LIVE from the Camino Cleanagrenos

[rector]

Last night sitting in Sarria beside the river my wife andI watched as clean people with lovely suitcases walked by. They had pilgrim staffs and clean, new clothes,, putting us to shame, we felt like tramps. Tonight in Portomarrin they are walking about as if it was the Costa del Sol and our 5 week old clothes which have be washed with bars of soap seem so dowdy. We can't figure out whether we are angry or depressed about it, but we are probably more depressed that our time of total freedom, wonderful, people, and breathtaking views are coming to an end.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

not to be unfair to the dapper newcomers, but you have heard of a "whited sepulchre," haven't you? After all that trail-time, I bet you are scrubbed clean and pressed sharp on the inside!

 

[dougfitz]

In 2010 I wrote this shortly after Sarria:

What became obvious was that the camaraderie shared by the long distance pilgrims was not shared with these newcomers. At other points where the other Camino paths had merged with the Camino Frances, we all shared an understanding of the path, exchanged greetings and made sure we looked out for each other. This warmth was gone.

The new pilgrims bustled, although I think tomorrow and the next day might sort out some of that. I stopped for lunch at a delightful cafe/restaurant, and chatted briefly with two Belguims who had stayed at the same albergue the previous night. They epitomised the long distance pilgrim.

When a stream of 100km pilgrims began to arrive, it struck me. The new pilgrims were clean, they all smelled of some sort of applied scent, and even the fit ones looked soft. We long distance pilgrims were none of these. We may not have been dirty, but we had been wearing the same walking clothes for the past three weeks, no-one I knew applied scent, and all of us had lost those soft edges.

I realised a day later that it was the brightness of the 100km pilgrim´s clothing. We long distance pilgrims had been doing our laundry with whatever soap came to hand, and had none of the benefits that modern laundry detergent brings to making clothes look bright. Our clothing was dull!
​

Two days later, I noted:

Starting early had some advantages. There weren´t masses of people on the path, and those 100km pilgrims that were, were remarkably pleasant compared to the worst of the breed that I had walked with the previous day. So overall I had a quite pleasant day´s walking, made reasonably good time, and had the odd pleasant chat. The camaraderie was coming back, and that gave me a morale boost as I hadn´t been looking forward to the prospect of the last few days being like yesterday.
​

I hope your experience is similar, and you get your freedom back.

 

[Alexster66]

I struggled at first with all the new pilgrims setting off from Sarria, with there bouncy attitude, clean clothes, lack of backpacks, filling the cafes and constant chattering.
I had to sort out my thoughts and feelings quickly cause I realised I was the one dampening my camino not them. They were doing something amazing and enjoying it all so much.
I said the Serenity prayer and Lords prayer over and over so by the time groups were passing I could genuinely smile and wish them a buen camino. I got into the habit of finding out
where they were heading and made sure I wasn't at that destination for the evening. It was just another learning curve shown to me on my Camino

 

[xin loi]

The camino is an intelligence test. Unless you are out to lose weight why walk with a pack when you can put the pack in a taxi? Why do more than Sarria if you want a compostella? I walked from SJPDP with a pack but surely don, t consider it to be a very intelligent way to spend five weeks. But must admit there was something magical about us stopping the rain by putting rocks on the cairns of the mountain Gods along the trail.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Rector, I think one of the hardest days I struck in 2008 was the day between Sarria and Portomarin. The track was full of so many people, many of them chatting loudly on mobile phones, and one with a loud ghetto blaster on his shoulder blaring out music. Plus it turned out to be a very hot afternoon, and Portomarin seemed to never arrive.... That evening, I was tempted to give up on the whole Compostela thing, and just catch the bus to Santiago. Fortunately, I woke up in a better frame of mind, and realised the last 100km was going to be a slightly different beast, but I would just have to get used to that...

Then in 2012 I found myself back in Sarria, having done a 'truncated' three weeks of walking in Spain. In the albergue in Sarria I met a middle-aged Spanish couple who had just arrived to do their Camino. They had 'matching' new clothes and packs etc, and were very excited to be walking. The next morning they were out earlier than me on the road, but I soon met them in the pouring rain, as they retraced their steps, having missed a yellow arrow for a turn-off. Over the next few days, I often met up with them, and sometimes the strain and tiredness showed on their faces. But when I saw them in Santiago, they were so very happy. Their Camino was a very precious, hard-won thing that they had done together. Seeing them holding their Compostelas, I knew only gladness for them.

Buen Camino for your last days of the Camino.
Margaret

 

[Aldy]

On my first Camino, I and my newly found French pilgrim friends used to try to determine which pilgrims were new or old and the easiest way (other than perhaps dingy coloured clothing) was the lack of tell tale "pilgrim tan lines" on their legs... or perhaps the overly excited but slightly worried look on their faces and they faced their first set of challenges during their trip. However, I for one, despite the crowds, was happy that more folks can enjoy what the Camino brings, albeit in a more concise and compressed way. For many of the Sarria-Santiago trekkers, this introductory Camino trip would lead to longer ones post first experience.

In my mind and in my experience, nothing can replace the benefits and mental/spiritual state that longer Camino trips offer - - but for those who do not have the luxury of time or budget to do the entire Camino, the Sarria-Santiago offers them a glimpse and teaser of the longer Caminos.
I'm not happy about the crowds, but this is part of the popularity and accessibility of the Camino - - bottom line, I wouldn't want to restrict the Camino experience for anyone and the shorter version offers them an option to be part of the experience.

It would be interesting to know just how many pilgrims return for a longer trek after their introductory Camino....
Next year will be my 4th return to the Camino, and from how my heart feels about the entire experience (throwing in some volunteering to complete the trek) it will not be my last.
Buen Camino to all!

 

[Piccata]

Three days out of SJPP, I stayed in a Casa Rural with a new pilgrim friend (we were still having trouble sleeping with large groups of people and were treating ourselves to a quiet night). We had the good fortune to be there with some very snotty, snooty, haughty pilgrims who had started walking in Le Puy and really let us know that we were lightweight, inexperienced, annoyingly enthusiastic pilgrims! I say good fortune because I vowed not to be like them when I met new pilgrims and so I had the opportunity to welcome some incredible newbies (really some of my favorite pilgrims of all time) into our Camino family just as we got close to Santiago. It's wonderful when other people help me learn how NOT to behave!

 

[viv1959]

Not sure which 'camp' this puts me in, but got to Leon early, found a pretty new t-shirt in ZARA for €5 because I was ready to burn my clothes then and there. I saw my reflection in a mirror, then walked into a hairdresser and had my hair properly washed and dried. (Never do that at home) Felt like a million dollars. Stayed at Unomuno so during siesta threw on my swimsuit and put everything I owned through washer and dryer, while writing my journal and working on my t-shirt tan. I had really clean clothes and a spring in my step when I stated the next day.

 

[CaptBuddy]

The peregrinos who take their first steps in Sarria, or Pamplona, or Leon, or Roncesvalles have the same excitement and joy in their hearts as peregrinos who began in another place. It is their journey, no one else's.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Funny thing this western culture. We all want to compare our insides with other people's outsides. Whaddup wit dat?

 

[rector]

Funny thing this western culture. We all want to compare our insides with other people's outsides. Whaddup wit dat?

Obinjatoo is actually quoting an eastern cultural saying

 

[nellpilgrim]

I do remember feeling a bit exasperated by 'newbies' in Sarria . But then I thought about the kindness and patience shown to me in SJPP by experienced pilgrims and felt ashamed of being so judgmental. Part of it was jealousy- that they had white rather than grey underwear, that they had matching socks and boots that weren't battered and above all that their journey was just beginning as mine was just about to end.
Each evening as I go for my daily stroll I pass an old church above the door is a relief of a grinning skull with the following words carved below it "What you are I once was what I am you to will be"....... Maybe there should be copy of that on the way into Sarria just to remind us 'old hands', no matter how far back our various journeys began, we all started with a rather nervous/excited/fearful first step.

 

[supersullivan]

Nell, you still had underwear left by Sarria! I was down to going commando by that stage, much easier than washing those dingy undies daily.

 

[CaptBuddy]

....... we are probably more depressed that our time of total freedom, wonderful, people, and breathtaking views are coming to an end.

Cheer up. If you are like most, your Camino has barely begun.

 

[nellpilgrim]

Nell, you still had underwear left by Sarria! I was down to going commando by that stage, much easier than washing those dingy undies daily.

Whilst I cherish the thought, and indeed my own youthful memories, of 'going commando' I'm afraid these days I really have no option but to wrestle into what my great aunt Mabs referred to as 'ones underpinnings' (no matter how grey and dingy) If I didn't I'd soon be in the market for some body scaffolding or other sort of shoring up. And God alone knows what kind of trauma, physical to myself - psychological to some unsuspecting bystanders, I could have caused

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Rebekah is actually quoting an eastern cultural saying

I was not referring to Rebeka's post. But I can see how you might think so. It's just an observation. Everyone (well most everyone) wants their "Looks Good" to look good. It's a western phenomenon.

 

[annakappa]

The peregrinos who take their first steps in Sarria, or Pamplona, or Leon, or Roncesvalles have the same excitement and joy in their hearts as peregrinos who began in another place. It is their journey, no one else's.

This is the best observation written on this thread! Anne

 

[ksam]

I know I struggled a bit arriving in Sarria. The newness, the bounce the sheer energy the new pilgrims had! But then I meet two lovely ladies from Sweden. They were a delight to walk with and the simple act of helping them at moments helped me. The final kicker was when they gave me hair conditioner in St. Irene! It literally brought me to tears. My hair was for all practical purposes straw by that point. That tiny bottle of hotel conditioner made me feel like a girl again! They will forever be one of my sweetest little memories of the Camino. Def not what I expected to feel!

 

[DaleKathryn]

I will be walking with two of these wonderful people. My mom 84 years old and my daughter will be joining me in Sarria... Never thought I might be looking pretty grubby next to them!


Dale
YourPinkFriend.com

 

[rector]

I'm confused by some of the responses on this thread. The original thread was merely us feeling sorry for ourselves, a personal assessment of how we felt that night, not a judgement on anyone else. Now that we are home and the grass is cut and the hedges trimmed we have time to reflect on our second journey on the Frances and how different it was from the first and the sheer amount of extra traffic on the Way, particularly on the last section, was a major factor.

 

[jayree]

Now that we are home ... we have time to reflect on our second journey on the Frances and how different it was from the first and the sheer amount of extra traffic on the Way, particularly on the last section, was a major factor.

In the current 'La Concha,' the APC newsletter, the outgoing chair, Carlos Mentley, addresses this issue. From his editorial ...

"Why do we insist on walking the Camino Francés? I do not know.
The Federación, the Xacobeo, and the Pilgrims’ Office all urge us to walk a Camino other than the Francés, especially from May to September. They remind
us that this is particularly important for the final 100 kilometers. Last year, 24% of ALL pilgrims started in Sarria."

 

[sriyantra]

Last night sitting in Sarria beside the river my wife andI watched as clean people with lovely suitcases walked by. They had pilgrim staffs and clean, new clothes,, putting us to shame, we felt like tramps. Tonight in Portomarrin they are walking about as if it was the Costa del Sol and our 5 week old clothes which have be washed with bars of soap seem so dowdy. We can't figure out whether we are angry or depressed about it, but we are probably more depressed that our time of total freedom, wonderful, people, and breathtaking views are coming to an end.

Hey, if we make it to Sarria I won't care how I look. Internally I will know we did the distance and I will be going whooooo! Be proud. Enjoy your great memories and know you have internal strength that you can always draw on to sustain you in any future difficult times. It's what is on the inside that counts.

 

[JoeNYC]

I will be walking with two of these wonderful people. My mom 84 years old and my daughter will be joining me in Sarria... Never thought I might be looking pretty grubby next to them!


Dale
YourPinkFriend.com

You won't. Just make sure they bring you fresh supplies.

 

[xin loi]

Wondered what the new people who started at Sarria thought about the Camino when they walked along the stream of raw sewage coming from the albergues on the first hill top. Probably gave them a bad first impression of the trail. We had the pleasure of being surrounded at Sarria by 4 bus loads of new walkers.

 

[smj6]

............
I had to sort out my thoughts and feelings quickly cause I realised I was the one dampening my camino not them. They were doing something amazing and enjoying it all so much..................

I agree with you, Alexster 66. Over the years I have tried to teach my children (and my husband) that it is my decision if I choose to get angry/upset/... at someone else's actions; in other words, it's not their fault if I get angry, but mine.
S

 

[smj6]

Not sure which 'camp' this puts me in, but got to Leon early, found a pretty new t-shirt in ZARA for €5 because I was ready to burn my clothes then and there. I saw my reflection in a mirror, then walked into a hairdresser and had my hair properly washed and dried. (Never do that at home) Felt like a million dollars. Stayed at Unomuno so during siesta threw on my swimsuit and put everything I owned through washer and dryer, while writing my journal and working on my t-shirt tan. I had really clean clothes and a spring in my step when I stated the next day.

As a humanitarian worker, I have known times when I've been in the bush filthy dirty and worn out; an opportunity to clean up and feel like a woman again would always put a spring back into my step, and I think that Viv1959's experience is something I may do when I retire next year and take my first step on the Camino road.
S

 

[nellpilgrim]

From now on-on my longer tramps at least-I'm definitely going to forward on a 'care package' of a clean tee shirt and 'unmentionables' as a three-quarter of the way 'pick me up' Mind you now I think about it that list of items could grow a just a little bit…….I'm thinking moisturiser, pedicure set, hair conditioner etc etc……………..

 

[Steeltown Pilgrim]

Nell, you still had underwear left by Sarria! I was down to going commando by that stage, much easier than washing those dingy undies daily.

Ha! Love that, I'm in commando training right now!!

 

[Debster001]

I am shortly due to become a Cleanagrino, I will happily share my shower gel and deodorant with anyone who would like some as I believe that my journey, short tho it may be will be all the cleansing I require, hey, I may even throw in a fresh t shirt..!