Highlights/Must sees???

[rgallant]

Hi,
I'll be starting the Camino from SJPDP on April 27 and returning from Madrid May 16. Does anyone have suggestions as to which sections are not to be missed as I'll not have time to walk the complete route. I'll have approx 18 walking days.

Thanks very much!
Rachelle

 

[mmonomm]

Rabanal
El Acebo
O Cebreiro
Samos

(but i walked just from Astorga, so i cannot say anything about the first half or more...)

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Rachelle

My favourite part was Navarra and La Rioja near the start. Not for any particular place, but rather for the vast, changing landscapes. I was walking at the same time of year as you in 2011.

mmonomm's suggestion is also a great part of the Camino.

Buen Camino!

 

[Sagalouts]

Hi Rachelle
sorry for going a bit "Camino" on you,but the highlights and must see's are those within yourself and the people you share them with on a daily basis,walking that hill to reach Roncesvalles and then later meeting up again when passing over Alto de Perdon,sharing a meal and a glass of wine with the same people later in Puente la Reina,if you pick n mix you miss all this and in my opinion miss out on a lot of what the Camino is all about.
18 days gives you an easy walk into Burgos (bus to Madrid) or a real hard slog into Leon ditto, then that gives you a great excuse to come back another day and finish what you started.
Ian

 

[rgallant]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions everyone!!

sagalouts, I agree, the most wonderful part of the Camino will be the experience itself and connecting with the people. Very much looking for these experiences as they unfold.

Thanks so much!!
Rachelle

 

[micbook]

Hi Rachelle,

I agree with Ian in the sense that taking a stretch and continuing with it can give you an experience far more amazing than a particular physical spot. I walked the Camino Frances last year and met along the way quite a few people who couldn't walk the whole thing at once and just chose a section and walked as many days as they had. Many of them said they were coming back...

With that in mind, still, there were (of course) favorite spots/sections, but they were all over...I loved Navarre and La Rioja...my favorite major city was Leon by far...Rabanal was a great little place and the pilgrims mass is a must there (Gregorian chant, along with other surprises)...Villafranca del Bierzo...and so many more!

I trust that whatever you choose, many treasures will unfold...within, and without.

Buen Camino!
Michal
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http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/