I have already learned SO MUCH from this forum.

[MARSKA]

Thank you ALL dear friends for your sage and quick responses to my newbie questions. I booked my flights. Now I need to figure out the specifics of getting from Madrid to Pamplona and where to stay for the first couple nights as I wait for my circadian cycle to adjust. I'm going to ramp up miles and soon will be buying gear. So expect many questions from this wannabe pilgrim.

My flight from the US will land me in Madrid on 9/21/23. I wanted to leave the return open but 2 one-way flights are much more money than RT so I booked a flight home for 11/1/23. That will give my heart and soul 6 weeks on the Camino, as suggested by several of you.

I think spring might be preferable to fall but I can't wait. I'm afraid if I wait until 2024 it wont happen. So I'll enjoy the brown fields and brown dirt over the lovely green of spring.

My worst fears? #4 bedbugs, #3 cold rain, #2 being rejected by fellow pilgrims on the Camino, #1 homesickness. #1 and #2 being closely related.

I am refreshing my Spanish on duolingo and transferlanguage and purchased Camino Lingo - all resources that were shared here.
I purchased Brierly's book and it is already becoming dogeared. I have a Natl Geo map of northern Spain. I have a better grasp of geographic, demographic, and historic influences in Spain, Portugal, and France. The starting point of Palmpona was suggested by a pilgrim on Casa Ivar. Many of you directed me to Camino Frances for a 1st Camino. I've asked about lodging in Madrid and trains to Pamplona, I've expressed my personal fears. You are always supportive. How do I express my thanks? I have already learned SO MUCH from this forum.

Oh boy dear pilgrims - get ready for more questions!

 

[Tassie Kaz]

@MARSKA, we all have to start somewhere & were all in your shoes at the beginning of our own long distance walking lives.
Although the same questions over & over can be a bit wearisome, most of us try to remember we were initially 'fresh & green' too!
I'm sure when you complete your Camino (& other trails which inevitably follow if you catch The Bug), you will be in the wonderful position of being able to impart your knowledge & experience to the next batch of Newbies.
And do it with a smile...remembering that anticipation, excitement & trepidation of starting out for the first time.
I wish you all the very best & am so glad you're not waiting for the 'fresh & green' of spring. Go while you can...like the trail, you don't know whats around the next bend.
Happy planning...& then undertaking!

 

[trecile]

I think spring might be preferable to fall but I can't wait. I'm afraid if I wait until 2024 it wont happen. So I'll enjoy the brown fields and brown dirt over the lovely green of spring.

It was the same for me on my first Camino - I knew that I had to go, and for me August/September was the soonest that I could get there. Every season has its beauty - harvest time is wonderful.

 

[mspath]

Here is an earlier thread re connecting with people on the camino which you might find amusing and/or helpful.

 

[JerryStroebele]

If this is your first trip to Europe read Rick Steve’s’ Europe Through the Back Door. It will give you a lot of travel tips. Once you are on the Camino it is pretty easy to find the way but sometimes getting to the start is difficult and stressful. (Ihave taken the train from Madrid to Pamplona and recommend it.)
Another book I highly recommend is Fixing Your Feet by Jon Von Hoff. Available at REI.
You might experience some homesickness from time to time but you will be swept up in the culture of Spain and the Camino and be able to overcome this. I try to keep my family and friends informed about my daily walk but sometimes am too tired to email OR TOO ENGAGED with new Camino amigos. You will be too.
I use a silk sleeping bag liner freshly sprayed with Permethrin and have had no bed bug problems while some around me have. But not in recent years.
You will likely experience some cold rain in Galicia in late October. I carry an ultra lightweight umbrella for both rain and sun but you can buy an inexpensive umbrella in most towns. Buen Camino you will love it

 

[Rick M]

I've expressed my personal fears. You are always supportive. How do I express my thanks? I have already learned SO MUCH from this forum.

I suggest that you express your thanks by "paying it forward" when you get back. A year from now, there will be other nervous first timers with the same concerns that you have now. As a veteran, you will be in a position to tell future pilgrims what is worth worrying about, and what not to worry about.

Bedbugs: you might encounter them. More of a nuisance than a danger. Deal with them if it happens.

Cold Rain: A near certainty towards the latter part of your Camino. You're not made of sugar, you're not going to melt. I walk in cold rain all the time. You will endure. Duck into a bar for a cup of hot tea if the rain becomes too intense. Waiting it out is a good strategy.....until you realize you're not made of sugar, you're not going to melt. Poncho on, change into dry socks, walk the next leg.

As for your worry #2 - consider this. Your fellow pilgrims all felt a calling to pursue this crazy dream, and all took steps to make it happen for themselves. For the most part, they are all alone in an unfamiliar place, undertaking a seemingly perilous journey into the unknown.....just as you are. Rejection?! I suggest that you have a few very profound things in common with everyone you will meet on the trail.

 

[J.Patrick]

A historical note: In the medieval world the pilgrimage started at home, at one’s front door, and didn’t finish till one had walked all the way back. So, why not, even while you are preparing and learning, consider yourself, in a spiritual sense, already a pilgrim in process. Expectation and hope are already real for you. Make the most of these next months. Buen Camino!

 

[alexwalker]

Thank you ALL dear friends for your sage and quick responses to my newbie questions.

Yes, we are a friendly bunch in here, aren't we? Seriously, we oldtimers want newbies to have as good an experience as possible, and we know it is easier than you think at present. Also, we know/hope that at the other end, you will have experienced something you know nothing about right now, but will do you good in your life afterwards. All the best to you.

Traveling from Madrid to Pamplona options:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Edit: I should also advice you: For traveling in Spain, you can buy (in all railway stations) what is called a Carta Dorada (gold card; una carta dorada, por favor), that will give you 25% discount on all train travels in Spain, for a whole year. This is available for all persons, 60 years old and more. It can save you a lot of money. It costs 6 Euros...

You must first buy the card, and then your first actual train ticket. After that, just show your gold card when buying other tickets. The trains in Spain are incredibly reliable: You can adjust your watch to them

Traveling in Spain by train is very pleasant and relaxed: Highspeed, comfortable, and you can stay in the restaurant wagon/coach, sipping a Spanish wine and having snacks/sandwiches, while watching the landscapes go by. My preferred way of transport in Spain.

Buen Camino!

 

[kensteve51]

Thank you ALL dear friends for your sage and quick responses to my newbie questions. I booked my flights. Now I need to figure out the specifics of getting from Madrid to Pamplona and where to stay for the first couple nights as I wait for my circadian cycle to adjust. I'm going to ramp up miles and soon will be buying gear. So expect many questions from this wannabe pilgrim.

My flight from the US will land me in Madrid on 9/21/23. I wanted to leave the return open but 2 one-way flights are much more money than RT so I booked a flight home for 11/1/23. That will give my heart and soul 6 weeks on the Camino, as suggested by several of you.

I think spring might be preferable to fall but I can't wait. I'm afraid if I wait until 2024 it wont happen. So I'll enjoy the brown fields and brown dirt over the lovely green of spring.

My worst fears? #4 bedbugs, #3 cold rain, #2 being rejected by fellow pilgrims on the Camino, #1 homesickness. #1 and #2 being closely related.

I am refreshing my Spanish on duolingo and transferlanguage and purchased Camino Lingo - all resources that were shared here.
I purchased Brierly's book and it is already becoming dogeared. I have a Natl Geo map of northern Spain. I have a better grasp of geographic, demographic, and historic influences in Spain, Portugal, and France. The starting point of Palmpona was suggested by a pilgrim on Casa Ivar. Many of you directed me to Camino Frances for a 1st Camino. I've asked about lodging in Madrid and trains to Pamplona, I've expressed my personal fears. You are always supportive. How do I express my thanks? I have already learned SO MUCH from this forum.

Oh boy dear pilgrims - get ready for more questions!

Howdy from Seguin, Texas. I will start my pilgrimage from St. Jean on Sept 20th. Being 72 when I start, I will take 4 days to Pampalona, then spend a day enjoying the city. Perhaps the day I leave will be your first day
I hope to bump into you...Ken S.

 

[David Tallan]

#2 being rejected by fellow pilgrims on the Camino

I wouldn't worry so much about this one. The evidence in these forums notwithstanding, pilgrims tend to be a pretty nonjudgmental bunch. It's one of the nice things about the experience.

 

[J Willhaus]

@MARSKA best wishes and buen Camino. If you need help figuring out train or bus you'll find lots of help here.

 

[NorthernLight]

September and October are excellent times to be on the camino (as are the other ten months). Don’t think of it as brown, think of it as shades of golden; mother earth has provided another season of foodstuffs, the harvest is underway and the earth will prepare itself for a nap. Naps are good.

 

[MARSKA]

Howdy from Seguin, Texas. I will start my pilgrimage from St. Jean on Sept 20th. Being 72 when I start, I will take 4 days to Pampalona, then spend a day enjoying the city. Perhaps the day I leave will be your first day
I hope to bump into you...Ken S.

I hope to meet you! My actual start date is still a little fluid. Do you plan to travel all the way to SDC?

 

[MARSKA]

@MARSKA best wishes and buen Camino. If you need help figuring out train or bus you'll find lots of help here.

Thank you!!!!

 

[MARSKA]

September and October are excellent times to be on the camino (as are the other ten months). Don’t think of it as brown, think of it as shades of golden; mother earth has provided another season of foodstuffs, the harvest is underway and the earth will prepare itself for a nap. Naps are good.

Fall is my favorite season here at home.

 

[MARSKA]

@MARSKA, we all have to start somewhere & were all in your shoes at the beginning of our own long distance walking lives.
Although the same questions over & over can be a bit wearisome, most of us try to remember we were initially 'fresh & green' too!
I'm sure when you complete your Camino (& other trails which inevitably follow if you catch The Bug), you will be in the wonderful position of being able to impart your knowledge & experience to the next batch of Newbies.
And do it with a smile...remembering that anticipation, excitement & trepidation of starting out for the first time.
I wish you all the very best & am so glad you're not waiting for the 'fresh & green' of spring. Go while you can...like the trail, you don't know whats around the next bend.
Happy planning...& then undertaking!

thank you! i am kinda worried about the bug!

 

[MARSKA]

It was the same for me on my first Camino - I knew that I had to go, and for me August/September was the soonest that I could get there. Every season has its beauty - harvest time is wonderful.

Thank you trecile. Thats what I am feeling. If I could leave tomorrow...

 

[MARSKA]

I wouldn't worry so much about this one. The evidence in these forums notwithstanding, pilgrims tend to be a pretty nonjudgmental bunch. It's one of the nice things about the experience.

So much reassurance! Much appreciated David.

 

[MARSKA]

September and October are excellent times to be on the camino (as are the other ten months). Don’t think of it as brown, think of it as shades of golden; mother earth has provided another season of foodstuffs, the harvest is underway and the earth will prepare itself for a nap. Naps are good.

I loved naps when kids were growing. Now I just sleep late! Ha.

 

[MARSKA]

Yes, we are a friendly bunch in here, aren't we? Seriously, we oldtimers want newbies to have as good an experience as possible, and we know it is easier than you think at present. Also, we know/hope that at the other end, you will have experienced something you know nothing about right now, but will do you good in your life afterwards. All the best to you.

Traveling from Madrid to Pamplona options:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Edit: I should also advice you: For traveling in Spain, you can buy (in all railway stations) what is called a Carta Dorada (gold card; una carta dorada, por favor), that will give you 25% discount on all train travels in Spain, for a whole year. This is available for all persons, 60 years old and more. It can save you a lot of money. It costs 6 Euros...

You must first buy the card, and then your first actual train ticket. After that, just show your gold card when buying other tickets. The trains in Spain are incredibly reliable: You can adjust your watch to them

Traveling in Spain by train is very pleasant and relaxed: Highspeed, comfortable, and you can stay in the restaurant wagon/coach, sipping a Spanish wine and having snacks/sandwiches, while watching the landscapes go by. My preferred way of transport in Spain.

Buen Camino!

Hi Alex- it is very kind of you to be so supportive of someone you dont know.
I absolutely love trains - the problem in the US is they are too unpredictable. Amtrak along the Hudson Valley is remarkable as is the CA Zephyr. Cant wait to see Spain.
Actually now that I've had time to digest the trip, I am more concerned about the to / from the trail than the trail itself. Buen Camino!

 

[MARSKA]

A historical note: In the medieval world the pilgrimage started at home, at one’s front door, and didn’t finish till one had walked all the way back. So, why not, even while you are preparing and learning, consider yourself, in a spiritual sense, already a pilgrim in process. Expectation and hope are already real for you. Make the most of these next months. Buen Camino!

JP- a very philosophical comment indeed. I understand and agree. Hopefully I find some connection to that history.

 

[MARSKA]

I wouldn't worry so much about this one. The evidence in these forums notwithstanding, pilgrims tend to be a pretty nonjudgmental bunch. It's one of the nice things about the experience.

You KNOW I will!!!!!

 

[MARSKA]

I suggest that you express your thanks by "paying it forward" when you get back. A year from now, there will be other nervous first timers with the same concerns that you have now. As a veteran, you will be in a position to tell future pilgrims what is worth worrying about, and what not to worry about.

Bedbugs: you might encounter them. More of a nuisance than a danger. Deal with them if it happens.

Cold Rain: A near certainty towards the latter part of your Camino. You're not made of sugar, you're not going to melt. I walk in cold rain all the time. You will endure. Duck into a bar for a cup of hot tea if the rain becomes too intense. Waiting it out is a good strategy.....until you realize you're not made of sugar, you're not going to melt. Poncho on, change into dry socks, walk the next leg.

As for your worry #2 - consider this. Your fellow pilgrims all felt a calling to pursue this crazy dream, and all took steps to make it happen for themselves. For the most part, they are all alone in an unfamiliar place, undertaking a seemingly perilous journey into the unknown.....just as you are. Rejection?! I suggest that you have a few very profound things in common with everyone you will meet on the trail.

Rain - yes. when I was mountain climbing we often told each other that we werent the Wicked Witches cuz we didnt melt. Ha!
I doubt that 1 Camino makes a veteran...but I will pay back what I can.

 

[MARSKA]

Rain - yes. when I was mountain climbing we often told each other that we werent the Wicked Witches cuz we didnt melt. Ha!
I doubt that 1 Camino makes a veteran...but I will pay back what I can.

Forward rather

 

[MARSKA]

Sorry - I accidentally clicked.
Not my first visit but its been about 10 years since my last. So many things have happened since then...
I like REI! They helped to outfit me for my climbing expos. I'll see about obtaining a copy of the book you mentioned.
My first climbing expo I was SO homesick- it was truly painful. But that was long ago- still the memory of the pain remains.

 

[MARSKA]

Here is an earlier thread re connecting with people on the camino which you might find amusing and/or helpful.

MSpath you have so much wisdom that you willingly share... gracias

 

[MARSKA]

I hope I have responded to everyone. I appreciate all of your comments- truly. If I missed someone I will pick up tomorrow. These threads can become a little confusing in structure.

 

[kensteve51]

I hope to meet you! My actual start date is still a little fluid. Do you plan to travel all the way to SDC?

Yes indeed. My dear wife has 'allowed' for me to spend about 45 days away from home. God willing, I will walk to SDC, then on to Finestra, before returning home. Our playful agreement is if I am not home by Thanksgiving....don't come home....LOL. I am planning on returning about November 8th...give or take a few days. Having read so much about senior folks injuring their ankles, knees, etc. while attempting to walk the entire distance to Ronncesvalles in one day, I plan to stop at Orrison for a long lunch then spend the first night at Aubergue Borda.

 

[MARSKA]

Yes indeed. My dear wife has 'allowed' for me to spend about 45 days away from home. God willing, I will walk to SDC, then on to Finestra, before returning home. Our playful agreement is if I am not home by Thanksgiving....don't come home....LOL. I am planning on returning about November 8th...give or take a few days. Having read so much about senior folks injuring their ankles, knees, etc. while attempting to walk the entire distance to Ronncesvalles in one day, I plan to stop at Orrison for a long lunch then spend the first night at Aubergue Borda.

Good planning IMO

 

[trecile]

I hope I have responded to everyone. I appreciate all of your comments- truly. If I missed someone I will pick up tomorrow. These threads can become a little confusing in structure.

Just FYI - it's not expected or necessary to respond to each post on a thread that you start. Sometimes all that you need to do is use the "thank you" reaction emoji at the bottom of the post that you want to acknowledge. This keeps the threads from becoming unnecessarily long.

For the "thank you" just hover over the "like" button at the bottom of the post and you will see the different reaction emojis. The praying hands mean thank you.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

For the "thank you" just hover over the "like" button at the bottom of the post and you will see the different reaction emojis. The praying hands mean thank you.