Family say "Been there.Done that,so why again?"

[Former member 42123]

Walked SJpdp to SDC 2013,Leon to SDC 2014,and hope to do Burgos to SDC in June,but now family think I'm crackers going back.They point out my problems with weight loss (Vegetarian) on first Camino,loss of 2 big toenails plus 3 others as well,and the fact I'm 2 years older now,plus they can't understand the 'whole Auberge thing".I point out I was o.k.last year,but have difficulty explaining my obsession with the Camino.They would never stop me going,and their concerns are understandable,but is it just Caminoholics that understand the"need to walk the Camino?

 

[Kiwi-family]

Crikey were you sitting at our dinner table tonight? We were discussing taking Grandpa for another camino next year and one of the kids was saying exactly the same thing. At least we've done different routes each time;-) And this year we're going to Portugal instead of just Spain! To be honest, I'm interested in other routes in the world too, but these are easy options that require little planning and so fit the bill for a spontaneous trip.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I like to get away for a little while from the carping about "why are you doing it again?"

 

[efdoucette]

Same conversation with my family. "You've been to Spain, broaden your horizons". As you can see from my profile I have "broadened my horizons". But Spain is the best, it's just setup for long distance walking and Spain has it all - weather, scenery, people, food, big cities, little towns, history, architecture .... I could go on.

This past Christmas my wife and I rented a house in Costa del Sol and invited the children to come for the holidays. We have 5 grownup children and are spread out in various parts of the world. They all bought airline tickets and came. We visited some beautiful Spanish cities .. Malaga, Ronda, Mijas, Grenada and saw the beauty of the Spanish lifestyle .. town squares, tapas, late dinners...

My family now knows the attraction of Spain and when I tell them I like to walk in Spain again, I now get ooo's and aww's.

 

[Tia Valeria]

We must be lucky, our family are quite happy to see us set off again and are very supportive.
@Kiwi-family - when are you walking and do you aim to reach SDC this year?
Buen Camino to all

 

[SeaHorse]

Kids were on-board immediately, as it turned out daughter had planned her own Camino and when we discussed plans we soon understood that we are talking about the same. Just we are not walking together but its ok. Easier to support each other when one stays and takes the responsibilities at home. In turns.
My parents on the other hand could not believe I really mean it. Had told them years ago, gave to watch "The Way" (they liked the film), etc, etc. Why? How long? Why don't you just go there by plane? To what I could only reply with another question: What shall I do there, its just a village? Well, I know it isn't, and they don't care, but that finally got the message across.

 

[whariwharangi]

"You've been to Spain, broaden your horizons"

I would like to go somewhere else to walk as I did on the camino. Can you recommend anywhere world where you can walk 800 km without fearing for your life, stay in an Albergue every night, find restaurants serving three course meals for a reasonable price that doesn't include a Big Mac, see architectural wonders that are a 1000 years old and more, and meet others along the way who 'get it'? *sigh* Dang, I'm going to have to go to Spain!again! Such a hardship.

What we really need is to export the concept of 'pilgrimage' and build it closer to home. Call it Camino Canadiense or some such rot.

 

[Mysticl]

I have yet to complete even one Camino altho we go in a week to try! But I posed this rhetorical question .... to my husband when he pondered out loud why anyone would go TWICE to do a camino ... once you've seen and done it once ... why bother again? You've already seen and done it ... had the experience ... you're done ... all good ... cross it off your bucket list and move on ...

I asked him ... then why do we go ... EVERY year ... out on our boat for up to a month ... gunkholing about the Southern Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands off Vancouver Island every single year for the past 12 years ... we visit the same anchorages ... the same marina's ... we see the same orca ... the same dolphins ... we eat at the same restaurants and take the same walks .... every single summer .... and we LOVE it .... why would the Camino be any less addicting or enjoyable ... time for something different!

Stopped THAT line of questioning in it's tracks

PS: In fact he likes his summer cruising SO much I had to schedule our Camino for May/June so we could go on yet ANOTHER summer sail to the islands ... every time is just a tiny bit different ... new people ... new experiences ... I think he gets it ... finally

 

[Mark Lee]

Yeah, I was asked the same thing when I decided to do the Camino a second time. This by family members who are well traveled, but who have also taken multiple trips to same locations.
I just reply by saying that anything that was cool to do once, is just as cool the second time (or third, fourth, etc) around. And of course I ask why they have taken multiple trips to the same place and they quickly clam up. Ha ha.

 

[Jan_89]

If someone didn't walk Camino, so never understand our thinking.. That is what I say to people..

 

[Rajy62]

Even if you put me in a 5 star resort I won't last more than few days. I love the "active" vacation idea with variety; different towns, hospitable locals, scenery, food, friendly company and the infrastructure that makes the long walk easier.

 

[jeffnd]

When I tell people I want to go back, I think they get the impression that there was something wrong with my first Camino. I would not change a second of my Camino. But there are other things I want to do. I want to take more time and have more days where I can just relax and take it easy. I was to see some of the cathedrals and churches that I missed. There are towns I want to explore. For Pete's sake, there bars I didn't get to drink at!

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Kiwi-family - when are you walking and do you aim to reach SDC this year?
Buen Camino to all

We leave NZ on June 6, fly to Lisbon, take the train to Porto the next day. We considered waking from Lisbon and seeing how far we got (we know we don't have time to get the whole way to Santiago at a relaxed pace and it's important to us this time not to rush), but then we decided we really wanted to end up in Santiago and so decided to start further north. We can still go at whatever pace we want, decide each day when to stop and if we're lucky we'll have a few days at the end to spend seeing the sights in Lisbon. If not, we'll have had a great walk all the same. Fly home very early on June 26, arriving on the 28th just in time to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with all the kids on the 30th.

 

[Urban Trekker]

If they haven't walk the camino they will never understand. So tell them to get of their duff and join you .

 

[NoQ]

I get this comment from work colleagues too. I am going to walk the Frances for the third time in the summer and my colleagues were asking why on earth I wanted to walk it again and not visit somewhere I haven't been instead.

I simply told them I am really bored of cities as they are so alike as they all have noise, people rushing, congested streets, the same type of shops and er... the ubiquitous kebab places. Going to a quiet beach is really nice for about 3 days and then again, boredom sets in as there's not a lot to do other than read, swim and eat the same type of food all day. I told if I went on holiday to a country I had never been to and was not that interested in going to anyway but would travel there for the sake of simply ticking off yet another country, there would be a high chance I wouldn't really enjoy it but would just spend a fortune on the same type of hotel that's available the world over, the same type of food and to see the same type of places and put on weight etc in the process.

However, I tell them, with the Camino I know I will enjoy the challenge, keep to a small budget even when figuring in a return flight from Asia, meet more amazing people in the shape of fellow pilgrims and locals than I could possibly hope to meet on any other type of holiday, come away from the experience fitter and stronger, not have to worry in the slightest about transport schedules or tickets or any of the other stress involved in most 4 week holidays, enjoy a very different type of cuisine from that which I can get at home, spend time surrounded by more history than I could in most other holidays, live a simple existence that many of us in the West have lost, and most importantly of all reinvigorate my faith and spirit as I walk through ever changing scenery that really cannot be beaten, and visit churches that exude and allow for piety and contemplation.

It really is a no brainer.

 

[Luka]

So why do people go to the same campsite every year, to the same ski resort or the same family cottage?

 

[jeffnd]

So why do people go to the same campsite every year, to the same ski resort or the same family cottage?

I could see campsites and cottages. Maybe it's been in the family for generations and it's tradition. With skiing, I don't know, wouldn't you want to try different mountains?

How about spending thousands to go to Disney world every year. I never understood that one.