Peter CapeTown
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2018 CF Spring
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I was in the Astorga - Ponferrada area during Easter week of 2016, but reserved a week ahead for the busiest days in the major towns. I walked into Salamanca on Easter Sunday 2017 and stayed in the albergue with no problem.
It is a great time to be on the Camino, except the last 100 km would be very busy. Where would you be during Easter week? I'd suggest you reserve that week in advance, as you'll probably be starting in a major town.
Your Newbie Questions:
- Is it a good and sensible time to start a Camino during the Holy Week? Yes, except maybe starting in Sarria.
- Can one walk a Camino and also participate in the Holy Week celebrations? Yes, and the unexpected small celebrations in small towns are fascinating.
- What should one not do? (being disrespectful, inappropriate, etc) Nothing to worry about.
- Will some shops, bars, food places, pilgrims accommodations, pharmacys, etc be open? Some open, some closed. You will not starve.
- Do many spaniards start the Camino during the whole week? Yes, many walk the whole week, especially from Sarria.
After Easter Sunday you should be fine, but I think it would be a good idea to reserve up to Pamplona, even well in advance for the Easter week. But do go!Thanks for the feedback. If all goes as planned I would be between St Jean and Pamplona and onwards.
Ahhh, Yes, now that is an idea to consider! Haven't thought along those lines, even if so obvious. i am still flexible as no plane tickets purchased yet but i am close to finalising dates, airline, kit, etc. (I really struggle to leave my family, work, business, etc alone for +-5 weeks. Despite that they are saying: "Go, we will be fine!")G'day Peter,
Here's one from left field.
Pull out your "bucket list". Look at 1 to 10 and slot in Semana Santa in a Spanish city near the top.
In other words, plan to spend the whole week there, and don't walk.
The experience is simply awesome. The whole week celebrates the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. Usually every evening/night there will be a huge procession from a local church commemorating the event of that day, from Palm Sunday on, with ornate floats, soldiers, brass bands playing incredibly high music incredibly well, hooded men the colour of the hoods representing their particular devotional bent (hoods sadly copied by the Ku Klux Klan) and what seems like thousands of the devout in the march. They can take place early to late in the evening, in the early hours of the morning to just before first light in the case of Easter Sunday.
I had planned my Camino for well before Semana Santa so my wife, sister-in-law and I could do over a bit of Spain and spend Holy Week in Toledo, the seat of the Catholic Church in Spain. We had pre-booked into a hostal which turned out to be only about 50 yards from the Cathedral. Spanish locals throughout Spain told us that of all the wonderful places in Spain there are two "magical" cities, Santiago de Compostela and Toledo.
Semana Santa in Toledo was the experience of a lifetime. I'm sure others have felt similarly about the week spent in other Spanish cities. Seville gets a good wrap.
If you can, try to do this. If not this time, certainly later. Not to be missed!
De Colores
Bogong
Yes, it's definitely worth being part of this! Semana Santa processions in Leon are fantastic. Another year I was in Villafranca, and that was wonderful in a different way, a whole lot more low-key than the big city. And the Madonna for the procession there was really special:Semana Santa in Toledo was the experience of a lifetime. I'm sure others have felt similarly about the week spent in other Spanish cities.
Doing my Camino research and preparations - just learned that in Spain the Easter Weekend is actually celebrated for a whole week and starts the weekend before Easter. It is called the Holy Week and in 2018 Easter falls on the 1st of April (early) and the Holy Week starts on the 25th March 2018. I am considering starting my CF at the end of March 2018.
My Newbie Questions:
- Is it a good and sensible time to start a Camino during the Holy Week?
- Can one walk a Camino and also participate in the Holy Week celebrations?
- What should one not do? (being disrespectful, inappropriate, etc)
- Will some shops, bars, food places, pilgrims accommodations, pharmacys, etc be open?
- Do many spaniards start the Camino during the whole week?
Thanks for asking this question! Holy Week events, Semana Santa, sound wonderful and I will add this to my Camino bucket list.Doing my Camino research and preparations - just learned that in Spain the Easter Weekend is actually celebrated for a whole week and starts the weekend before Easter. It is called the Holy Week and in 2018 Easter falls on the 1st of April (early) and the Holy Week starts on the 25th March 2018. I am considering starting my CF at the end of March 2018.
My Newbie Questions:
- Is it a good and sensible time to start a Camino during the Holy Week?
- Can one walk a Camino and also participate in the Holy Week celebrations?
- What should one not do? (being disrespectful, inappropriate, etc)
- Will some shops, bars, food places, pilgrims accommodations, pharmacys, etc be open?
- Do many spaniards start the Camino during the whole week?
I am definitely getting keen to experience the Holy Week while doing the Camino.I did my first CF this year starting March 19th and was blessed to witness and participate in the Easter Holy Week celebrations in both large (Leon) and small (Samos) communities......I will walk the Norte starting early March to again experience Holy Week on the Camino...an amazing time. Buen camino ! PS: the Spanish pilgrims are lovely so don’t worry.
I am definitely getting keen to experience the Holy Week while doing the Camino.
How was the weather on the CF during March/April 2017?
Not worried about the spanish pilgrims - planning to learn Espanol and practise it on the Camino.
That would be my perfect walking weather!I spent 34 days from SJPP to Santiago (rest day in Leon) then 5 days Santiago to Finisterre to Muxia and I had 1 day of rain/snow near Los Arcos and a few hours of heavy rain before Atapuerca. There was no rain at all in April - the driest April in 42 years. Morning temps were between 4-10C and daytime temps 20-28C. I’ll walk the northern route in March 2018. Yes it’s good to learn some Spanish, it makes for a nicer Camino being able to interact with the locals. Buen camino !
Doing my Camino research and preparations - just learned that in Spain the Easter Weekend is actually celebrated for a whole week and starts the weekend before Easter. It is called the Holy Week and in 2018 Easter falls on the 1st of April (early) and the Holy Week starts on the 25th March 2018. I am considering starting my CF at the end of March 2018.
My Newbie Questions:
- Is it a good and sensible time to start a Camino during the Holy Week?
- Can one walk a Camino and also participate in the Holy Week celebrations?
- What should one not do? (being disrespectful, inappropriate, etc)
- Will some shops, bars, food places, pilgrims accommodations, pharmacys, etc be open?
- Do many spaniards start the Camino during the whole week?
Hi MHi Peter,
Fellow South African living in Ireland....Will also be starting on March 30th - where are you starting?
Thanks for posting Peter I was going to start a thread but got distracted (feeble brain )and you beat me to it. This is the main reason I’ll bring my Cannon CameraDoing my Camino research and preparations - just learned that in Spain the Easter Weekend is actually celebrated for a whole week and starts the weekend before Easter. It is called the Holy Week and in 2018 Easter falls on the 1st of April (early) and the Holy Week starts on the 25th March 2018. I am considering starting my CF at the end of March 2018.
My Newbie Questions:
- Is it a good and sensible time to start a Camino during the Holy Week?
- Can one walk a Camino and also participate in the Holy Week celebrations?
- What should one not do? (being disrespectful, inappropriate, etc)
- Will some shops, bars, food places, pilgrims accommodations, pharmacys, etc be open?
- Do many spaniards start the Camino during the whole week?
Do you recommend reservations in Roncesvalles and Valcarlos during this time?Each year, starting on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday, and extending for almost two weeks, there is a surge in the number of pilgrims on the Camino. This is most evident on the Camino Frances, but should be considered on the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago as well, at least IMHO. Other routes with near to Santiago starting nodes are also affected to a lesser degree.
You are correct in your original post. Most Europeans, oddly enough in a largely secular (now) continent, continue to have national holidays on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. This is a baked-in five-day weekend. Adding several personal holidays on either side, you can see how many Europeans can do a 10-day Camino.
This is enough time to walk from Ponferrada to Santiago (or less, like Sarria); on the Portuguese from Porto, or Tui; from Ourense; from Oviedo, etc.
The net result is that the Camino is artificially busy during this 10 - 14 day period. This is the mentioned "Pig in the Python" effect (my term), but it aptly describes the flow of pilgrims during period of peak flow.
As discussed elsewhere (search for "pig in a python" to find all the various relating posts) this affects commercial lodging. Also, many albergues and other private or commercial lodgings "out in the sticks" may not yet have opened for the season.
Also, it is worth noting that the weeks bracketing Easter, and referred to as "Semana Santa" in both Portugal and Spain are HUGE festival events. Crowds gather. There are religious processions and observances leading up to Easter Sunday, as well as crowded festivals and parties AFTER Easter (the Resurrection). These events generate very large crowds in all cities and large towns. the ripple effect hits lodging opportunities hard during this time.
If you DO follow through and go during this period, book accommodations early, and SHOW UP as reserved, even if you need to hop a taxi to cover the final distance for the day to arrive in time. Many folks here in the forum rely on www.booking.com or www. gronze.com (Spanish only) for reservations.
Weather wise, plan for single digit temperatures (Celsius) in the morning, and rain most days.
FYI, Easter falls on 12 April 2018 next year.
I hope this helps, and that you have a wonderful time.
Muchas Gracias mi amigo.reserved in SJPDP but was waiting to see if Orisson was going to be open. At this moment it may be a blessing in disguise to reserve in Valcarlos and Roncesvalles. 1 April is coming up fastYes, if only because these are the first night stay for many pilgrims. The tranche of pilgrims starting from SJPdP daily tends to spread out after the first day or two. But there is a certain luxury of knowing you have a bed waiting for you.
Hope this helps.
Thanks again for the info I’m not worried ...maybe more excited than anything lol. I emailed them a couple weeks ago and received a fast response they said to call the day before. My hope even with bad knees is to stay at Orisson and get that feeling of pilgrim bliss of the first Camino night and conquer the Pyrenees lol But I suspect snow still on the mountain , next week may not be any different. I will check with the pilgrims office when I arrive.Orisson may not be 'open" but they do respond to e-mail. That is the only way you can reserve. Here it their web page: http://www.refuge-orisson.com/en/
If you plan to take the Napoleon Pass route, I strongly recommend staying at Orisson the first night and Roncesvalles the second night. I make this recommendation for these reasons:
1. After 2.5 - 3.0 hours of walking UP, it may only be eight km, but it is a steady upward incline. This being your first day, most pilgrims are knackered. It is the single most difficult stage of the entire Camino Frances. everyone else has done it. You just need to be prepared and manage it accordingly.
2. Refuge Orisson is a private albergue. They offer beds in a dormitory setting. The bathrooms are clean. Mind the 5 minute hot water 'jetons' (tokens) though. The food is wonderful, basic but tasty, and served family-style in the evening. The group dinner is a seminal experience.
3. The views from the deck across the road are priceless, especially on a clear day. I cannot overstate the beauty.
4. Here, you will meet others and form your "Camino Family" who will walk more or less with you over the next several weeks that you are on Camino. This is a literal, once in a lifetime experience. I recommend it hearity.
5. The next morning, having walked the single toughest UP on the entire Camino Frances, you can continue up and over the Pyrenees into Roncesvalles. This breaks up the single 26 Km first stage into 8 + 18 km. For most pilgrims it makes the entire journey more pleasant.
Hope this helps.
As far as respectful participation celebrations goes, simply do what the others are doing. Men, take off your hat in any church, or when a religious procession passes in the street, etc. Be considerate and polite towards others. They will reciprocate. You are welcome to go into any church for a celebration. Just be respectful and quiet.
Oh, and BTW, in Spain, and Portugal it is a common practice to set off fireworks in celebration. This is commonly found for weddings, christenings, first communions, and a young woman's 'quincentana' celebration (15th birthday - a big deal in Iberia).
Sometimes, absent having actual fireworks, some folks will discharge shotguns or other weapons in the air. Some of the fireworks sound like weapons. Over the years, I have heard some that sounded like grenades or IEDs (yes, I have experience with both).
The point is, when you hear these sounds do not panic. Consider the context. Then, always have a Plan B to remove yourself quickly from any place that seems a bit sketchy.
I hope this helps.
Hi t2andreo. Sorry to say it, but I must contradict you. What you call quicentana is not a Iberian deal, but a Sud American one. Belive me, twenty years ago, nobody nows what kind of celebration was this. What we knew was the "Puesta de largo" ( The moment a girl wears her first "Long Skirt, and started being part of the offert of marriageable young women) a very antiquated high society´s similar celebration, nor a popular one.
Is that High Society´s "Puesta de Largo" what "quincentana" emulates in some Sud American countries. Due the increase of american migrants in the last fifhteen/twenty years, it is becoming relatively easy to find that kind of celebratrions nowadays in Spain, can´t say anything about this topic in Portugal.
Buen Camino to you all, honest people.
See how it is on the day. I grew up in the Alps and the spring weather changes very quickly; for the better and for the worse. So anything is possible.Thanks again for the info I’m not worried ...maybe more excited than anything lol. I emailed them a couple weeks ago and received a fast response they said to call the day before. My hope even with bad knees is to stay at Orisson and get that feeling of pilgrim bliss of the first Camino night and conquer the Pyrenees lol But I suspect snow still on the mountain , next week may not be any different. I will check with the pilgrims office when I arrive.
No worries hereSee how it is on the day. I grew up in the Alps and the spring weather changes very quickly; for the better and for the worse. So anything is possible.
On the first week of walking the Camino - just take it sweet-n-easy. Let your body get used to it.
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