- Time of past OR future Camino
- Some in the past; more in the future!
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I think The Way has a lot to do with starting in SJPP.SJPP is the winner hands down
Hopefully you do well enough at the casino to fund your tourist time!Mmmm. I don’t think this has been a consideration for us. First, we have tended to save our tourist time for the end of our casinos.
I looked into this for a previous article (Best Starting Points for the Camino Francés) and Pamplona was not even in the top six most popular CF starting points. I'm a 'whole thing' pilgrim myself (as mythical a concept as that may be) so I also understand the allure of SJPdP.I know there are lots of people who very sensibly propose a Francés start in Pamplona. But I totally understand the decision to get to SJPP and then start walking. I think it has something to do with the non-spiritual side of a camino — how many times do people on the forum say they want to do the “whole thing?” Pointing out that there is no “whole thing” has no effect on anyone‘s plans, IMHO.
I’ve been adding people to the monthly start lists that we have recently set up, and as among Pamplona, Roncesvalles, and SJPP, SJPP is the winner hands down.
That's definitely true of the CP central north of Porto. South of Porto, the CP doesn't have many cobblestones but has a fair bit of asphalt, which may be similarly harsh on your ankle. If you're looking for a Portuguese route that has very little road walking overall, and if you're up for a big adventure, the Caminho Nascente could be for you!For example we haven’t walked the Portuguese because of reports of lots of cobblestones. I have a total ankle replacement and couldn’t handle this type of surface. My ankle has also kept us off the Norte because of its long stages and pavement. Also, until recently we were still working so fitting a walk into our available vacation time was important — the Primitivo was perfect for this.
For me, it is an issue. I am considering walking the Podiensis this fall and its location in France is both a gift and a challenge. Yesterday I discovered that I can fly from Calgary to Lyon with one change in Montreal, then a train to Le Puy; and I can return home from Madrid to Frankfurt to Calgary. France having dropped most of its covid regulations makes this easier. Of course, there is no guarantee that Europe will not be into another wave of covid by fall. I have not settled in my mind how I shall get to Santiago from the end of the Podiensis, but I am considering finding my way, either on foot or by public transport if necessary, from there to Oloron Ste Marie and another walk on the Aragones, then on to Santiago. Yes, the routes that I want to walk come first. But as pilgrim routes, and ending in Santiago. I shall have to be confident that there is a doable combination before I buy my air tickets. If it does not seem to be practical, I shall begin to plan again, hopefully still to be walking this fall.I think it’s hard to tease out this factor when you consider how people choose their camino.
Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.I think The Way has a lot to do with starting in SJPP.
I started in SJPdP before I had heard of the movie, let alone seen it. But I think it has had its impact.Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.
It certainly seems to have raised awareness of the Caminos amongst Americans and to a lesser extent amongst other Anglophones. I don't think that the film had much impact in other language areas. As an English-language forum I feel we tend to overestimate the significance of this film (and the Brierley guides) in the growth of interest in the Caminos in recent years.I started in SJPdP before I had heard of the movie, let alone seen it. But I think it has had its impact.
In Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage, the starting point for the CF is very clearly mandated as SJPP. (Interestingly, the end point is not even included in the book, but magical realism tends to be shaky on details.Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.
My first Camino will be in Sept this year. When beginning to plan, the ease & cost of arriving at the starting point was a major factor! I also considered the sightseeing opportunities in the starting point. Ease & cost I anticipate to always be a factor. Especially cost (airfare from the US to Europe, not transport within Europe). In fact, my starting point is the result of hours of research into flight costs & schedules from the US to many European cities.I wrote an article this week about camino starting cities as alternatives to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (and alternative routes to the Francés). The idea of the article is to suggest that if getting to SJPdP sounds like a hassle, you can instead fly into a major city in Spain or Portugal, spend some time enjoying that city, and then start walking directly from there.
While I was putting it together I reached out to @Rick of Rick and Peg to ask about his Camino Catalán and he said two of his reasons for choosing that camino were that he found a good flight deal and because he liked Barcelona.
So my question is: how much does the ease/cost of arriving at the starting point, or the desire to spend time in that starting point, affect your choice of camino?
The article is here: Camino Starting Cities
He also, if I recall correctly, took something like a week to cross the Pyrenees. It isn't a book I would use as a guide when planning a Camino.In Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage, the starting point for the CF is very clearly mandated as SJPP. (Interestingly, the end point is not even included in the book, but magical realism tends to be shaky on details.) He walked it in 1986 and the book was published in 1987. I think along with the things you mention, it probably contributed to establishing SJPP as the main starting point.
Better late than never with this response...I wrote an article this week about camino starting cities as alternatives to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (and alternative routes to the Francés). The idea of the article is to suggest that if getting to SJPdP sounds like a hassle, you can instead fly into a major city in Spain or Portugal, spend some time enjoying that city, and then start walking directly from there.
While I was putting it together I reached out to @Rick of Rick and Peg to ask about his Camino Catalán and he said two of his reasons for choosing that camino were that he found a good flight deal and because he liked Barcelona.
So my question is: how much does the ease/cost of arriving at the starting point, or the desire to spend time in that starting point, affect your choice of camino?
The article is here: Camino Starting Cities
Maybe you have reinvigorated the discussion!Better late than never with this response...
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