Jenibee
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- TBD
Hello! I am so happy to have been led to this forum by an online friend who has done several Caminos and has been kindly sharing her knowledge with me as my husband and I begin to take baby steps towards making the decision to walk as well. How wonderful that this place exists, with so many active participants who obviously come together with a shared love of the journey and a strong desire to help others on their way. Just reading through the posts inspires me to jump in and become a part of the group, which is no small feat, considering my introverted nature.
I have heard it said that you donāt go looking for The Way; The Way calls YOU. Iām beginning to understand what that means, having been introduced to the movie āThe Wayā, after which my husband and I turned to one another and declared, āDefinitely not! That is NOT for us.ā Then I read a book. And another book. And we watched a documentary, and still another book was read, and well ā¦ we kind of canāt seem to stop talking about it now. Is this how people are called? Does it truly happen this way? Itās fascinating to me to see an unfolding of āI canāt, I wonātā into something that seems to have created a thirst. At one point in the early throes of reading, I found myself having quite an emotional response to the idea of the pilgrimage. Iām not sure Iāve ever felt that way about anything before ā¦ Iām ordinarily quite pragmatic, but this is something rather indescribable.
My husband and I love to hike. One might say we have come to the point where we āliveā to hike, as our holidays are now planned around forests and canyons and mountains and trails. Always, trails. The work days in between provide the means by which to travel and explore, and the very idea of an upcoming trip makes the longer, slogging days in the office absolutely worth it all. I love the very act of simply walking. The fact that putting one foot in front of the other can transport me from this place to that place, and I may very well see or feel something wonderful along the path, is exhilarating to me. Itās so very simple, and in that simplicity is such beauty. I find the act of walking to be prayerful and meditative, with the rhythmic cadence of footfall. Iāve found it excruciating at times as well; weāve found ourselves lost in a remote wild canyon and exhausted on the side of a mountain ā but always, weāve overcome, and the stories and memories from those times are priceless to us. I wouldnāt trade the hardship for anything.
We are in our mid-to-late 50s and physically fit, but have never walked great distances for days on end. That does give me a bit of pause when considering the requirements of the Camino, but I am also coming to understand that just because others walk 25-30km daily doesnāt necessarily mean that we would have to. Canāt you make the Camino your very own, in a sense, by recognizing your strengths, weaknesses, and travel needs, and make arrangements accordingly? In that vein, we also have āspecial needsā when it comes to overnight accommodations. Neither of us have any desire to stay in an albergue, and Iām truly sorry if thatās somewhat anathema to say, but itās our truth. It is a non-negotiable for us, but we are encouraged to learn that there are hotels and guest houses along the way that would likely suit us. The only other issue is that we require separate sleeping rooms. He snores and I am an extremely light sleeper who is disturbed by the slightest āhuman soundsā in the night (I even wear ear plugs when sleeping alone!). Itās always been this way, and we make do by securing accommodations where we can each have our own room. Of course this means added expense, but thatās just how it is. Is it likely to be problematic along the Camino to find places to stay where we can each have our own private room? I fully understand that this may sound ridiculous to some (I have perhaps become used to being a bit defensive about it, in fact, when others have tried to dissuade me from what we know our own limitations to be), but I have suffered my last sleepless night on holiday. I wonāt pay to travel, only to be shattered from lack of sleep. I would not think this to be problematic, as to the hotel or guest house, we are simply two separate, paying guests.
We are studying routes and trying to get a feel for which would be best for us, given our accommodation needs and the fact that we will only likely have 3 weeks tops for the Camino. Of course, with COVID-19 concerns, there is no way to know when this could feasibly happen, but Iāll turn 60 in 2022 and thereās something about doing the pilgrimage in that year of my life that seems to speak to my soul.
I said I was an introvert, and youād never know it by all of this rambling, would you? (Written communication comes so much easier for me than verbal.) Thanks to any who read this far and might wish to offer any insight on our accommodation needs. I look forward to diving into even more information here, as well as the seemingly countless books, podcasts, and websites that are out there. I remain intrigued by what does indeed feel to be āthe callā, and am eager to explore the possibility.
I have heard it said that you donāt go looking for The Way; The Way calls YOU. Iām beginning to understand what that means, having been introduced to the movie āThe Wayā, after which my husband and I turned to one another and declared, āDefinitely not! That is NOT for us.ā Then I read a book. And another book. And we watched a documentary, and still another book was read, and well ā¦ we kind of canāt seem to stop talking about it now. Is this how people are called? Does it truly happen this way? Itās fascinating to me to see an unfolding of āI canāt, I wonātā into something that seems to have created a thirst. At one point in the early throes of reading, I found myself having quite an emotional response to the idea of the pilgrimage. Iām not sure Iāve ever felt that way about anything before ā¦ Iām ordinarily quite pragmatic, but this is something rather indescribable.
My husband and I love to hike. One might say we have come to the point where we āliveā to hike, as our holidays are now planned around forests and canyons and mountains and trails. Always, trails. The work days in between provide the means by which to travel and explore, and the very idea of an upcoming trip makes the longer, slogging days in the office absolutely worth it all. I love the very act of simply walking. The fact that putting one foot in front of the other can transport me from this place to that place, and I may very well see or feel something wonderful along the path, is exhilarating to me. Itās so very simple, and in that simplicity is such beauty. I find the act of walking to be prayerful and meditative, with the rhythmic cadence of footfall. Iāve found it excruciating at times as well; weāve found ourselves lost in a remote wild canyon and exhausted on the side of a mountain ā but always, weāve overcome, and the stories and memories from those times are priceless to us. I wouldnāt trade the hardship for anything.
We are in our mid-to-late 50s and physically fit, but have never walked great distances for days on end. That does give me a bit of pause when considering the requirements of the Camino, but I am also coming to understand that just because others walk 25-30km daily doesnāt necessarily mean that we would have to. Canāt you make the Camino your very own, in a sense, by recognizing your strengths, weaknesses, and travel needs, and make arrangements accordingly? In that vein, we also have āspecial needsā when it comes to overnight accommodations. Neither of us have any desire to stay in an albergue, and Iām truly sorry if thatās somewhat anathema to say, but itās our truth. It is a non-negotiable for us, but we are encouraged to learn that there are hotels and guest houses along the way that would likely suit us. The only other issue is that we require separate sleeping rooms. He snores and I am an extremely light sleeper who is disturbed by the slightest āhuman soundsā in the night (I even wear ear plugs when sleeping alone!). Itās always been this way, and we make do by securing accommodations where we can each have our own room. Of course this means added expense, but thatās just how it is. Is it likely to be problematic along the Camino to find places to stay where we can each have our own private room? I fully understand that this may sound ridiculous to some (I have perhaps become used to being a bit defensive about it, in fact, when others have tried to dissuade me from what we know our own limitations to be), but I have suffered my last sleepless night on holiday. I wonāt pay to travel, only to be shattered from lack of sleep. I would not think this to be problematic, as to the hotel or guest house, we are simply two separate, paying guests.
We are studying routes and trying to get a feel for which would be best for us, given our accommodation needs and the fact that we will only likely have 3 weeks tops for the Camino. Of course, with COVID-19 concerns, there is no way to know when this could feasibly happen, but Iāll turn 60 in 2022 and thereās something about doing the pilgrimage in that year of my life that seems to speak to my soul.
I said I was an introvert, and youād never know it by all of this rambling, would you? (Written communication comes so much easier for me than verbal.) Thanks to any who read this far and might wish to offer any insight on our accommodation needs. I look forward to diving into even more information here, as well as the seemingly countless books, podcasts, and websites that are out there. I remain intrigued by what does indeed feel to be āthe callā, and am eager to explore the possibility.
Well I would not feel so all alone .... 
