No walking experience - have just decided to go - tomorrow. Help

[Kerstinh47]

Terri -
May the sun shine warm on you as you walk, and if it doesn't - it'll come out again soon enough. Buen Camino, Peregrina

 

[newfydog]

Ernie and I wish you a great trip!
View attachment 17097

This is shameless thread drift, but the topic has run its course and we are just waiting for updates.

Some how Hemmingway and I end up running into each other....it must be shared appreciation of Hispanic culture, particularly when it involves party towns.

I found him in his favorite bar Havana, back when Americans were forbidden to travel to Cuba. He asked me to join him for a drink.


Be sure to see him in Pamplona!

 

[Kanga]

I am afraid @alexwalker my friend, your English has got you into trouble. Always difficult when it is a second language. Particularly when you are a straight talking Norwegian - our darling Norwegian exchange student was scrupulously honest; its a cultural thing. I'd ask him "Do I look fat/ugly/old" and he'd answer "Yes"! Not something mealy mouthed Americans, Australians and others of English heritage can comprehend. We disemble instead, for politeness sake.

@saltwaterpearl would you have been so offended if he had used the phrase "young cur" instead? I'm assuming it was the feminine adjective that offended, rather than just any prejorative term.

 

[Theatregal]

This has become a seriously off topic thread and perhaps Alex can explain if this is indeed something "lost in translation" or a "second language" issue. However, I must admit that the use of the words "young bitch" made me catch my breath with surprise. I would think for many women, the use of these words display disparaging contempt. In any case...I would think that pejorative terms of any kind aren't appropriate to this forum.

 

[naplesdon]

I am afraid @alexwalker my friend, your English has got you into trouble. Always difficult when it is a second language. Particularly when you are a straight talking Norwegian - our darling Norwegian exchange student was scrupulously honest; its a cultural thing. I'd ask him "Do I look fat/ugly/old" and he'd answer "Yes"! Not something mealy mouthed Americans, Australians and others of English heritage can comprehend. We disemble instead, for politeness sake.

@saltwaterpearl would you have been so offended if he had used the phrase "young cur" instead? I'm assuming it was the feminine adjective that offended, rather than just any prejorative term.

My thought this morning when I first read this thread that it has somehow morphed into the thread that was running for the past couple of weeks: "The ignorance of the English language..." Perhaps these comments could be moved there?

 

[Kanga]

Yes, @biarritzdon it does seem to fit in that thread. Moderators?

I think it is not always language. Different cultures too. My experiences with Norwegians is that they are very direct. That can be somewhat shocking. Contrast with another exchange student who stayed with us for six months, nationality I won't repeat. She said that growing up under a repressive police state, with police informers everywhere, it became routine to fabricate everything, even minor things. I would say - "You don't have to tell an elaborate story about why you don't have your textbook at school - just tell the truth, you forgot".

One of the best things our family ever did was to host exchange students.

 

[Kanga]

@Theatregal but if we had no pejorative terms how would Australians show their deep affection for their friends? "Ya silly bugga" is a love sonnet in Oz.

I can see this is getting WAY off topic. Cut me mods, I won't be offended.

Actually, I'm am curious to see how the OP is doing. Hope she is going well and posts again soon.

 

[wayfarer]

Yes this is getting way off topic, the word has been edited so there is no need to dwell on it. Try to answer the OP's question or give her encouragement.

 

[fiona99]

Ah thank you so much. That makes me feel so good. I am just having a little meltdown - you know yourself - life isn't at all easy at times and you just need a little space and time for yourself instead of always being there for others. I am actually feeling better already. Cheers!

Wow ...you go girl.....totally understand your need for "me time" same happened to me a few years ago.....bought motor home on spur of moment and lived in it for eighteen months......best time ever..once I had got over the shock of what I had done......my next escape from reality is April and camino frances. I hope with all my heart that you leave your troubles along the way and go home with a nice clear mind...enjoy each day as it comes. Buen camino

 

[newfydog]

Goodness! Are our ears so gentle here that we can't let an ex army boy speak speak like an army boy? Had my wife been there the lady would have learned words for water buffalo anatomy in Indonesian.

I heard much worse than that on the Camino, particularly one Saturday night in Sahagun where the locals screammed obscenities in the street until dawn.

I guess civil discourse is always preferrable, though give Alex credit.....he has been very concerned and helpfull here.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

My left boot seems tighter then the right one, I wonder if I am drinking enough water?


(just keeping the thread off course)

 

[alexwalker]

I think it is not always language. Different cultures too. My experiences with Norwegians is that they are very direct. That can be somewhat shocking.

First; apologize to those offended.
Kanga is spot on: Norwegians, depending a little on district, are very direct. We think it has to do with generations of living in rough nature. Words mean different things, and not as hard as for others. But let that go.

I am looking forward to an update from Terri!

 

[naplesdon]

My left boot seems tighter then the right one, I wonder if I am drinking enough water?


(just keeping the thread off course)

If the boot fits wear it.
Good luck to Terri, may she have a Buen Camino

 

[neverlost4good]

Make sure you take care of auto pay on your bills and extra meds if you have them.

 

[neverlost4good]

My Delta flight lands in T-1 in Madrid. My flight departing to Pamplona departs from T-4. Has anyone gone from T1 to T4 in Madrid? I have a 3 hour layover. Thanks!

 

[woodswoman]

Terry, welcome, do it!
In your shoes, I would just reconsider your starting point (SJPdP); why endure the complications of getting there and the physical strain to cross the Pyrrenies in a rather dicy season weatherwise. Take a train to Pamplona from Barcelona or Madrid! You can buy whatever you'll need in this town and start walking whenever you're ready. (Use Booking.com to reserve a room in the center)
Whatever you decide, have the buen camino you obviously need!

I planned to walk the camino in September of this year but right now my brain is frazzled and I need to go NOW. Have decided to fly to Paris tomorrow and then on to Pied a Port and stay there for two nights while I compose myself and make plans. Any recommendations for reasonable accommodation, single room in hotel at a reasonable price near to everything as I will need to purchase a few things. I am a 60 year old lady with very little walking experience so I intend to take it easy, possibly 15 to 20 km daily with maybe a day of rest here and there.

Well, you are already going to be in Paris, so getting to Barcelona or Madrid seems backward. But I do agree that if you start even in Roncesvalles, rather than going over the Pyrennees, that would be two-days easier. However, Terri, if you are going to do this the way you have just written, I say try to get a reservation for Orisson or Kayola (8KM out of St. Jean Pied-de-Port) and THEN take it really easily over the mountain (Ha). One way or another, take your time, and I will be thinking of you. You go, woman! (I'll be on the Norte in September, my second Camino, and I'm 68.)

One more thing already mentioned. 15-20K is NOT easy, at least not at first. John Brierley's book is excellent, and I highly recommend using it as your day-to-day guide, but don't worry about doing his "stages" as they are on each page of the book. They are just suggestions, and some are just too long for starting out. I learned that along the way, and I MADE myself take one full day and night off each week. About every six days, I'd find a room by myself and just wander around that town or city (Pamplona, Santo Domingo, Burgos, Leon, etc.) for the day, get a good bath, a good night's sleep, etc.

You will do well as long as you pay attention to your feet (blisters), your hydration, and remember this is NOT a race!! Buen Camino!

 

[Chacharm]

Goodness! Are our ears so gentle here that we can't let an ex army boy speak speak like an army boy? Had my wife been there the lady would have learned words for water buffalo anatomy in Indonesian.

I heard much worse than that on the Camino, particularly one Saturday night in Sahagun where the locals screammed obscenities in the street until dawn.

I guess civil discourse is always preferrable, though give Alex credit.....he has been very concerned and helpfull here.

I think the fact that the epithet was gender specific made it offensive. As you are not a member of the specified gender, nor of a gender that is often specified in such a manner, I can understand that you can't find the offense in it. But I can.
She clearly wasn't a "lady". People are sometimes thoughtless and selfish in albuergues and it can make a saint want to punch another person in the throat to be kept awake after a 20 km day....whether that person is male or female. And I don't think sexism is excusable by virtue of one's nationality or career or by the fact that there is plenty of offense to be found on the streets at 2 am.
On the other hand I am capable of hearing or reading offensive language and understanding that no offense was meant and not being bothered by it even if it was meant. And you're right, Alex has been quite helpful and friendly on this forum

 

[neverlost4good]

Confused

 

[Kanga]

Don't worry about it @neverlost4good - there was a scap but the moderators have done their job.

Sorry, I can't help with the transfer from T1 to T4 issue - we always take a train or bus from Madrid to places in Spain.

 

[Mark Lee]

My Delta flight lands in T-1 in Madrid. My flight departing to Pamplona departs from T-4. Has anyone gone from T1 to T4 in Madrid? I have a 3 hour layover. Thanks!

I believe there is a bus that will transfer you, and I think if you have any checked luggage you will have to retrieve that and re-check it at terminal 4.
I recommend if at all possible keep your backpack small and light enough that you can carry it on the flight.

 

[Mark Lee]

This is shameless thread drift, but the topic has run its course and we are just waiting for updates.

Some how Hemmingway and I end up running into each other....it must be shared appreciation of Hispanic culture, particularly when it involves party towns.

I found him in his favorite bar Havana, back when Americans were forbidden to travel to Cuba. He asked me to join him for a drink.
View attachment 17099 View attachment 17100

Be sure to see him in Pamplona!

and he carved up the piano at the Hotel Burguete.......

 

[alexwalker]

Have enjoyed a couple of drinks at Sloppy Joe's in Key West, and visited his house there, where it all ended...

 

[cher99840]

Have enjoyed a couple of drinks at Sloppy Joe's in Key West, and visited his house there, where it all ended...

Alex it actually ended in Idaho.

 

[alexwalker]

Very badly informed guides in Key West! We had a guided tour, which now seems like a misguided tour! Anyway, fishing was good there: Barracudas etc.

 

[cher99840]

Yep, good fishing there and he had a beautiful home. Very sad that he was so unstable.

 

[simply B]

My Delta flight lands in T-1 in Madrid. My flight departing to Pamplona departs from T-4. Has anyone gone from T1 to T4 in Madrid? I have a 3 hour layover. Thanks!

As @Mark Lee noted, there is a bus. All I had was my pack so cannot verify about re-checking luggage. A 3 -hour layover is plenty of time in any case.

B

 

[Bearbag]

The difficulty of walking over the Pyranees is greatly exaggerated, in my opinion, because everyone wants a war story. Go slow, one foot in front of the other and there you are. Buen Camino.

Cimarron (Mike) the 91 year old Pilgrim thought the Pyrenees were easy 2 years ago. He finished the Frances in just over 30 days. His quote is, "My goodness, the Pyrenees are paved almost all the way and not steep." He is a very experienced hiker having done the whole AT and another several thousand miles of AT in sections after age 80. He walks 4 miles every day. He often speaks to hiking groups and compared to the AT thinks the Camino was a piece of cake. So, there is room for debate on the difficult of this trek. That being said, anyone can die in a snowstorm and taking off over the Napoleon (or anywhere else) against bad weather is stupid.

 

[Mark Lee]

[QUOTE="Saramago, post: 282825, member: 29453"]The difficulty of walking over the Pyranees is greatly exaggerated, in my opinion, because everyone wants a war story. Go slow, one foot in front of the other and there you are. Buen Camino.[/QUOTE]
Very true.
After I had done my first Camino Frances, my cousin was telling me about a co-worker of his who had walked the Camino with his brother about one month before I did. He came back with stories of primitive living in the albergues and difficulty finding good food. I wondered if I had done the same Camino Frances?

 

[newfydog]

Cimarron (Mike) the 91 year old Pilgrim thought the Pyrenees were easy 2 years ago. He is a very experienced hiker having done the whole AT and another several thousand miles of AT in sections after age 80. He walks 4 miles every day. He often speaks to hiking groups.... So, there is room for debate on the difficult of this trek..

And so your point is what? If you are not up to the standard of the exceptional, you are exaggerating, or want a war story?

I used to have the difficult job of taking 25 geology students to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for three days of classes, and then getting them all back out. I can assure you that I would much rather have a 91 year old hiking expert than a college student on the first hike of their life.

Some people are going to find the Pyrenees difficult. Many of those people have no hiking experience, and what they need is a reasonably moderate introduction and initiation, some help and advice, and some encouragement. It may change their life.

I have a friend who recently took up exercise and has lost 30 kilos and may actually live longer than I ever thought he would. The last thing he needs is to be told that his accomplishments are minimal, that 91 year old experts find his efforts trivial, and that he is just looking for a war story.

 

[BallVice]

My Delta flight lands in T-1 in Madrid. My flight departing to Pamplona departs from T-4. Has anyone gone from T1 to T4 in Madrid? I have a 3 hour layover. Thanks!

I have done it 2x -- It is easy - there is a bus shuttle that runs from T-1 to all the terminals. T-4 is actually where the train/subway transfer station is located.

You will have PLENTY of time with that length of a lay-over.

I hope you're going to take a bus from Pamplona to SJPDP -- you really don't want to miss that part of the walk - it's amazing!

There is an AWESOME Alberque in Pamplona. It was my daughters favorite city on the entire walk.

 

[BallVice]

I planned to walk the camino in September of this year but right now my brain is frazzled and I need to go NOW. Have decided to fly to Paris tomorrow and then on to Pied a Port and stay there for two nights while I compose myself and make plans. Any recommendations for reasonable accommodation, single room in hotel at a reasonable price near to everything as I will need to purchase a few things. I am a 60 year old lady with very little walking experience so I intend to take it easy, possibly 15 to 20 km daily with maybe a day of rest here and there.

Terry - Hope you made it safe and sound. If you don't have them - get the NEW Briley book and the Michellin book.... Both are really good guides to have.

WOW- that was a quick launch - hope you're prepared with all of your kit that you will need for the weather - but be not afraid - you'll be fine.

Accomodations (I am sure) were easy for you to find - hopefully you made it to the pilgrams office in SJPDP - they do a GREAT job of taking care of pilgrams!!!

 

[Old Koot]

[QUOTE="Terri Moynihan, post: 282617, member: 44130" ... I am a 60 year old lady with very little walking experience so I intend to take it easy, possibly 15 to 20 km daily with maybe a day of rest here and there.[/QUOTE]

DO NOT GO until you have a lot of "walking experience", such as walking up to 25kms/15 miles per day, including steep inclines and carrying a pack just to condition yourself. What you don't find in these forums is the numbers of wannabe pilgrims who bag out in the first week or so, just because they weren't prepared and ready for the Camino. For my first Camino, inter-spaced with my regular local hikes, I climbed a demanding local 2000ft mountain 10 times prior to my Camino, and hard learned some lessons about protein requirements, albeit I already knew about dehydration, again hard learned from walking in the heat.

Only because I was strong, and had about 20 years or more of walking "experience" did I survive the 33 days to Santiago. All in all, at 74 years of age, it was still a learning experience, as I had never carried a backpack before, so last fall, after 12 hikes up my local mountain, I walked the Camino Francis again, doing it 'right' this time, without any blisters, and carrying only 14kg/30lbs instead of starting out with 23kg/50lbs before water and food, and carrying my pack the whole distance, then walking to Finistere and Muxia. Along the way, and especially at the beginning, I was more aware of many wannabe pilgrims dropping out due to fatigue and injuries. Even so, I plan to carry even less weight this year, all going well, walking the Camino del Norte.

The bottom line is that if you are not physically prepared and properly equipped for walking the Camino, especially at this time of year, then you're begging for major disappointment and defeat.

Rigourously train now and then walk successfully in September.

 

[newfydog]

[QUOTE="Old Koot,] doing it 'right' this time, without any blisters, and carrying only 14kg/30lbs instead of starting out with 23kg/50lbs before water and food, and carrying my pack the whole distance, , .....I was more aware of many wannabe pilgrims dropping out due to fatigue and injuries.
.[/QUOTE]

Koot, you are one tough guy! I don't even want to know what was in those packs, but I think you are on the right track in lightening the load even more---much more!

You make a really good point, that this forum does not have that many posts from people who quit and go home. I'm not sure how to change that, but it would be great if they would be more introspective and let us know how their plans changed.

We had one here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...i-am-leaving-the-camino-after-tomorrow.15509/

More threads like that would help us immensely.

 

[admarb]

Ok everyone, I have decided to take your advice and start in Pamplona. Leaving tomorrow instead of today because of change in starting point. Have booked a hotel in Madrid for two nights and then on to Pamplona where I hope to purchase the necessary equipment. Thank you for that link to the store . I am nervous and excited at the same time but know with certainty that this is my time to do it. Will keep you posted on how I fare. Thank you all for your good wishes and advice and I wish everyone else who is presently walking or intending to walk the camino a pleasant and safe journey. Cheers

Hi Terri,
Good decision taking account of your present conditions.
I hope you enjoy Pamplona as my son and I did when we stayed there. Buen Camino.

 

[smj6]

Yes this is getting way off topic, the word has been edited so there is no need to dwell on it. Try to answer the OP's question or give her encouragement.

She's probably been scared off!! ;-)))))

 

[neverlost4good]

I'm actually flying out of T4 to Pamplona and then am picked up by Corazon Puro! I'm so nervous.

 

[neverlost4good]

She's probably been scared off!! ;-)))))

Can't get rid of me that easy! lol

 

[mitch237uk]

Terri Moynihan, does anyone know if her journey has started, and how she is doing. I am curious has to how she is and how she is managing. When some one posts asking advice like Terri its great to know how it all went IMHO. Yes she may not return to the forum till she has got home but I am still asking just in case, so forgive me my curiosity.

 

[yolanda Mejia]

Terri Moynihan, does anyone know if her journey has started, and how she is doing. I am curious has to how she is and how she is managing. When some one posts asking advice like Terri its great to know how it all went IMHO. Yes she may not return to the forum till she has got home but I am still asking just in case, so forgive me my curiosity.

I keep thinking about her also, I hope she is doing well.

 

[mazgirl]

Terri - take each day as it comes and enjoy the beauty that will surround you as you walk
Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Ok everyone, I have decided to take your advice and start in Pamplona. Leaving tomorrow instead of today because of change in starting point.

How is it going? Buen camino.