All the information i have... i need help =]

[Zohard]

Let's try again...

My girlfriend and I are planning to do the Santiago in about a month or so.
At the moment I'm in India and she's in England. I'll be arriving to Amsterdam (our actual starting point) somewhere between the 26th of July to the 1st of August. My gear should be waiting for me by then so I'll just have to take a day or two to relax and we can start trekking.

My girlfriend is NOT in the best shape nor has she ever done anything like this! Having said that we're looking for a relaxed (and flat) route to start from. Our initial intention was to start from France. At the moment I'm a bit confused to whether or not this is doable for reasons I'll elaborate now:
Since we both light sleepers and since we haven't seen each other for a few months we need our privacy! For that reason I want to carry a tent and use it at least 90% of the time.

Here are my questions:
1) What route should we take considering that we need an easy route to start from, that we want to use a tent and that our starting place is Amsterdam...? if anyone knows about a route starting from Holland that meets these criteria please tell me about it. if not i will welcome any suggestion or question you have
2) Since we plan to take a tent, is it possible? Are there any problems that I may be not considering? ... For us a tent is very important and if it's not possible to use it we might not do the Santiago altogether! So if you know of any routes that are more suitable please inform me.
3) weather, what should I expect ??
4) so far i've been accuiring to where and how to get a hold of the passport... if i got it right i don't have to get it before because i can always buy it on my first stop - whereever it may be... is that true?

if you have any questions i'll be glad to answer them because i need all the information i can get my hands on

Anakin (no i don't have a dark side - it's just my name)

 

[sillydoll]

Here are my questions:
1) What route should we take considering that we need an easy route to start from, that we want to use a tent and that our starting place is Amsterdam...? if anyone knows about a route starting from Holland that meets these criteria please tell me about it. if not i will welcome any suggestion or question you have
2) Since we plan to take a tent, is it possible? Are there any problems that I may be not considering? ... For us a tent is very important and if it's not possible to use it we might not do the Santiago altogether! So if you know of any routes that are more suitable please inform me.
3) weather, what should I expect ??
4) so far i've been accuiring to where and how to get a hold of the passport... if i got it right i don't have to get it before because i can always buy it on my first stop - whereever it may be... is that true?

Lets try again!

You want to walk a Camino route all the way to Santiago but you don't want to stay in hostels, or spend too much money, or do any difficult terrain to start with because your girlfriend is unfit and has never walked more than 2 days. You welcome suggestions.
I think that the most important consideration here is that your girlfriend is not fit and has not walked more than 2 days. Does she ride a bike? You could cycle most of the way to Santiago.
Consider this:

1) Holland is flat. Paris to Spain is practically a flatline! You could cycle much further distances each day than walk. The Le Puy route has a difficult start.
The Camino Frances route in Spain (from Roncesvalles to Santiago) is probably the easier route to do compared with the Camino Norte, Via de la Plata, Primitivo etc..
2) Campsites are usually out of town so you could cycle to them easier than walking to them. In France you can wild camp easier than in Spain.
3) The weather in August will be hot and humid. You will proabably be able to sleep under the stars!
4) Passport: You can usually get it at your first stop in Spain - not necessarily in Holland or France. If you and your girlfriend join the Confraternity of St James in the UK you can get one of their passports.

Hope this helps Anakin!

PS: There is no easy way to the tomb of St James. Medieval sinners and criminals used to have to walk there for punishment! It wasn't meant to be easy.

 

[Zohard]

It helped some.
No, we don't plan to ride a bike because i'm quite simply not interested.
Paris to Spain is a flat line? Paris is in France not in Holland. Were you confused or did i misunderstood you? Maybe you meant to say that the way from Holland to Spain is flat? Anyway, i wasn't aware that there is an actual route from Holland.

Look, i realize that it's not meant to be easy and to walk for so long even on a street would be difficult. I'm not looking for someone to carry us and i'm not looking for the easiest way all way through. i'm just looking for a route that has an easy start for the first week or two. And again i want to say that we don't have to start in France if it's more difficult to start there and if it brings more difficulties all things considered. i don't mind starting in other places. as long as we don't start twenty km from Santiago =]

Yes, i would like to avoid hotels because i want to and like sleeping in nature. And because i want to have my privacy - but i said nothing about money.

Thanks for your help


To answer some of the angry private messages i received. Yes, i did read other posts and i did try to do some research. Since i am in India and since i'm not knowledgeable about the Santiago routes or Europe for that matter i was looking for some assistance. This is a forum isn't it? isn't the purpose of this forum is to answer questions and trying to help?
I'm the head of two forums myself so i find the criticism i got a bit more than strange. No offense to anyone but i wasn't forcing anyone to answer me, hey, if you don't know the answers or if you don't understand the questions - you don't HAVE to answer!

 

[Bridget and Peter]

Anakin

Please don't get angry with me, because I may be quite mistaken, but have you told us how long you want to be en route? If you intend to walk from Amsterdam I think you may be talking about 4 months. We met a pilgrim in Vezelay on the first of October who had left Amsterdam in mid-August. He was expecting to reach the city of Santiago de Compostela on December 20. Just walking from St Jean Pied de Port (in the Pyrenees, a day or two's walk to Spain) takes about 5 or 6 weeks, on the Camino Frances. Walking the Camino Ingles, from A Coruna or Ferrol on the NW tip of Spain takes 4 to 6 days.

Once we know how long you have available, then we can make suggestions for routes which are not too strenuous, and have camp sites.

If you really want to travel from Amsterdam, AJ gave you this clear advice in one of your previous threads:

Pelgrimspad: Amsterdam to Maastricht;
Via Mosana: Maastricht to Namur;
GR654: Namur to Vezelay;
Voie de Vezelay: Vezelay to SJPdP
Camino Frances: SJPdP to Santiago

This will not be strenuous until after Namur when you reach the Ardennes, and then quite flat until Vezelay, really. You can find information on all these by googling.

Your best bet for a pilgrim passport (or credential) is the join the CSJ in London. All the information is on their website.

We are a patient kindly lot and would like very much to help you. PLease be courteous in return

 

[jl]

This is the 3rd attempt to post this (yes I can relate to your computer dilemmas Anakin. Well let's try again.!!!!!

Hello Anakin, The way to Santiago de Compostela is a Medieval Pilgrimage and so the Way began, in those days, from your front door - whether it was in London, Amsterdam, Berlin Paris etc. Gradually, as the passages headed across the many countries in Europe where people began, various paths converged until there were just a few (by comparison) major paths crossing France and Spain. Of course, in those days pilgrims, once reaching Santiago de Compostela, would turn around and walk back home!.

When I walked from Le Puy in 2007 I met a number of people who had done just that - begun walking from their home. I met 2 men from the Austrian Tryol, 2 German men from Bavaria, a woman from Zurich and one young man who had left home in Berlin and made his pilgrimage via Poland(where apparently there are very good marked paths) to Finisterra - another 100 or so kilometres further on from Santiago, and that is just a small sample of those making there way to Santiago. The closer I got to Santiago the more frequently that I also met (about every three days or so) pilgrims walking the other way - home!.

Why am I telling you this you ask? I guess I am just trying to put this journey into perspective for you. This is a wonderful journey, both a hard physical journey and a spiritual one, and also a great adventure. Many times - here on this forum, on web sites, and in numerous books I have read I see the words "It is the journey that is important, not the destination". Yes, the destination is special - Santiago is a delightful city and the pilgrim Mass is a wonderful service, as are the meetings with your fellow pilgrims who have arrived in the city with you, however it is not the be all and end all.

I can well understand your frustrations with the replies that you are getting, but likewise people are feeling frustrated that they can't really help you because they are not sure what you are asking. I for one have replied to you in numerous threads and have become confused as to what you are asking - as I am sure you are by the many responses. I can also relate to the difficulties you are having with the internet (I only have extremely slow dial up here!) and so I would suggest that perhaps you use your girlfriend to help you research for information. She would then have a much greater idea of what she is in for, and she may then be able to give you some feedback as to what she feels she could manage. Then, when you arrive in Amsterdam (or Paris) perhaps you could take some time out and spend some time researching, either alone or together, on easier connections. I am not sure, but I think there are marked paths even from Holland - you may decide that is a better way! Or you could start further up from Paris in Brussels............. etc

Remember that there is no right or wrong way to do this Camino. You can start wherever you want and you can finish whereever you want. I met a group of people in France who were walking for a week or so each year and were planning to take about 8 years to reach Santiago!.

Many people have given you some good suggestions on your various postings and I hope the explanation above helps you with your thinking and that both you and your girlfriend enjoy the planning and preparation for your Camino - wherever and whenever it is.

Best wishes, Janet

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Someone who runs bulletin boards knows that occasionally a user uses a bulletin board for an ego trip to dominate others, to "have a go" at other users, or to play a game of one-up-manship by showing how much more they know than the others. I know that is not the case here, but that impression may have been left. Nowhere is there more factual information than in this Forum, and opinion is almost always clearly labeled as such. So we "don't mess with Zohard." Instead, we try to inform.

 

[Anniesantiago]

If you want to walk the Camino Frances, and you want an easier beginning, I'd say skip the part from St. Jean Pied du Port and start walking from Roncevalles. The trip over the Pyranees is considered "hell day" by many and sounds like something your g/f wouldn't care to do.

You can tent camp along the way or stay in private hostels, which are very inexpensive.

I'm sorry you got angry private messages. I've never gotten an angry private message here, so I can only believe it is someone having a bad day, which I'm sure you understand.

I find this to be THE BEST FORUM on the internet for the Camino - lots of wonderful people and wonderful information. After a rough start, maybe you could settle in and glean what you need and even share information once you've completed your trip. We'd love to be your friend!

You strike me as a person who really could use an experience like the Camino - I hope you do it and I wish you the best of luck!

Annie

 

[Zohard]

Thank you Annie...
For the post and the private message. Doesn't seem like you had much difficulties in understanding or answering! I'll write to you directly via messages =]

 

[sillydoll]

You misunderstood.

First you said you wanted to start in France - then you said that you wanted to start in Holland.

I said "Holland is Flat"
"Paris to Spain is practically a flatline"

Two countries - both flat - make a choice - walk from Amsterdam to Paris, and then to Spain.

 

[Zohard]

Thankyou everyone but i already got all the information i'll ever need from Annie

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The triumph of the Private Message! It really works.