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This was all good and the last part was very helpful to my thinking. Thank youIf you really want a solitary pilgrimage experience then choose a different route.
Choose a route in a different country.
Choose a different pilgrimage!
C'mon. Isn't it mostly a neediness? A "look at me, Daddy"? An effort to be unique? "I am an artiste, not like the rest of the crowd; a tortured soul"? After all, they can sit in their darkened living room and be as alone as they want. They don't have to travel thousands of miles and tell us all about it.I read posts from people who are seeking solitude or who want to avoid crowds on their pilgrimage, but they plan on walking the Camino Frances.
Of which state do you make this assertion? To inject that it is something strictly bound to a physicality is rather presumptuous. Solitude is the reflection of self truth, in silence, wherever you may seek it.Pilgrim sites all around the world are always crowded. Solitude is found elsewhere.
Ondo Ibili !
I can recommend St Olav's Way as one pilgrimage where you are unlikely to meet large numbers of pilgrims. I planned my walk to arrive just before thePilgrim sites all around the world are always crowded. Solitude is found elsewhere.
Your "Experience" is that Solitude is only Physical? You've never been alone in your mind, silent, reflecting of your life in the proximity of others?Experience.
Ondo Ibili !
This does not seem very kind. It makes me think that one has to join in the 'party', I think I will walk elsewhere.C'mon. Isn't it mostly a neediness? A "look at me, Daddy"? An effort to be unique? "I am an artiste, not like the rest of the crowd; a tortured soul"? After all, they can sit in their darkened living room and be as alone as they want. They don't have to travel thousands of miles and tell us all about it.
It is a reaching out to connect with others, the antithesis of being alone. I think lending a sympathetic ear is the best approach. It helps them work it out, then they can join the crowd and have a lot of fun.
Those who really want to be alone do not even bring it up. They just be alone...
I agree with your observation , but remember, that's only that members opinion.This does not seem very kind. It makes me think that one has to join in the 'party', I think I will walk elsewhere.
I'll still read the forum though and may walk 'alone' one day.
HH
I don't want to be controversial, but over and over again I read posts from people who are seeking solitude or who want to avoid crowds on their pilgrimage, but they plan on walking the Camino Frances. Why? Don't they realise that by choosing this route, they are adding to the growing numbers - becoming a part of the crowd?
I couldn't agree more Phillypilgrim. I hope that to be my experience in my Journey. While the social aspect was not in my decision process, fellowship and learning to master others is a reflection of one's inner peace.I found the CF an interesting and well balanced (for me) combination of solitary introspection while I walked (as I went alone) and socializing/connecting in the late afternoon and evenings. An opportunity to practice both.
Amen.it offers the security of knowing that even though some of us may choose to walk alone, there is the reassurance of someone close by if needed
Can anyone tell my WHY people think the Francés is "the" Camino (apart from the popularity of that stupid film)? I simply cannot understand why it is thought to be the "main" or THE Camino. Can anyone enlighten me?Silly Doll, I had an incredible experience in September walking the CF. I sought solitude based on what I thought it meant. I did not find that. Initially, I became involved in the pace. I made Pamplona in two days. On day 7, I sat in Villambistia with shin splints. I took the autobus to Burgos where I rested for four days. It was there that I found what I was looking for.
From Burgos, I began to understand the term solitude. I would wake up later and start just before dawn. I found this time to be valuable. It put me in a frame of mind where I began to deal with issues I had suppressed for most of my life. There is something that occurs with a person when faced with a 20-30k plus day. You are forced to work through things. Most of those early mornings allowed me to witness the Creator's sun rise over the horizon. There is a recognition of the significance of one's problems/issues at that moment. The solitude is found in the experience of small moments. Actually, they become large moments if you are honest with yourself. The fact is, I was never alone.
Personally, I found my experiences to be powerful. From the mountaintops to the cafes, I could not have asked for more. I am a fast walker but learned to stop often just to share in the human experience. What I hoped would be about separation from people became a longing for communion.
There were two major moments along the Way. One was the initial entry into the Cathedral as the Pilgrim's Mass was ending. At its conclusion, I sat in a pew and sobbed. I have not totally reconciled those emotions, but in my moment I felt hands on my shoulders. It was the hands of those I walked with. I will never forget the comfort and the sentiment of an unspoken reassurance. They understood. The second was my arrival into Finisterre. It was not emotional. I walked with two lovely people which I will never see again. The goaded me onward as my feet began to fail on a long second day. They waited on me, walked with me, asked questions of home and had a cold beer waiting on me at the stop. We walked through driving rain and 100+ km winds as we walked toward Cee. Alone, there would have been fear. Together, we accomplished something special. I was privileged to share the view from the rocks with these folks. These are experiences I never would have had if my original plan had come to fruition.
Everyone finds something different. For me, the Camino revealed nothing. It just allowed what was within to emerge.
Ondo Ibili,
Tim C
In addition to other responses, if you are travelling from elsewhere in Europe then it is a more direct route to Santiago, even from southern France, to use the Somport pass across the Pyrenees in the north or Route Napoleon or Route Valcarlos from SJPP. It might be a matter of geography that made it the 'main' route.Can anyone tell my WHY people think the Francés is "the" Camino (apart from the popularity of that stupid film)? I simply cannot understand why it is thought to be the "main" or THE Camino. Can anyone enlighten me?
I suspect it is because it has been the most publicised in recent years. Also as Doug says there is some geographical advantage for those travelling from other parts of Europe. Having said that, this is the reason why the Camino Inglés exists as it was the northern ports which gave entry to Spain from England. (England and France being often at war with each other during the Middle Ages.)Can anyone tell my WHY people think the Francés is "the" Camino (apart from the popularity of that stupid film)? I simply cannot understand why it is thought to be the "main" or THE Camino. Can anyone enlighten me?
This was my situation as well, I walked by myself many times however when I remember my Frances I typically remember the wonderful relationships that I made. There were many days that I was the last one out, staying behind to get a little extra sleep and enjoy a coffee. This was not intentional but in the end I would meet up with friends and enjoy their company. There were about nine days of my Camino that I got up early to walk with a crew that I enjoyed the company of so much that I wanted to walk with them. Getting up and walking in the dark was not my norm and honestly I didn't enjoy it much BUT the sacrifice for the great company was worth it on these occasions. Many people told me they wished they had done what I was doing, I felt I had the best of both worlds. My last ten days was spent with a mother and son who walked exactly like I did...and we took our time and many times were the last ones in at night, we also enjoyed longer days in the end so walked longer than the typical pilgrim walked during the day.If you want to be alone just be the last to get up and take time with breakfast! All the 5:30 people will have already gone. I was, or could have been, alone for well over 3/4 of the time this past fall. It was wonderful.
Can anyone tell my WHY people think the Francés is "the" Camino (apart from the popularity of that stupid film)? I simply cannot understand why it is thought to be the "main" or THE Camino. Can anyone enlighten me?
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