before heading to Rome and continuing my around the world trip. Barcelona was nice. I became a fan of Gaudi, went to Sagrada Familia, walked around Las Ramblas, checked out some of the many churches, went to the Chocolate musuem, and chilled out. I also did a day trip to Montserrat (there is a package deal from the tourism office on Las Ramblas that I highly recommend) where I learned there is a Camino route that begins from there! Imagine my surprise when I saw the yellow arrows again! I also went to Sitges for a day trip, it's a lovely beach town (30 minute train ride) where the gay boys go to play, but I still enjoyed myself, walking around the beach, eating tapas in the bars and relaxing.

I guess a lot of it depends on where you are flying in/out of in Europe or if you are going to open-jaw it and fly into Paris, then out of another place. Next time, I have an interest in going to Bilbao and San Sebastian or maybe Porto. I've heard Madrid is lovely too.

Good luck Joe!

 

[ScottC]

I spent 4 wonderful days in Santiago itself and then too little time in Barcelona before returning to Australia. Seeing Sagrada Familia was a wonderful way to put a full stop on my pilgrimage. Enjoy the experience.

Scott

 

[Gailsie]

In mid October 2009, I went to Southern Spain after my camino. I did not know whether I would make it back to Spain again and had always wanted to see the Alhambra. So I spent about 10 days in Granada, Tarifa and Cordoba and loved them all. Southern Spain was fantastic. Now I want to go back again.

 

[jpflavin1]

Thank you to all who have provided feedback. I think I have narrowed my post Camino travel plans to Spain or Portugal. If anyone has additional feedback on those two countries and interesting places/sights it would be appreciated. I hear Seville and Southern Spain are very nice but am also interested in Portugal, which I have no experience. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Joe Flavin

 

[Beverley]

Hey, you might see this twice. I am new to the Forum and not sure how to use it yet.

So here is what I said before...
After my first Camino (CF), I went to Lisbon and it was great. Last year, Sept 2010 I did the Camino Portuguese up and back (to Santiago). I left from Porto and returned to Porto. Porto is now my new favorite city! Go there, friends tell me that it takes less than 5 hours by car so it is close. You can take a train from Santi or a bus to Tui. Then cross the river to Valenca and (you are now in Portugal) and get a bus to Porto or a train. It is a beautiful ancient city, Christopher Columbus used to live there, lots to see. I stayed at the Rivoli Cinema Hostel. It was a great place. Central, cheap, clean, very clean and comfortable. Go to hostelworld.com and look it up. There are better ones I found out later but Rivoli was better than great.
Good luck. Have fun. Get good socks, good shoes or boots and watch for bed bugs!

Bev Robson
No blisters allowd

 

[skilsaw]

I have found we tend to make too many plans for the Camino,I tend to let the Camino and the people I meet on the way decide what do do with any spare time Ian

I agree with Sagalouts.
Don't feel compelled to walk the Camino on a schedule. I feel quite sad for pilgrims who arrive at the Cathedral at 10:00 am and are on the plane home at 4:00 pm the same day.

On my first Camino, I stayed in Santiago 2 1/2 days because I kept meeting friends from the journey. Then I took 3 days to wind down as I walked to Finisterre. And finally took the train back to SJPP and was a beach bum in Biarritz for a couple days before flying home. All this done spur of the moment.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Well, I mistakenly took a train to Vigo, and the trip BACK from Vigo to Leon was incredibly beautiful. You could also continue walking to Finisterre... or take a bus and visit Cordoba or Sevilla.

 

[Caminando]

I have found we tend to make too many plans for the Camino,I tend to let the Camino and the people I meet on the way decide what do do with any spare time Ian

I agree with Sagalouts.
Don't feel compelled to walk the Camino on a schedule. I feel quite sad for pilgrims who arrive at the Cathedral at 10:00 am and are on the plane home at 4:00 pm the same day.

On my first Camino, I stayed in Santiago 2 1/2 days because I kept meeting friends from the journey. Then I took 3 days to wind down as I walked to Finisterre. And finally took the train back to SJPP and was a beach bum in Biarritz for a couple days before flying home. All this done spur of the moment.

Fully agree!
Beach bum good, stress bad.

But once, finding the beach too obvious/popular an option for peaceful slumber, I ended up on the local golf course there, secreted in a little patch of pine in the middle of the course.
"But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now". Sighs.....