• 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

My Camino - belated

rmike

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2019)
I walked the Camino Frances from May 13th to June 13th of this year. I benefited so much from this forum I wanted to make a post in order to give back. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it until now. But better late than never. In January, my 20 year old daughter came to me and said that she was going to walk the Camino this year and if I didn't go with her she would go by herself. Well that was all the motivation I needed. Honestly, I never imagined that my college-age daughter would want to spend a month with me, so it was an easy decision to make. I'm Catholic so I viewed the trip as a faith experience, however, I'm also an avid hiker so I looked forward to the trip as a backpacking and cultural adventure as well. I was not disappointed on any account.

What I loved:
- Refuge Orrison - It made the first day manageable, and we made friends here that we kept for the whole trip
- Crossing the Pyrenees - I don't care if they're mountains or hills, they were amazingly beautiful
- Walking into a village which looks like it hasn't changed for a thousand years.
- The church at Roncesvalles - Amazing to think who's been there before me
- The kindness and patience of the people of Spain - My 80 hours of Rosetta Stone fell far short of making me conversant in Spanish, but as long as I tried they always endured my broken sentences and made sure I got what I needed.
- Albergues which offered a communal pilgrim dinner - This is where we made friends and learned about all of the cultures and incredible stories around us.
- Pamplona - Beautiful historic town with a modern flair
- No reservations - One of the most transformative aspects of the trip was the concept of walking out of my albergue in the morning with no plans, no schedule, no reservations, and everything I owned in a 14 lb backpack. Back in the USA, every minute of my life is planned, so this was quite a change for me. It took about two weeks to embrace it, but then it was amazing.
- Pilgrim Mass - It was so wonderful to walk into church in a new town and have the priest and towns people pray and sing over us.
- Tapas district in Logrono - Went from bar to bar sampling wine and their finest tapas. What a night!
- Rioja region - Tempranillo, what an incredible wine!
- White Night at Burgos - Lucky coincidence and what a great time. Beautiful cathedral
- Mesata - That's right, everyone hates on it, but I thought it was beautiful. Miles of flowers and the wind passing through endless fields of grain. The most beautiful pictures I took on the whole trip
- The singing nuns of Carrion de los Condes - What an amazing impact these precious women had on everyone who attended.
- Leon - Incredible town, amazing cathedral
- Cruz de Ferro - We arrived at sunrise and silently watched as people laid down their burdens.
- Snow, sleet and rain on the hike from O'Cebreiro - Made the cafe stops that much more appreciated
- Meeting old friends at Sarria - pure coincidence, amazing
- Camino families - we had four, each one touched us deeply
- Santiago - sitting in front of the cathedral watching all of our friends roll in
-Incredible countryside - Every day was different and beautiful in its own way

Words of wisdom:
- Quiet is important. When you are quiet you are being not doing. We are human beings not human doings - Father Pablo at Pamplona
-Once you've been on Camino you are always on Camino - Peter
- The Camino is about living in the moment - Marcus
- There are three things the Camino gives you: silence, friendship, and the things you leave behind - priest at San Juan De Ortega
- No one goes toward God through the same way I am going. For each man the sun has a new beam of light and a virgin way - the singing nuns
- I left that at Cruz de Ferro - anonymous

What I wish I did differently:
- Brought more medicine - Pharmacies in Spain are different than the US. Everything is behind the counter, none of the brand names are the same, and only one pharmacist I met spoke English.
- Brought more cold weather gear - Could have handled a few more pounds on my pack
- Had more time - 31 days is pretty quick. Had to rush more than I would have like to.
- Convinced my daughter to wear trail runners instead of boots - She paid dearly for this choice
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20190607_085658850_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20190607_085658850_HDR.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 111
  • IMG_20190531_065921991.jpg
    IMG_20190531_065921991.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 113
  • IMG_20190527_154750182_HDR_2.jpg
    IMG_20190527_154750182_HDR_2.jpg
    2.4 MB · Views: 116
  • IMG_2309-EFFECTS.jpg
    IMG_2309-EFFECTS.jpg
    2.4 MB · Views: 117
  • IMG_20190520_202650340.jpg
    IMG_20190520_202650340.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 112
  • IMG_20190522_093351379_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg
    IMG_20190522_093351379_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg
    3.7 MB · Views: 103
  • IMG_1939.JPG
    IMG_1939.JPG
    658.2 KB · Views: 100
  • IMG_20190612_091052503.jpg
    IMG_20190612_091052503.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 100
  • IMG_20190604_072030988_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg
    IMG_20190604_072030988_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 100
  • IMG_20190604_064456970.jpg
    IMG_20190604_064456970.jpg
    647.8 KB · Views: 94
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
What I wish I did differently...
Well, having regrets afterwards leaves you with three options:

1. Ask (either people or a higher force) for forgiveness
2. Make up for it on a next Camino
3. Ask for forgiveness AND make up for it ...

;)
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Great post! Reading through it and seeing you lovely pics draws me back there and reminds me of how special the Camino is.
 
What a lovely happy gracious sharing. Thank you so much.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Very refreshing post, well written.
 
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.

Most read last week in this forum

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 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...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia
I have been planning to return and rejoin the path from Leon next week. ( Main route) I am wondering whether it might be better to wait until later in April to rejoin the path, my hope is to...

❓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