The question from Vicrev is very valid to me. Most people here are very positive, me too.
I didn't read a story here from someone for who the camino was just not his/her thing, who just doesn't understand all the happy stories, who gave up being bored so much. It would be interesting for me to put that experience next to me.
So, I still hope to read some of these experiences here
This is a tough one,
Thomas 1962. But I will give it a try.
Last year, I found myself desperately in need of some direction in a particular area of my life. As luck would have it, I came across the quote, “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther”. It was then that I planned my Camino. I embraced the Camino as a pilgrimage, not as a lark, although I still very much looked forward to enjoying the experience (I love hiking). I fully expected stressful situations, inconveniences, and the like, and they did come my way. But I willingly accepted (most times, anyway) all these mild inconveniences and stressful situations, not only as part of the pilgrimage experience, but as learning experiences. I would be loath, and I stress this, to refer to them as ‘negatives’. Still, in the hope that it helps, here are a few that come to mind:
- In the albergues: Lack of privacy; shared bathrooms, showers, etc.; lack of space to put belongings; the need to be constantly organized, i.e. know in advance what clothes/toiletries you need to take with you when you go have a shower; worrying about whether I’m going to snore that night (I don’t always snore) and who I might disturb; being afraid to fall asleep because if I snored, I might disturb someone; if unable to sleep, having to lie quietly in bed as there was nowhere else to go; having to lie quietly in bed if I woke up in the morning well before what might be considered a reasonable hour (I once resorted to sitting on a bench in the bathroom and working on my blog); and sleeping next to strangers;
- Worrying, while out on the trail, about not finding a bathroom if I needed one;
- Lack of fresh, cooked vegetables in the pilgrim meals. Don’t get me wrong, the salads were heavenly, but I missed fresh, cooked veggies with the main meal;
- The eternal
bocadillo con queso, and
fritata. I don’t eat meat. And did I ever rejoice when I came across an
empanada atún, (often made by “Mama”). And I found a
bocadillo con anchoa only in Acebo;
- Worrying about being a good ‘guest’, for the 40 days it took me to walk the
Francés. Actually, accustomed as I am to spending a lot of time alone, having to be in the presence of others for 40 days was stressful, but a worthwhile exercise in tolerance, charity and all those other virtues;
- A definite negative: The garbage around the Belgian Pilgrim’s memorial; it is hard to think that people can be so disrespectful. I cleaned it up with two plastic bags I had on hand, and carted the garbage to a refuse receptacle, which was well within sight of the memorial;
- Two other negatives – both involving the treatment of dogs;
- There were several times, but in no way always, when I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, that the chatter of other pilgrims bothered me – I was happy when they found someone else to talk to.
As regards sleeping next to strangers, I was forced to completely rethink my feelings here. You see, shortly after I returned from my Camino, I learned that about two weeks earlier, while my companions and I were still on our Camino, a very highly regarded member of this forum, passed away in an albergue in Logroño. When I read all the wonderful, heartfelt tributes other forum members wrote about him, I could not help but think that he could have been one of these ‘strangers’ I was so concerned about sleeping next to, or sharing a bathroom with. [Contrary to what one would assume from my username, I am a woman.] I now feel I need to go back to the Camino with a different outlook.
I’m not sure what you mean by “someone …. who gave up being bored so much”. I was never bored …. exhausted, yes, but never bored.
Perhaps others can add something. Charleen