My first camino April 2007

[Jonella]

Hi!

My name is Jonna and I'm from Finland. Ten years ago I met a man who had walked the French Route, and something about his story left a mark in me.
Last autumn I got a task to choose one travel book, read it and tell about it to other people. I don't know what made me choose the one which told about one pilgrim's journey to Santiago de Compostela... and that was it. I didn't need anything else, and the camino started to live in my mind.

Now I have finally decided to do it.
I will leave sometimes between 1.-15.th of April 2007. I haven't decided yet should I start from St Jean Pied-de-Port, Roncesvalles or Burgos. I have about 4 weeks + trips, but I would like to walk only about 20-25 kilometers / day. I have heard a lot of horror stories about feet problems (like tendidis or what is it called...), and sometimes when I walk for longer, I can "feel my knee"... it doesn't hurt, but I'm sure that if will hurt if I continue walking with it in situations like that...

Well anyway, I'm 34 years old woman, lucky to have a husband who is staying at home with the kids and giving me a freedom to go. I'm leaving alone, hoping to find people to walk with anyhow, even for few hours.

I've got a lot of information by reading your postings, so I will continue doing that. Meanwhile, lots of nice thoughts from Finland!

Jonna

 

[Lupita Tequila]

Greetings Jonella!

Hi Jonella,

I undertook my first Camino (French route) in 2001 by myself and began from St. Jean (I was 38 at the time). Given the time that you have, you should be able to start from St. Jean or Roncesvalles and reach Santiago in time.

True, about the tendinitis and blisters. The best advice I can give you is listen to your body, don't push it. It is said that all the dramas and chaos of our lives come out in those forms at the beginning of the Camino to allow us to later focus on our internal journey with every step we take. This has been true for me.

Making friends is easy as there is an incredible sense of fellowship, support and love among pilgrims....We all watch out for each other. I can assure you you will find and make lifelong friends along the route. Many people walk with a friend or a spouse but I recommed that you do the Camino on your own. My first Camino, as I said, I was by myself and it changed my life in the most wonderful of ways. Sometimes, I walked by myself and others with friends I made but every kilometer was special.

I have been there 3 times now, just returned a few weeks ago and when I thought I could not learn more or change more, the Camino surprised me for I returned with more blessings in my life than I could possibly have imagined.

One piece of advice, take real good care of your feet!... For me, massaging my feet for about 10 minutes before walking, pouring abundantly vaseline or coconut cream saved me many blisters and change your socks when you stop to rest.... and listen to your body.... trust me, it starts whispering but if not heard, it will start yelling! in any way that will force you to listen to it.

Ultreia y buen Camino! :arrow:

Lupita

 

[Jonella]

Hello Lupita,

thank you for your answer! =)
Very good advices about taking care of the feet, still thinking does it really help if you massage your feet before walking?

All my life I've been teached to keep my feet dry in order to avoid blisters. I even got a tip to use baby powder (talc?) to suck the moisture from my feet. But here I've heard many times that using vaseline or other cream will help, so I'm a bit confused. I need to try that at home, maybe it doesn't feel that uncomfortable that I can think now =)

Thank you again for your wise advices. I have a tendency to silence my body if I'm too busy to listen to it's needs, and I have got some problems because of it also. Now I understand, that this might be one of the biggest reasons why I need to do my own Camino. To learn to listen to my body. We need to co-operate.

Maybe it really is like you said, that every time in Camino will give you something new.
Best wishes,

Jonna

 

[Lupita Tequila]

you are welcome Jonna!

Yes, well, I know that only too well.... I am the mother of 2 teenagers and was the caregiver of the older folks in the family, so listening to my body and the yearnings of my heart were always in the back burner until the Camino kept hounding me... When I finally heeded the call, I was delighted for it has given me more than I could possibly give it.

Another thing about the Camino..... The Camino will always provide you with what you need....... Can't explain, just trust me on this one.

On a quick note, I took this Camino with my 20 year old daughter and it changed her life as well. She, like her brother are as much in love with it as I am!

I can't wait to be a grandma (well, maybe I can wait a few years, like a lot of years!) and take my grandchildren as well.......

The Camino is the best legacy I can leave to those I love.

Stay in touch!

Lupita

 

[JustRob]

Agony of the Feet

Jonna,

Take a look over at the equipment forum for information on foot care. There are a multitude of approaches you can take, and at least one will be right for you.

 

[Jonella]

Hello there Rob =)

Thanks for you tip.
There really are a lot of advices to choose from. I found the links you've added also very helpful (http://walking.about.com).

Yesterday I decided to buy couple of books about Camino, now I think I'll wait a while and read this discussion forum perfectly first =)

Thank you Rob, and have a nice week!

Jonna

 

[WolverineDG]

Vaseline helps cut down on the friction that can also cause blisters. Your body heat helps the skin absorb it, so your feet won't be "wet" like they would be if you used water.

Old trick taught to me by my mom (works too): to keep hands & feet soft in the winter time, slather Vaseline on your feet & hands & put on thick socks on them. In the morning, your feet & hands will be nice & soft.

Buen Camino!

 

[Jonella]

Hello WolverineDG,

thank you for your message. I bought vaseline last weekend, now it is waiting on the table for my next 2-3 hours walk. Let's see how it feels. The more I think about it, the more it's starting to feel right.

Thanks for your beauty-tip also...as a woman, I'll always listen to them =)



Jonna

 

[JustRob]

Foot Care

I also recommend Body Glide. Great stuff, and you can use in on other parts of your body where you get chafing, like your thighs.

There's is also another treatment out there that is anti-fungal & anti-bacterial.

 

[Lillian Rodriguez]

My first trip April 2007

Dear Jonelle,

For blister protection and tired feet, there’s the “ungüento del peregrino” a natural petroleum based product containing healing and antiinflamatory components such as eucalyptus, camphor, aloe vera and arnica. It’s sold almost everywhere along the camino in individual packs for about 1 euro and you can also order it in 100 ml container for 6 euro from http://www.mundicamino.com.

I’ve used it before starting the day’s walk and to refresh my feet after showering. PS, the camphor and eucalyptus also help to combat boot odor!

Ultreia y suseia.
:arrow:

 

[reddrop]

Dear Jonelle,

After reading about the walk several years ago, cutting the article out of the paper and leaving it in the drawer, resurrecting it again, it is now time to go. We (my brother and I), leave Australia on the 14 April 2007 and will start the walk from St Jean on 17 April 2007

I am much older than you, but age is only a state of mind.

I hope we can meet on the way.

Best Wishes

reddrop

 

[bpondugula]

Good afternoon

Just my 2 cents. I used vaseline on my feet and I used Bridgedale liners and above that Bridgedale woollen socks. Kept my feet warm and also free of any trouble .


You can find more info about this on this forum

Regards

 

[Jonella]

Thank you for your messages!

Thanks for your messages. It was nice to notice that eventhough I haven't visited this forum for a few weeks, I still existed here =)Thank you for that. I also found myself thinking of You and this forum regularly.

I've been thinking when to leave... I planned to leave in the beginning of April, but then I heard that Easter week is very crowded. Does that mean, that the camino and refugios are crowded as well, also 500-700 kilometers away from Santiago de Compostela?

I'm getting more and more exited. I even read 4 Paulo Coelhos books in 1,5 weeks, and this is all part of my camino. =)

Happy New Year everybody!

Jonella

 

[Eleanor]

Hello Jonna from Finland.

This is Eleanor from Ireland. As you will see from my posts I hope to start at roughly the same time as you from Somport in Aragon. I wish you Buen Camino. That is good advice Lupita is giving us. It is a bit scary thinking about going alone. I hope you will love Spain and the Spaniards as much as I do. Another nice book to read is Luard, Nicholas "The Field of the Star"(Michael Joseph, London, 1998). I am reading it again at the moment.

Con cariño

 

[Eleanor]

Hi again Jonna,

Just read your change of plans. Maybe you will come to Somport? I too am reading Paulo Coelho El Perigrino de Compostella - the Spanish version of The Pilgrim. I am trying to keep my Spanish from going too rusty.

Buenos noches,

 

[Philda Benkenstein]

Hi Jonna,
My name is Philda ; from South Africa. I walked the Camino from St. Jean to Santiago on my own July 2005. My experience was that I may have started out on my own , but I was never lonely. There are so many other pilgrims walking on their own - you are bound to have as much or as little company as you wish for! Some days I walked with little groups of friends that I made along the way ; other times I just wanted to be on my own and I would just meet up with familiar faces again in the evening. I never felt threatened or scared. I am planning to walk again this year, this time with my husband and a friend. But I am so thankful that I did it on my own the first time. I had to rely on my own inner strength to pull me along on days when the going got difficult. Go for it!
Philda

 

[chrissy]

Feet and Boots

Hello Jonna,
I have walked the Camino Frances in the parts and I was lucky not to have any problems. I have to say the worst feet I ever saw was at the first couple of albergues and these were not mine. I only saw the boots and shoes some pilgrims were wearing and sometimes the distance they made. The one rule about keeping baby feet is to have comfortable trekking boots or shoes and good socks. I had trekking shoes and I had hardly any problems. They need to be worn in beforehand. I did it with the old ones 1 months walking around Santander and I currently walk in my new ones. Also take some trekking / walking poles with you.
Anyone able to read German, there is currently a nice book out there.

 

[Jonella]

Hello everyone

Thanks for your messages and book-tips! I'm getting a bit excited already, 2 months to go and I feel I haven't had enough time for practising.. Actually I have almost finished all the sport-activities in my life, I've just worked soooooooo much to finish everything necessary and to be able to leave.

I'm also happy because I just booked my flights! I will arrive to Pamplona on Tuesday 10th of April and will start my journey from there.

Do you remember what was the name of the little guidebook(let?) that is good to be taken with you? If I buy it now via internet, do you think I'll get it before it's too late?


Lots of hugs from Finland!

Jonella

 

[Anonymous]

What good feedback and advice you are getting Jonella from Finland.

Alone or with friends? With friends you can share experiences but also can end up talking about neighbours at home! also, because you turn to each other, you can support each other but you can miss all those meetings and things that happen.
I prefer travel alone as it is just you and the universe and the universe always provides - always.

Lupita - you write like an angel come down into a human body to dance upon the earth. You spread strength and goodness.

Good luck to all about to go - if you see my white van with the PilgrimSupplies logos do come and say hello - I'll be there in 5 weeks for the summer.

 

[Jonella]

Br.David,

you're absolutely right - I'm so thankful of all the beautiful advices given me in this forum. I came here feeling unsecure and a bit frightened about going alone (eventhough I've travelled alone earlier, but different kind of trips).

But here I've noticed a weird thing: it doesn't matter what I ask here, the answers are always right. They just feel right.
For example Lupitas wice words: The Camino will always provide you with what you need.
That's how it is: I noticed that I had started to give myself "work" to do on Camino (things that I have to think, learn, do, places I need to visit while there and so on...). And still... I'm not going to go there for work, I don't need to accomplish anything, I can just give myself a freedom to do what I want. Or just do nothing.

This time I'll go there with open eyes, maybe I'll see more that way.
I wish you all the good

Jonella

 

[Javier]

Buen Camino

FRom Pamplona, where I´m living, have a nice Camino.-
The next april 10- I will be walking and finished my second camino, From Ponferrada to Santiago-
Saludos

 

[Jonella]

Dear Javier,

Buen Camino to you as well!

Wow, you live in Pamplona?
Beautiful city according to some photos I've seen.
Can you please tell me (or anybody else who knows), is the airport far away from the centre? Maybe I'll just start my walking from there already, do you think it's safe?

One more question is so often asked "where to acquire the Credential?"
I read from Ivar's earlier postings, that in Pamplona you can get it from:

PAMPLONA - Albergue de peregrinos. - La Universidad de Navarra también las distribuye en el punto de información que tiene en el Edificio Central del campus universitario. :roll:

Is there many albergues in Pamplona, which one of them gives Credentials? And what does the rest of the text mean? Universitys Information center in a local campus? (I should learn some Spanish before leaving...huh)

Thanks a lot!!

Jonella