Talking and walking

[BonitaHolland]

I'm interested in what others chat about and how the themes change the further along the Camino you walk....I'm walking with a friend joined by various others at times ... early themes included back-pack 'management' issues,blisters, lost items, items gained, knees, shoulders, water, cold/heat, distances, snoring, booking forward.....etc in other words the practical stuff. However after a bit new themes have taken over- we had a day discussing what it was to be 'kind' another day we talked about empathy another day the themes were somewhat existentialist (birth life death) and today we discussed themes in Shakespeare plays and then the Iliad and Odyssey.... And in the middle up popped Sylvia Plath....last night it was the science of global warming and just today in a cafe the political systems in USA and other countries...tonight the theme was Australian politics!

 

[Felipe]

Explaining cultural peculiarites (how can people in Munich drink so much beer?) seems to be also an old favorite.
On the other side, there are also topics to avoid....especially politics and religion. And with Spaniards, I don't speak about soccer before being sure if my fellow walker is a fan of Real Madrid or Barça. Well, there is always the sure option of the "compos" (I mean, the Compostela, currently playing in Third Division).

 

[simeon]

silence is sometimes the best conversation.....

 

[AJ]

silence is sometimes the best conversation.....

Hear, hear!!

 

[RobertS26]

I think what gets talked about depends on who you are walking with at the time.

I had a great discussion about persistence with Patty, a librarian from Seattle who was walking to celebrate beating cancer and a severe stroke. She drug her right foot all 800 kilometers to Santiago. But she made it with a joyous smile.

Then I had a great discussion with a recently retired music studio president. Ever walked with someone who has Bono's and Paul McCartney's personal cell phone numbers in his cell phone?

Then there was the great discussion about grace and forgiveness I had with a man from Australia who was walking to forgive himself for a lifetime of misdeeds.

But my favorite discussion was with a beautiful woman from Frankfurt who told me about her dream to bring clean drinking water to the villages of Eritrea. I liked talking with her so much that I married her.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

As much as one may think the Camino is about introspection and seeing the light, it is about how every single step feels like.

I have walked the C. with all sorts of things to think about but, in the end, all those topics went away and I walked "in the moment", not by earthly values but reality kicking in.

Great big ideas are quickly out the door, as you are consumed by conversation with those walking with you, or managing the pain.

Honnestly, I believe many hope their Camino will be a walking meditation, but that would be very difficult to attain, even with practice. So why not take those expecation down a notch or two and deal with what one is experiencing and not thinking they should.

The C. reallyis a pain, day after day, in the feet, and the rest of the body.

 

[MTtoCamino]

As much as one may think the Camino is about introspection and seeing the light, it is about how every single step feels like.

I have walked the C. with all sorts of things to think about but, in the end, all those topics went away and I walked "in the moment", not by earthly values but reality kicking in.

Great big ideas are quickly out the door, as you are consumed by conversation with those walking with you, or managing the pain.

Honnestly, I believe many hope their Camino will be a walking meditation, but that would be very difficult to attain, even with practice. So why not take those expecation down a notch or two and deal with what one is experiencing and not thinking they should.

The C. reallyis a pain, day after day, in the feet, and the rest of the body.

Seems we all have things in common to discuss, Yet I found that I live in my own bubble, Funny how some discussions of others life experience such as monthlong sessions of meditation others do was something I had never considered

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Honnestly, I believe many hope their Camino will be a walking meditation, but that would be very difficult to attain, even with practice. So why not take those expecation down a notch or two and deal with what one is experiencing and not thinking they should.

Actually, for me, that is the essence of walking meditation... no expectation, present in the moment whatever that may be, no judgement, just walking with awareness of what is...

My teachers kicked me off my comfortable cushions in the peaceful gompa years ago and told me that I'd 'practiced enough'...

...and in response to the OP - literature, poetry, car restoration, politics, refugees, pilgrimages, accommodation, weather, Spanish language, religion, politics, treks around the world, airlines, airline strikes, Paris, air traffic controller strikes, menu del dia, sangria recipes, customs ie habits & airport, SNCF trains, vino Tinto, hobbit houses ie bodegas, politics, blisters, boots, backpacks, raincoats, trekking poles, Santiago, credentials, Sarria, albergues, are we lost? yellow arrows, gps, mile/km markers, graffiti, rubbish, politics, crowds, cows, witches, holy grail, cathedrals, architecture....

As @RobertS26 described, it all depended on who you were walking with. It was wonderful to be able to discuss other country's issues with locals and gain a firsthand perspective and understanding. It really reinforced the saying that there is as much that unites us as divides us.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I envy gou. My monkey mimd go

Actually, for me, that is the essence of walking meditation... no expectation, present in the moment whatever that may be, no judgement, just walking with awareness of what is...

My teachers kicked me off my comfortable cushions in the peaceful gompa years ago and told me that I'd 'practiced enough'..

I envy you. My monkey mi d takes to my foot pain and I cannot keep the monkey on it and leave me alone. Until I pick a scent, a colour, bit that is far from being a gap.

 

[domigee]

I'm interested in what others chat about

Nothing! That's why I appreciate the company of my 'walking mate' so much!

Joke apart....Shared dinner with 2 French girls one evening.... Apparently every morning they decided on a topic to discuss as they walked, I have forgotten the exact themes but they were very like the Philosophy papers questions of the French Baccalaureate
Made us feel very inadequate as our exchanges usually extend to - as we spot a bar - 'We stop for coffee? 'yeah, would be rude not to'

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

I envy gou. My monkey mimd go



I envy you. My monkey mi d takes to my foot pain and I cannot keep the monkey on it and leave me alone. Until I pick a scent, a colour, bit that is far from being a gap.

I always thought my sitting meditation should be undertaken in a 'Do Not Disturb' zone of quiet and calm in a suitable setting and my walking meditation in unspoiled natural surroundings with appropriate ambient background sounds.

I can still hear my teacher's loud laughter at my retreat interview. Tears were rolling down his cheeks! When he could finally speak, he spurted out 'too easy!' and proceeded to tell me that my meditation was in and of this world not 'out of it!' - more uncontrolled laughter!

As I've posted, I walked the Camino with what was later diagnosed as a foot fracture (NOT recommended!). Sometimes there was pain from this as well as my other ailments and the weariness of a day on the road... where I differ is that I learnt that going into and towards the pain was my meditation... discovering it, befriending it and then experiencing it transmute to something other but still a part of me as opposed to apart from me.

Another teacher taught me to exhaust my monkey mind by letting it run and feeding it more and more. Eventually it would just quieten in a corner and sleep it all off, leaving me with all the blessed space between.

PS this was also a much often discussed topic along my Camino.

 

[Deleted member 12253]

I'm interested in what others chat about and how the themes change the further along the Camino you walk....I'm walking with a friend joined by various others at times ... early themes included back-pack 'management' issues,blisters, lost items, items gained, knees, shoulders, water, cold/heat, distances, snoring, booking forward.....etc in other words the practical stuff. However after a bit new themes have taken over- we had a day discussing what it was to be 'kind' another day we talked about empathy another day the themes were somewhat existentialist (birth life death) and today we discussed themes in Shakespeare plays and then the Iliad and Odyssey.... And in the middle up popped Sylvia Plath....last night it was the science of global warming and just today in a cafe the political systems in USA and other countries...tonight the theme was Australian politics!

Silence is golden. With all the different languages you might walks days to speak one word of English never mind conversation. On Camino you walk eat sleep drink mostly vino

 

[Kitsambler]

I recall, one fiercely hot day in September a few nights before SJPP in France, we distracted ourselves by discussing the coldest places we had ever been in our lives. Harrowing stories - and it helped!

 

[Rosalinda]

We walked from Sarria to Santiago with our two kids last year. Two conversations I remember them having was one day they talked about soccer and another one was wrestling (WWE). My kids were 11 and 13yrs. old. Keeping them engaged in conversation helped them forget how tired they were.

 

[JeepsNRoses]

One of the books I read made it sound as though every person one meets asks 'why are you walking the Camino?' Is this really the case? If so, does everyone or most everyone expect a heartfelt profound answer, or is it more like an office 'hi how are you?' Although I should add that after working in France where my American team was called out for being rude, I did learn to stop and listen to the response.

 

[BonitaHolland]

It's a

One of the books I read made it sound as though every person one meets asks 'why are you walking the Camino?' Is this really the case? If so, does everyone or most everyone expect a heartfelt profound answer, or is it more like an office 'hi how are you?' Although I should add that after working in France where my American team was called out for being rude, I did learn to stop and listen to the response.

It's a question that can be asked once a relationship is established I believe. At the beginning eg Orisson it was a 'standard' question but 20 days in it's a more carefully considered question with greater sensitivity in asking it perhaps. Well this has been my experience.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

One of the books I read made it sound as though every person one meets asks 'why are you walking the Camino?' Is this really the case? If so, does everyone or most everyone expect a heartfelt profound answer, or is it more like an office 'hi how are you?' Although I should add that after working in France where my American team was called out for being rude, I did learn to stop and listen to the response.

That us Americans, always cutting to the chase...After being reprimanded on the Norte by a group of senior citizens, I never again forgot to preface "excuse me" with "good morning, how are you [pause for answer]"
sometimes (not often) I was asked why I walked...but I purposely walked paths with less pilgrims, so less chance of the question. I was more often asked if/why I as a female was walking alone. I think my answer to "why do you walk" would not be one that anyone asking hasn't heard before....sometimes, perigrinos would volunteer their reason....a trend appeared that "i'm on a spiritual quest" meant they would pester me until I lost them....I blame that stupid German book..

 

[SYates]

One of the books I read made it sound as though every person one meets asks 'why are you walking the Camino?' Is this really the case? If so, does everyone or most everyone expect a heartfelt profound answer, or is it more like an office 'hi how are you?' ...

Sigh, yes, it happens that people who literally met you 30 seconds ago ask this. My usual polite answer was in that case 'I hope to find that out before reaching Santiago.'

I was more than happy to speak about my motivation with other pilgrims that I had learned to know and that had learned to know me - but after only 30 seconds of acquaintance?

Buen Camino, SY

 

[GettingThere]

When my mother and I walked the Camino Frances last year, one of the questions most frequently directed to her was "How old are you?" Yes, really! It was slightly bizarre - most commonly (but not exclusively) asked by Spanish men, for some reason - often followed by "Can I take your photo/have a photo taken with you?". My (not entirely serious) conclusion was that it was so rare for them to see a woman with white hair that she was a curiosity! But the same question came from people of other nationalities too, and all within minutes (or less) of meeting. Mum has long had a policy of not telling people her age, because she believes people then instantly make assumptions based on it - which in fact people were already doing. One particularly insistent woman said "But we want to know because it will inspire us!" Well, she found it annoying, on the whole, and quite rude. She didn't give her age when asked, but practised various responses along the lines of "A gentleman never asks a lady her age" and her own grandmother's favourite, "As old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth" (that one doesn't really translate, we found!). Of course she's too polite to say "Mind your own %*!# business!" When we return next year she'll be 2 years older and might just decide to celebrate it and tell everyone who asks, but that will be up to her!

 

[Marion-SantiagoInLove]

Hi! I usually started not chatting at all, as there were no one walking where I began my Ways.

Then, basic everyday and Camino-related chat. Also classic topics as politics and others cultural fine anecdotes. But mostly, spiritual chats and laughs.
I'm not surprised anymore to be asked why I do the Camino pretty quickly, or to talk about deep/high/very personal topics after a basic "hi" without even knowing the other's person's name. Not about being rude, the chat just goes that way.
I also go the "age" question a lot and I usually have a good laugh with it. I don't mind spilling the beans, because I truly believe age doesn't matter. Some are old and have a young mind/spirit, some are young and have and old mind/spirit. As for me, I sincerely have trouble remembering mine. It changes every year, did you know??

@Anemone del Camino , you seem to have had a tough Camino...

I hear that but can't agree to the statement Camino=pain or even being a pilgrim=suffering (which made an (imo) infamous TShirt). I had pain too, but it was not the Way, it was me. To me, our body and its health is the material reflection of what's happening to us at another level. The Camino is only a place where we can't cheat with what is going on in our mind/emotions/spirit/life and it's reflected in our bodies. I'm not saying it's our fault if there's pain, only that our troubles are only a way we have to chat... with ourselves.
Which leads to meditation I believe it has 2 meanings: a state of being and a technique to use to get there. I agree, the Camino itself can't be a state of mind. However, it can be a mean to get to a certain state of mind. The technique starts to calm down the surface, but it really starts to be efficient when on hits his-her shadows... The idea then is to accept, embrace and love them to the point they disappear and let you in this peaceful state of mind we all long for.
So, the Camino is exactly a meditation, a very easy one to get into. It's only that, like Richard simply puts it: "if you want to get to the castle, you've got to swim the moat". Funny enough (?), we tend to remember "the universe will rush in and fill you with more love you ever dreamed". We'll get there... after we've done our work. Let's hang in there, it's worth it!
The Camino is a living meditation room, teaching us to truly meditate "in the real world"... Hard, but amazing!
Buen Camino!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

When my mother and I walked the Camino Frances last year, one of the questions most frequently directed to her was "How old are you?" Yes, really! It was slightly bizarre - most commonly (but not exclusively) asked by Spanish men, for some reason - often followed by "Can I take your photo/have a photo taken with you?". My (not entirely serious) conclusion was that it was so rare for them to see a woman with white hair that she was a curiosity! But the same question came from people of other nationalities too, and all within minutes (or less) of meeting. Mum has long had a policy of not telling people her age, because she believes people then instantly make assumptions based on it - which in fact people were already doing. One particularly insistent woman said "But we want to know because it will inspire us!" Well, she found it annoying, on the whole, and quite rude. She didn't give her age when asked, but practised various responses along the lines of "A gentleman never asks a lady her age" and her own grandmother's favourite, "As old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth" (that one doesn't really translate, we found!). Of course she's too polite to say "Mind your own %*!# business!" When we return next year she'll be 2 years older and might just decide to celebrate it and tell everyone who asks, but that will be up to her!

I would have answered "eighteen"

 

[Nanc]

The longer we have been on the Camino, the less important and relevant the question. (Why do you walk) And therefore, less asked.

The longer we have walked, the less the experience can be reduced to a sound byte.

The longer I have walked, the more silent, aware, present, and, almost, waiting I have become
Nanc

 

[JeepsNRoses]

I would have answered "eighteen"

I was blessed with anti aging genes and have a child like voice. Until recent years I loved telling my age because of the positive response. Now that 'things' are more in sync, except the voice, I respond, 'old enough to do what I want and young enough to enjoy it'. Pretty soon I will probably add 'and old enough to forget I did it the next day'.

 

[Stripey Socks]

I'm interested in what others chat about and how the themes change the further along the Camino you walk....I'm walking with a friend joined by various others at times ... early themes included back-pack 'management' issues,blisters, lost items, items gained, knees, shoulders, water, cold/heat, distances, snoring, booking forward.....etc in other words the practical stuff. However after a bit new themes have taken over- we had a day discussing what it was to be 'kind' another day we talked about empathy another day the themes were somewhat existentialist (birth life death) and today we discussed themes in Shakespeare plays and then the Iliad and Odyssey.... And in the middle up popped Sylvia Plath....last night it was the science of global warming and just today in a cafe the political systems in USA and other countries...tonight the theme was Australian politics!

The conversations - both short or long - was really the highlight of my first camino. I loved that there was an instant connection, even if it was just commiserate about blisters. I have never done anything before where such a diverse group of people all had a roughly similar common goal ie. reach Santiago. It didn't matter if they were going to walk it in record breaking time or over a wonderfully leisurely 6 weeks - we instantly knew what the other was experiencing - the good and the bad.

I tried to capture some of this in my blog post (https://melsonebigadventure.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/talking-the-camino/) but doubt that I will ever be able to do it justice. It is something that just has to be experienced - physically and personally.

Subsequent caminos have been less populated but no less enjoyable. You just need to look for and enjoy the special things in each day. Sorry if that sounds a bit wafty but I find it handy to think like especially if I have been walking in the rain for the previous 5 hours!! ;-)

Happy walking AND talking everyone!