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The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.Annie - I think every first-timer should walk the Camino Frances.
Oh my! The Frances is great, especially for a first Camino! The friendship, discovery, landscapes, shared experience etc. It's great!Tia Valeria said:For me the Francés is a non starter (sorry to those of you who love it) it just isn''t 'me'.
falcon269 said:The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.Annie - I think every first-timer should walk the Camino Frances.
True for many, but for me it was the solitude, landscapes, some friendship and shared moments that were important. So the Camino Inglés (Ferrol route) 2011, as a first Camino, and the Primitivo in 2012 were just right for me. The virtually empty Cathedral when we arrived last year will always be a wonderful memory, as will the packed Pilgrims Mass this year. f I were to walk again I would still prefer the quieter routes, others would return to the Francés. Isn't it good that we are all so different.tyrrek said:Oh my! The Frances is great, especially for a first Camino! The friendship, discovery, landscapes, shared experience etc. It's great!Tia Valeria said:For me the Francés is a non starter (sorry to those of you who love it) it just isn''t 'me'.
falcon269 said:The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.
Which non-guide books have been written about a camino other than the Camino Frances? "In my opinion" it is the bellweather camino.The phrase that is missing here is of course, "in my opinion"!
I'm sure you're right John, but I would suggest it's second-time pilgrims who should be encouraged onto the other routes. Buen Camino!JohnnieWalker said:The CSJ and some other Amigos and Confraternities have been advising new pilgrims for some years to consider routes other than the Camino Frances as a first camino. The reason is that some people may be put off the idea of pilgrimage completely by the near saturation of the Camino Frances.
Pick your poison, but don't expect solitude anywhere in the summer!
I don't think so. Originally they were to support a much smaller number of pilgrims, and were provided generally for pilgrims' convenience and comfort on a rural route that did not have a lot of hoteles and hostales. Even today the number of poverty-stricken pilgrims is not large. Over half the pilgrims are Spanish, and they are just taking a break from home for religious and relaxation purposes. I suspect few are needy as that term is normally used. Yes, more prosperous pilgrims can help the crowding by staying in the hoteles, pensions, and hostales. Of course, if a large number do that, then they will be overburdened as well, probably with little relief for the albergues. Since need is a subjective concept, and since associating with fellow pilgrims is an important part of the pilgrimage, maybe we should accept the albergue system at face value -- there for using whether by a pilgrim on a cheap vacation, or truly in need.isn't that what the beds where originally meant for--those who really needed them??
julie said:I also recommend the Camino Frances for first-timers. For me, it is THE Camino. The other routes, though historic, seem to lack the elusive "magic" of the Camino. Perhaps I only feel like that because it was my first pilgrimage but it is the route that "calls" me and, though I've already walked it twice, I know that I will return.
Yes, there are a lot of people but this can be comforting when you're setting out for the first time. If you wish to be alone (as most pilgrims do at some stage) you simply say so.