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I have tapped out a phone blog of sorts for the forum on my last two caminos. I'm used to writing on my phone so that part of it OK for me, and it seemed especially worthwhile for the Camino de Madrid because it's a less travelled route and I was able to give some practical information to those following behind me.
I think documenting while you're going (in any form) is one of those things that seems like a chore and you'd often rather forget about it and live in the moment while you're on camino, but something that later on you're happy that you took the time to do because otherwise you would just forget everything.
Incidentally, I ordered something from amazon.es today and couldn't help myself adding this notebook to my order because I like it so much even though I don't handwrite anything these days. It's a nautical theme (suitable for making notes for the Belém tour that I'm supposed to be writing this week) but I think it would still be great for a camino notebook!
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Not at all. I am a fierce defender of my phone, but that doesn't mean I think it is the preferred method for doing everything!Does this sound crazy to you, as a very committed phone user?
This goes to my pet-peeve topic. In the old days, writing in a paper journal was considered to be a virtuous activity. It still is. Now I feel guilty or defensive when I am using my phone, because of the disapproval of some people and the sense that it is somehow not as acceptable.And I realized that it never felt like a chore to sit quietly for a half an hour or so icing my feet and maybe drinking a glass of wine and writing out some thoughts from the day. It was soothing and enjoyable.What did feel like a chore was tapping on my phone, getting my blog going, it all seemed much less personal and more like a broadcast than a reflection.
This goes to my pet-peeve topic. In the old days, writing in a paper journal was considered to be a virtuous activity. It still is. Now I feel guilty or defensive when I am using my phone, because of the disapproval of some people and the sense that it is somehow not as acceptable.
Not at all archaic! You use various tools to suit your circumstances! The only difference from my approach is that you use a group email on a daily basis, whereas I use a blog post. You method is better than mine in one way - because my blog post is public, I need to restrain myself in some of my commentsI know my method is archaic, but it still works for me.
I'm with you on this, Laurie. I love sending real note cards and have a wonderful selection in my desk to choose from. Our individual handwriting styles are as varied and unique as we are, which further personalizes the words we write.It’s may be the same sense I have when I go to write a note of sympathy to a friend or relative. I just can’t send an email, it has to be handwritten.
I have been amazed at the detailed descriptions that some people can provide years after they have walked the camino. I assume that in most cases, they take photos and make notes in some format or other. How do you document your journeys, other than the thousands of phone/cameras files? (This builds on another recent thread about photo books.)
I have blogged (on my phone) almost daily on all of my caminos, which has sometimes been a chore. My blogs are not detailed accounts of the walking route, conditions, sights seen, pilgrims met, etc. The daily blogs reflect a bit of the physical walk and conditions, an entertaining observation or two, and a few representative photos. I try to make the text neutral so it could never worry anyone at home or offend someone who I've met, but still try to write so that the people who know me can recognize my "voice". But that means that there are a lot of interesting/fun/annoying incidents and people that I don't write about because they aren't suitable for public posting.
Now I am wondering if I should stop trying so hard to write for public viewing, and instead just write a diary with more detail about my routes. But then I ask myself "Why?" And then I ask myself "Why" about a lot of other things!
Have you used voice recording to capture notes while walking? Are you organized enough to synchronize those voice notes with photos?
My main documentation is the 20-30 page photo book I create soon after each camino. That has photos with virtually no text - a daily page or two with the destination, distance and date. I make letter-size soft cover books that are not so expensive and not too weighty either physically or in self-importance. They sit in a magazine box near my desk and generally I am the only person who looks at them. They are my main reference when I want to remember a particular stage, but I find that they are barely adequate to remind me of details such as others seem to remember.
It pleases me so much to look at this tidy collection of my photo books (not only my caminos).
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I always swear that I will do this, as well as take a photo outside and inside of the place I sleep, but my record is very poor. I'm not sure if that is because I am fully engaged in my walking, too busy watching for a bar, or if I am simply forgetful!Photos - - Prior to entering a town, village, etc, I snap a photo of a sign with the name of the place. When I leave, I do the same. Everything in between are pics taken at that location.
I am still trying to find the right combination for me. Although it runs contrary to the goal of a good photographer who focuses carefully on the image in the viewfinder, I can see a place for casually snapping photos with scarcely any attention, for later reference and filtering. That way, I am looking at things directly and the camera is just vaguely aimed. However, it is somewhat annoying to see other people taking photos of everything, so I try to do it surreptitiously.It is not a simple Either/Or
As a committed phone user, I can say it doesn't sound crazy to me. It sounds like pausing to reflect what you want out of the time you spend chronicling your caminos and which activity will best give that to you, and then going with that.@C clearly you have a great knack for bringing up topics that are wonderful distractions in these times. I will share my thoughts and hope others chime in.
As someone who has been walking for 20 years, I have seen a huge evolution in what I did. For the first ten years, I had one little notebook. I wrote in my reflections, comments, practical details, etc etc all in one little book. That was almost always done at the end of the day, relaxing alone or with friends (who were also writing), in a bar/café. That‘s what I’m using on your virtual Sanabrés by the way. Then as my participation in the forum grew, I started adding forum comments paralleling those I was writing. And then I also started using my phone to write a blog, using the dictation method. That made for a lot of duplication, incompleteness and a helter-skelter kind of feeling.
My hand written journaling came to a halt in 2017, when I walked the Baztán/Norte. I lost the little notebook one morning when i had gotten up at 5, thinking it was 6, hanging around an albergue till others got up, etc. When I realized I had lost it, I really thought, well no big deal because it had been diminishing in importance anyway. Better to have one less place to write. 2017 was also a year of change because my blogspot app crashed, and @NualaOC introduced me to FindPenguins on the Baztán.
So the last few years have been a combination of Find Penguins and forum posts. But neither of those sources has the richness, the personal reflections, the anecdotes, the practical info (I used to just tape in cards of places, notices about opening hours of monuments, etc) that those little journals had. I have seen that so clearly from going back and looking at them now as you talk about walking into Montamarta, etc etc. I have now pulled most of these journals off their various shelves and boxes and will take the time during social isolation to look at them one at a time over the months ahead.
So you know what? I am thinking that on my next camino, I am going to go back to the hand written journaling, cut off the forum while I’m walking, and just use the Penguin site for family to have a few pictures and a very very short daily snippet. Over the years, I had started thinking that I just didn’t have time to do the handwritten version, but really what it is is that I didn’t have the time because I felt committed to multiple outlets.
Does this sound crazy to you, as a very committed phone user?
If you want people to take an interest in what you write then don't write for "the public", write for yourself or a very close friend. Then your true voice will shine through. Include all those comments that you wonder if you should say in public. Then your writing becomes interesting and unique and people will want to read it.I have been amazed at the detailed descriptions that some people can provide years after they have walked the camino. I assume that in most cases, they take photos and make notes in some format or other. How do you document your journeys, other than the thousands of phone/cameras files? (This builds on another recent thread about photo books.)
I have blogged (on my phone) almost daily on all of my caminos, which has sometimes been a chore. My blogs are not detailed accounts of the walking route, conditions, sights seen, pilgrims met, etc. The daily blogs reflect a bit of the physical walk and conditions, an entertaining observation or two, and a few representative photos. I try to make the text neutral so it could never worry anyone at home or offend someone who I've met, but still try to write so that the people who know me can recognize my "voice". But that means that there are a lot of interesting/fun/annoying incidents and people that I don't write about because they aren't suitable for public posting.
Now I am wondering if I should stop trying so hard to write for public viewing, and instead just write a diary with more detail about my routes. But then I ask myself "Why?" And then I ask myself "Why" about a lot of other things!
Have you used voice recording to capture notes while walking? Are you organized enough to synchronize those voice notes with photos?
My main documentation is the 20-30 page photo book I create soon after each camino. That has photos with virtually no text - a daily page or two with the destination, distance and date. I make letter-size soft cover books that are not so expensive and not too weighty either physically or in self-importance. They sit in a magazine box near my desk and generally I am the only person who looks at them. They are my main reference when I want to remember a particular stage, but I find that they are barely adequate to remind me of details such as others seem to remember.
It pleases me so much to look at this tidy collection of my photo books (not only my caminos).
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So true! But that is where one must prioritize - hmmm, do I want peace in my family, and many friends, or do I want to be a fascinating writer?Include all those comments that you wonder if you should say in public. Then your writing becomes interesting and unique and people will want to read it.
It is said that we remember things better if we wrote them down physically with a pen rather than with a keyboard.
Include all those comments that you wonder if you should say in public. Then your writing becomes interesting and unique and people will want to read it.
Let's agree to disagree on this. I would be very interested in reading your honest conundrums and reflections. They are very much part of your humanity...... I kind of doubt anyone would be interested in reading about my internal conundrums and reflections anyway!
How many albums and photos do you have for each Camino?all my photos printed in large (12 x 12) leather bound volumes
One Album per Camino, up to 800 photos. I wait to get them printed until I have a 60% discount coupon.How many albums and photos do you have for each Camino?
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