• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

???How Long will it Take??? Not te right question

scruffy1

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Holy Year from Pamplona 2010, SJPP 2011, Lisbon 2012, Le Puy 2013, Vezelay (partial watch this space!) 2014; 2015 Toulouse-Puenta la Reina (Arles)
Many people have inquired as to the time required. Others come across with statements such as "We were doing 40 kilometers a day" or “Finished St Jean-Santiago in 28 days”. Now I am no mystic and I am not a spiritualist however anyone who has walked the Camino knows that time does not exist along the way. Also, there are some 1000 kilometers from St Jean to Santiago to Finestera to Muxia including other side trips along the way-Haro for the wine, Santo Domingo de Silos for the architecture and art, Suso and San Millán for themselves. 1000 opportunities for amazement, for overwhelming experiences of friendship, of scenery, of fellowship, of freedom and independence. What a waste to rush it through. Santiago itself can be a disappointing place on a weekend or festival with thousands of tourists or after a bleak week of rain and cold. In this spirit I am moved to offer a poem, true when composed in Alexandria, overwhelmingly so on the Camino:
Ithica
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Ahh Scruffy...funny that you should mention this poem...it's been creeping into my life with amazing regularity!! Like twice in the past month and a few more times over the last year...and until a little over a year ago I'd never heard it! Lately...I'm just trying to "be" each day here at home, while waiting for my time on the road again. Trying so hard not to wish this time away, not to squander it either, but to live it the way I want to experience the Camino...fully aware and present.

Thanks for the reminder. Buen Camino, Karin :arrow:
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Thanks for posting. I've printed it to read from time to time.

The following was posted previously.

Pilgrim, take care your journey's not in vain,
A hazard without profit, without gain;
The King you seek you'll find in Rome , it's true,
But only if he travels on the way with you.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Ah...yes....that is the ideal ....but.... many people who have full time jobs, or young families waiting for them at home, or minimal finances etc don't have the luxury of sauntering along the camino for two or three months.
I would like to take 6 months off my life and walk the Camino Frances with Linda Davidson's book, visiting every monument, ruin and small village along the way.
Then I'd like to take another 6 months, hire a car and follow the French routes in "To be a Pilgrim" visiting all the stunningly beautiful places photographed in their book.
And then ................. sigh! dream!
 

Most read last week in this forum

My name is Henrik and I will be coming down to SJPdP from Sweden on March 26 and start walking on March 27. I don't really have any experience and I'm not the best at planning and I'm a little...
When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I'd like some recommendations about where to find the most current and up to date information about albergues that are actually open. I'm currently walking the camino Frances, and I can't even...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top