Greetings and Excitement!

[Sinenomene]

Hello Folks,

My name is chris and i am coming to the camino! I bought my airline ticket yesterday so now i am committed. I am quite lucky to be able to go and very very excited! I am currently in planning stages and gathering all my required papers (passport etc.) Ive been backpacking before and have completed month long hikes so i know i am able to accomplish my goals. Im not hiking for religious reasons though i am a spiritual person. I find myself drawn to hiking the camino like the tide is drawn to the moon. People ask me why go... At present i have no idea why, but something inside me says i will be a better human once i go and experience it. It is investing in your soul, at least it feels like it!

August 1st: Fly from Boston MA to London.
i am meeting my aunt and cousin in london for a few days and to poke around the area

What is the most beutiful/most inexpensive way to travel from london to Paris/Le Puy? ive taken a peek at eurorail but thought that a ferry would be nice to cross the channel. I am assuming there is some sort of public transportation to get me to le puy. is this true? hehe i should just check the web!

Also, ive been curious about other starting points. considering the Via Tolosana. Have many people done this route? Anyone have any good info relating to it?

Another question, Is language quite an extreme barrier? i have taken french and spanish language classes. much more spanish than french. I just hope people wont be harsh based on a native language.

So i am getting ready and imagine great things!

take care,
chris

 

[Deborah]

London

Chris, be sure to go to the British Museum. It's FREE and it's awesome! We'll be in London from the 13th to the 18th. We don't start our camino until September 1.

Buen Camino!

 

[Zohar]

Hi Chris;

First thing first: Language. If your knowledge about French and Spanish is what I think - don't even consider it a problem! I have just walked (part of) the Camino, and my French is rusty, my Spanish next to nothing (I am Norwegian), but I had no problems getting alone. Even pilgrims from countries speaking languages I seldom hear was able to contact. The locals were extremely friendly and helpful (and I even picked up a bit of the languages).
So, why do El Camino? I think you will find as many reasons as peregrinos so if you are unsure now - it will come to you.
My own experience, and I considered my reason a spiritual one, grew during the walk (but remember to be open hearted). I will give you this poem on the road:
"Withdraw into yourself and look;
and if you do not find yourself beautiful as yet,
do as the does the sculptor of a statue....
cut away all that is excessive,
straighten all that is crooked,
bring light to all that is shadowed....
do not cease until there shall shine out of you
the Godlike Splendour of Beauty;
until you see temperance surely established
in the stainless shrine".
For me, this quotation from Plotinus became alive on the Camino.
Buen Camino!

 

[Sinenomene]

Via Podiensis or Via Tolosana?

Ive been doing quite a bit of research on the Via Tolosana and have been trying to compare it to the Via Podiensis. I am planning on starting in either Arles or Le Puy. Arles seems to call out to me more although i dont know why.... something about the roman ruins perhaps Anyways, can anyone out there offer a comparison between these two routes and what the major differences may be. Ive never been to europe before so i really have no idea other than the pictures. i love history and art and Arles seems full of it! Any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
chris aka Sinenomene

 

[karanarttravel]

"Withdraw into yourself and look;
and if you do not find yourself beautiful as yet,
do as the does the sculptor of a statue....
cut away all that is excessive,
straighten all that is crooked,
bring light to all that is shadowed....
do not cease until there shall shine out of you
the Godlike Splendour of Beauty;
until you see temperance surely established
in the stainless shrine".
For me, this quotation from Plotinus became alive on the Camino.
Buen Camino!

Dear Zohar and Chris--

I hope you don't mind but I am swiping this quotation and taking it with me on my first Camino late June 2006. It is eloquent, and arrived at the perfect time to send me a personal message. Thank you both. k

 

[Zohar]

Hi Karanarttravel;

May the quotation fill your soul on the Camino the way it did to me!

-Zohar-