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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

The different feelings second time around and possible pitfalls?

Mark2012

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2012, 2014) Camino Finisterre (2012, 2013, 2014) Camino Portugues (2013), Camino del Norte (2015)
I walked the Camino Frances from St Jean in May/June 2012, and recently confirmed my flights for doing so again in July/August of this year.

I'll be flying into Biarritz on July 2, staying at Auberge du Pelerin in St Jean that night, starting my walk the next day, stopping at Orisson overnight before reaching Roncesvalles, and then letting the path take me where it will.

I wouldn't say that I feel anxious about the prospect of the walk, I've done it before, after all. But if I feel any anxiety at all, it relates directly to that very fact. I know it will be a mistake if I undertake the walk constantly in comparison mode, since so much of what makes the Camino so special is the people you meet along the way. I have many fond memories of moments and nights spent with the many wonderful people I met first time around, but I'm aware that it would be unwise to tell myself that I must stop in town X for the night because I had such a good time there in 2012. Generally speaking, after the first few days, my working plan is to try to stop at different albergues and/or different towns wherever feasible, so as to avoid the possible "curse of comparisons".

It seems to me that the tendency to compare is an occupational hazard with walking the Frances (or any other route) a second time, but I don't want to find myself spending too much time in 2014 thinking about 2012, as that would certainly defeat one of the purposes of the Camino - constantly being present in the moment and aware of your surroundings.

I know that walking the same path a second time will take away that sense of newness attached to the first experience, and that's unavoidable to a certain extent, though perhaps all it will take to make things seem new is slightly different weather and perhaps foliage appearing differently in high summer as opposed to early summer.

All in all, I'm sure I'll have another amazing experience, but I'm curious as to what advice long-time walkers would offer to avoid the tendency to compare one walking experience with another and if there are any common potential pitfalls associated with walking the same Camino a second time, and if so how to look to circumvent/pre-empt them?

Thanks in advance!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Never compare; simply smile as you recall. Every time is a new time.

"The end of one journey is simply the start of another. You have to see what you missed the first time, see again what you already saw, see in springtime what you saw in summer, in daylight what you saw at night, see the sun shining where you saw the rain falling, see crops growing, the fruit ripen, the stone which has moved, the shadow that was not there before. You have to go back to the footsteps already taken, to go over them again or add fresh ones alongside them. You have to start the journey anew. Always"
Jose Saramago, A Journey to Portugal

MM
 
You cannot avoid comparing. It will go away (mostly). Special places often are special because of people, weather, and your physical state. They all change, so special places won't be so special except in your mind. You know this, so you are as prepared as you can be. One advantage: you can skip the places you REALLY did not like. I swear every time that I won't walk down from the Iron Cross, but still get lured into it. I will have the choice again next time; I'll see what I do!!!
 
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You cannot avoid comparing. It will go away (mostly). Special places often are special because of people, weather, and your physical state. They all change, so special places won't be so special except in your mind. You know this, so you are as prepared as you can be. One advantage: you can skip the places you REALLY did not like. I swear every time that I won't walk down from the Iron Cross, but still get lured into it. I will have the choice again next time; I'll see what I do!!!

Sound advice. Mercifully, the list of places that I really did not like is extremely short. One albergue springs to mind (the hospitalero, to be more precise!) and the looooong trudge through industrial hell when walking into either Logrono or Burgos... or possibly both! I won't jump on a bus to avoid that, though. While I won't look forward to it, and being aware of it first-hand is almost worse than being warned about what to expect, I like the idea of being conveyed solely by my feet from that first step in St Jean until the very last one into Santiago or when I get on a bus the morning after arriving at Finisterre or Muxia. I find that it can be quite hard to "explain" the Camino to friends and family, but eyes always light up with a combination of understanding and an appreciation for how different it is to the so-called "real world" when I say that from the afternoon of May 21 to the morning of June 27 in 2012, I walked 920 km (ish) and my sole (!) mode of transport during that time was my feet.
 
Hi Mark - i walked in 2012 as well.Had a great time and plan to go again next year and my only worry is trying to repeat something that can't be repeated.
I can hardly wait.
KiwiDave
 
This is a good thread. Thanks for bringing up the subject. I struggle with letting go of trying to plan ways to make sure it is different the second time without missing those things I loved the first time. Letting go; that is my mantra for this Camino. We will see how that pans out.

Rambler
 
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I walked the Camino Frances from St Jean in May/June 2012, and recently confirmed my flights for doing so again in July/August of this year.
I'll be flying into Biarritz on July 2, staying at Auberge du Pelerin in St Jean that night, starting my walk the next day, stopping at Orisson overnight before reaching Roncesvalles, and then letting the path take me where it will.
I wouldn't say that I feel anxious about the prospect of the walk, I've done it before, after all. But if I feel any anxiety at all, it relates directly to that very fact. I know it will be a mistake if I undertake the walk constantly in comparison mode, since so much of what makes the Camino so special is the people you meet along the way. I have many fond memories of moments and nights spent with the many wonderful people I met first time around, but I'm aware that it would be unwise to tell myself that I must stop in town X for the night because I had such a good time there in 2012. Generally speaking, after the first few days, my working plan is to try to stop at different albergues and/or different towns wherever feasible, so as to avoid the possible "curse of comparisons".
It seems to me that the tendency to compare is an occupational hazard with walking the Frances (or any other route) a second time, but I don't want to find myself spending too much time in 2014 thinking about 2012, as that would certainly defeat one of the purposes of the Camino - constantly being present in the moment and aware of your surroundings.
I know that walking the same path a second time will take away that sense of newness attached to the first experience, and that's unavoidable to a certain extent, though perhaps all it will take to make things seem new is slightly different weather and perhaps foliage appearing differently in high summer as opposed to early summer.
All in all, I'm sure I'll have another amazing experience, but I'm curious as to what advice long-time walkers would offer to avoid the tendency to compare one walking experience with another and if there are any common potential pitfalls associated with walking the same Camino a second time, and if so how to look to circumvent/pre-empt them?
Thanks in advance!
My worries, precisely, so I'll follow up the answers and advise your thread is getting. Please also give us your report after completion of your 2nd. Buen Camino
 
My worries, precisely, so I'll follow up the answers and advise your thread is getting. Please also give us your report after completion of your 2nd. Buen Camino

Will do! Won't be long now - 36 days until I'm back in St Jean!
 
The weather...the fellow Pilgrims..will be different. Simply changing your stage stops will create a very different experience.

I found that I did remember the trail ahead and knew what was coming most of the time. Not always a good thing. :).

I also do not use any transportation (so far) and just try not to think too much about upcoming stretches that I remember as less than ideal. :(
 
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I walked the Camino last summer and will walk it again this summer.
I just figure anything really cool that was worth doing once, is worth doing twice. ;)
Why dwell on whether or not you will enjoy it? If I had even the slightest doubt I would not enjoy walking the Camino again, I simply would not do it, and spend the money on a trip somewhere else.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
All good advice. As much as possible try to think of it as a continuation of your previous pilgrimage rather than a repeat. It invites fewer comparisons. As Falcon says the weather and people will be different, amongst other things. When I walked the CF the second time I hoped my real favourite places were as beautiful as they were the first time and I was lucky that the weather etc permitted! However I also found new favourite places where maybe the weather, my mood, the company (or lack of it) made for a different and often better experience. The first time round the challenge in my mind was to get to Santiago in one piece, but in subsequent Caminos it has been increasingly to live in the moment and enjoy the moment.
 
My biggest worry is that when I return next year I will be walking with my husband. I have to get my head around the fact that I will have more than just me to think about. It will be very different Camino.
 
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Hi Mark, I understand your feelings exactly. I walked my first CF in 2003 and in 2008 was well underway with my preparations for a second time (only a few weeks prior to my departure). I too was feeling a bit apprehensive about ‘repeating’.
While shopping for a book as a birthday gift for a friend, a stray book fell off the shelf next to me - it was Tony Kevin’s book on the Via de la Plata. I bought it, read it cover to cover in a few hours and knew at that point I had to change my plans and take a different path. I did it - even though my planning was pretty rushed and information at that time was sparse. It was exactly what I needed. The VdlP is still my favouraite and I plan to walk it again this Sept/Oct (via the Portuguese variant). It’s never too late to change.
Whatever route you walk, it will be exactly what you need and you will always return the better for it. Buen Camino! Grace
 
Have you considered walking a different route? There are so many trails going to Santiago. I've been Camino-ing for 13 years and never done the same one twice - for the very reasons you describe! You still have time to change your reservations, or you could start as you've planned from St Jean through Roncescalles and then take the detour up to the Norte. The great advantage, as you're travelling in July, is that the Norte is a little cooler and very handy for a dip in the ocean
 
Since I'm not quite the same person I was last year - prior to walking my first Camino - I'm looking forward to a different one this time - but with a few similarities...
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
For me it is the journey itself that is important and whilst there are many wonderful memories of a past Camino I now fully understand what my journey has to be. So I have explored other Caminos and my journey now centres on commencing in Le Puy en Valey. Whilst all those I meet and share the journey with are important for my journey, what I really seek on each Camino is my inner journey. The Camino changed me more than I ever thought possible. I like the person I discovered in myself, it took me a lifetime to discover but only one journey to find me. So why do I continue to go onwards. Simply to give thanks for my discovery.
 
I found that I did remember the trail ahead and knew what was coming most of the time. Not always a good thing. :).

I also do not use any transportation (so far) and just try not to think too much about upcoming stretches that I remember as less than ideal. :(

So true. Just reading that post made me flashback to the 10km or so of forest-type terrain between Villafranca and San Juan de Ortega. I had started from Ages (I think) that morning, and by the time I reached Villafranca was slightly low on water. I mistakenly thought there would be a couple of fuente opportunities between there and San Juan, and so did not top up my cannister before heading into the woods. What followed was a very difficult few hours that felt like a lot longer. I was down to the dregs of my water very early on, and so had to ration it so carefully as to barely drink any at all (you know the old truism, never drink your last drop!), and did not see another living soul until I reached San Juan.

This time around I'll make sure I'm at maximum on the water front moving on from Villafranca!
 
Have you considered walking a different route? There are so many trails going to Santiago. I've been Camino-ing for 13 years and never done the same one twice - for the very reasons you describe! You still have time to change your reservations, or you could start as you've planned from St Jean through Roncescalles and then take the detour up to the Norte. The great advantage, as you're travelling in July, is that the Norte is a little cooler and very handy for a dip in the ocean

I walked the Portugues from just outside Porto last year, and while I certainly enjoyed it, I found there were aspects of the Frances mood and atmosphere that I missed. This year will probably be my last chance to walk a full, long Camino for the foreseeable future, and so, when reflecting upon the Frances in 2012 and Portugues in 2013, I decided, having previously considered the Norte and via de la Plata for this year, to go with the Frances again, knowing that decision would bring advantages and disadvantages with it, but feeling overall that it will "suit" me better... if that makes any sense!
 
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So you have been thinking it through and it makes sense to you which is what you have to be comfortable with. So my fellow forum member go with the grace of your fellow forum members and enjoy the Spirit of the Camino knowing that there are many of us who will walk with you.
Blessing and buen camino.
 
I completed my first pilgrimage in 2012 by cycling from Dieppe, France to Leon and walking the rest of the way to Santiago. I am going back in August to walk from Irun or Bilbao to Granon to work as hospitalera. Then I think I'll walk to Leon and head up to the Primativo and walk to Santiago. That will be different... How could it not be. What I need to leave behind is my agenda and expectations......
 
I walked the Frances from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela in Oct. 2012. I will walk it again with my fiancee next Spring and have no doubt that it will be different. Once I became convinced that I could complete the journey, I fell into the trap of seeing how fast I could complete the journey and that was a mistake. Though it was one the greatest pleasures of my life, there was much that I missed. I will savor the experience and companionship with a different perspective this time around. Buen Camino
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
First, let me say I am jealous... but in a good way! I envy that you are literally counting down the days until you go for a second time. I walked from SJPP in 2011 and again from Geneva the following year. I also had the same concerns you talk about. In fact, I seriously contemplated stopping when I finally arrived in SJPP after crossing France in 2012... Thank goodness I didn't. It was wonderful. Fantastic. Different from the previous year. While you walk, you will remember the people and moments of the previous year... but it will be a new experience in every other way. Indeed, I felt a positive warmth and excitement, turning the corner and seeing a familiar sight... or knowing that there was a wonderful vista coming up.

So for me, it was not about making comparisons. You are a different person, the people around you are different, and you will see, notice and experience different things this time around.

I am planning to go again next year.

Enjoy! Buen Camino.
 
Like all I walked last year and going back again in September, I was ill for a major part before being hospitalised when I reached 108 ks to go, so a lot of the second half I drifted in and out of my head but now I can see it clearly and enjoy stopping in different towns.

Trevor
 
My first Camino was in 2011. I returned again, this time with friends I met on my first Camino, and it was totally different. In fact, my second one did not go as planned (if one can ever really PLAN a Camino). I had serious knee issues, I started off with bronchitis, I changed my plans and stayed in a friend's albergue being an hospitalera, I rejoined the group at a later place and time, and things were ... not at all like before. My third time I opted to return solo, and had a medical situation that sent me back home a mere 2 weeks after my arrival, AND this last Camino was in honor of my oldest sister who passed away a month before my departure. I still have more than 500 km to complete my third camino, and I will do this next August (2015) and I know it will be different than all the others.

I think this is the beauty of returning - - although the familiar is there (albergues, cities, villages, certain restaurants, certain portions of road) there is new to see each single time. I feel that the Camino will always be part of my yearly travel, and this as long as I can walk.

If anything, I learned to worry less from Camino to Camino, and to pack less. Returning is a true privilege that many opt to experience.
Wishing everyone a buen camino, be it for the first time, or repeat time.
 
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Every Camino is different. Why? Well many of the reasons are as stated above; weather; time of year; companions; places stayed, but above all YOU! I walked the Frances again this year and saw such beauty that I had not seen before. For which of these reasons I don't know. However, I did find my mindset to be a bit different, a bit more relaxed about what I was doing and not doing. I also chose to walk the alternatives that I had not previously walked. I often stayed in different towns. I too hate the industrial walks into Burgos and Leon and caught a bus into the later as I think that approach is the worst of the two (marginally). I chose to stay two nights in Carrion to watch the Monaco F1 and well as the Athletico/Real match. So I had let go of the need to say to myself "I must do this/that". I left the Frances at Leon to walk the San Salvador (great experience). I had planned to then walk the Primitivo but didn't. I am returning, not to complete my original plan but to finish the Frances. Why? because that's what I now want to do. I have become more flexible in my attitude after the last walk. Why? Why now and not during/after previous Caminos? I don't know, we change in so many ways each time so maybe this was my time to change in this way? Enjoy your time again. Don't worry about it. It will be a different and just as good (maybe even better) experience I am sure. Buen Camino.
 
One of the special things about re-walking some parts of my 2008 route in 2012 was the memories I had attached to being with certain people in certain places. At those places I would often stop and think of them, and be grateful for the time we had shared together. It was a precious thing.

The other revelation was that weather is a huge factor in our memories of a place. The first time I nearly got hypothermia on Day 1 of the Aubrac Plateau, and could see very little due to the mist on Day 2. But in 2012 I had to make sure I kept drinking so as not to get dehydrated in the heat! Both times were special, treasured times- but how very different the circumstances.

Margaret
 
I wish i had a good answer, but having just finished my first Camino Frances, I'm no expert on a second. However, i was thrilled to realize that my sister will be in Orisson the same night you are. She has never been out of the U.S. and is nervous and excited about her Camino. I'm glad she'll have an experienced pilgrim at the table on her first evening.(Her name is Tammy and she's from the Detroit area.)
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
So true. Just reading that post made me flashback to the 10km or so of forest-type terrain between Villafranca and San Juan de Ortega. I had started from Ages (I think) that morning, and by the time I reached Villafranca was slightly low on water. I mistakenly thought there would be a couple of fuente opportunities between there and San Juan, and so did not top up my cannister before heading into the woods. What followed was a very difficult few hours that felt like a lot longer. I was down to the dregs of my water very early on, and so had to ration it so carefully as to barely drink any at all (you know the old truism, never drink your last drop!), and did not see another living soul until I reached San Juan.

This time around I'll make sure I'm at maximum on the water front moving on from Villafranca!
Yes it definitely is a place where you need plenty of water! This year it was quite hot as we walked it in May, but I would rather have it like that than last year where it was a sea of mud and taxing to say the least!. BTW Ages is after St Juan. It is a quite little village with a lovely bar/shop playing jazz.
 
My biggest worry is that when I return next year I will be walking with my husband. I have to get my head around the fact that I will have more than just me to think about. It will be very different Camino.
Carol,
I know exactly (well not really!) how you feel. My wife joined me last fall for the stretch from Sarria to Santiago. Starting about two days before her arrival I could feel the transition. It's not something to worry about, it just is! All the elements of a good marriage refocus. It will be as different as Mark's will be. Buen Camino
 
Mark

As you begin your journey I believe all these concerns you have will fall to the side I am sure. New year, new people and now just wiser. I think it is nearly impossible to enjoy all the Camino has to offer in one trip.


Buen Camino
 
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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.
My biggest worry is that when I return next year I will be walking with my husband. I have to get my head around the fact that I will have more than just me to think about. It will be very different Camino.
Terry said that his 2nd Camino (with me) was very different, as he was expecting it to be. We put some of our 2011 post Camino thoughts etc here 'Walking with a Companion' and many others have added very helpful posts. It was meant specifically for folk walking with a spouse or very close long term friend rather than finding a 'Camino family' companion.
Buen Camino
 
My biggest worry is that when I return next year I will be walking with my husband. I have to get my head around the fact that I will have more than just me to think about. It will be very different Camino.
So am I, same thoughts..... Will he walk faster than me, do we have to talk, could he carry my poncho etc.? He is starting four weeks before me so when we meet up hopefully he will either be tired or built up reserves so he can carry my backpack!!

But having said all that, will I have the same spirit of the Camino that I had last time when I had only me to share it with. Difficult to explain....
May 2015 here I come again... Starting Poblacion de los Campos...
 
Yes it definitely is a place where you need plenty of water! This year it was quite hot as we walked it in May, but I would rather have it like that than last year where it was a sea of mud and taxing to say the least!. BTW Ages is after St Juan. It is a quite little village with a lovely bar/shop playing jazz.

Yes, I had a feeling I was a bit off with the Ages reference. The night before the haul through the forest was actually spent in Belorado. It's odd I would get that wrong, given that the Belorado night was one of my best (and longest!). That came back to haunt me a little bit after Villafranca!
 
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Earlier this month I walked the section from SJPDP to Logrono again having previously walked this in 2012 and I had a great time. I changed my route slightly by doing the Route Napoleon to Roncesvalles and by also walking the alternate route via Luquin instead of Monjardin but apart from that it was the exact same. Some of the route I remembered clearly and other parts I didn't remember at all. I mostly stayed in the same towns as first time and in some cases even stayed in the same alberques. The bar in Larrasoana was even open this time around and there was a new supermarket also so being able to get some dinner and have a beer or two was quite an improvement on my first time here!

I wouldn't be too worried about different feelings second time around as I probably enjoyed this time around more than the first, I even found the walking much easier.
 
Yes, I had a feeling I was a bit off with the Ages reference. The night before the haul through the forest was actually spent in Belorado. It's odd I would get that wrong, given that the Belorado night was one of my best (and longest!). That came back to haunt me a little bit after Villafranca!
LOL. I stayed there last year at the large albergue as you enter the town. There was an awful thunderstorm that lasted all evening and some of the night. As there was nothing to do another forum member (Erica) and I may well have had the same problem as you - an evening sharing some wine?
 
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LOL. I stayed there last year at the large albergue as you enter the town. There was an awful thunderstorm that lasted all evening and some of the night. As there was nothing to do another forum member (Erica) and I may well have had the same problem as you - an evening sharing some wine?

Very much like that!

Based on your description, I think I stayed in the same albergue. One of the friends I made along the way was leaving the next day, so we gave her a bit of a send-off. It went into the early hours!
 
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I walked the Camino Frances from St Jean in May/June 2012, and recently confirmed my flights for doing so again in July/August of this year.

I'll be flying into Biarritz on July 2, staying at Auberge du Pelerin in St Jean that night, starting my walk the next day, stopping at Orisson overnight before reaching Roncesvalles, and then letting the path take me where it will.

I wouldn't say that I feel anxious about the prospect of the walk, I've done it before, after all. But if I feel any anxiety at all, it relates directly to that very fact. I know it will be a mistake if I undertake the walk constantly in comparison mode, since so much of what makes the Camino so special is the people you meet along the way. I have many fond memories of moments and nights spent with the many wonderful people I met first time around, but I'm aware that it would be unwise to tell myself that I must stop in town X for the night because I had such a good time there in 2012. Generally speaking, after the first few days, my working plan is to try to stop at different albergues and/or different towns wherever feasible, so as to avoid the possible "curse of comparisons".

It seems to me that the tendency to compare is an occupational hazard with walking the Frances (or any other route) a second time, but I don't want to find myself spending too much time in 2014 thinking about 2012, as that would certainly defeat one of the purposes of the Camino - constantly being present in the moment and aware of your surroundings.

I know that walking the same path a second time will take away that sense of newness attached to the first experience, and that's unavoidable to a certain extent, though perhaps all it will take to make things seem new is slightly different weather and perhaps foliage appearing differently in high summer as opposed to early summer.

All in all, I'm sure I'll have another amazing experience, but I'm curious as to what advice long-time walkers would offer to avoid the tendency to compare one walking experience with another and if there are any common potential pitfalls associated with walking the same Camino a second time, and if so how to look to circumvent/pre-empt them?

Thanks in advance!
Hi Mark - know how you feel but don't worry. My husband and I have done the Frances Camino 2 and 1/2 times 2009 2011 and 2012. 2009 was a disaster, both of us got ill with flu and had to go home to South Africa after 1 week. So we went again and again. The 2011 was unbelievable, 2012 Camino was magical as we met up with pilgrims we had met in 2011 along the way just before Itero d la Vega. Then, in the church at O'Cebreiro, an Australian pilgim called out my name absolutely incredulous. Each Camino is so different. Evan if you have walked the same route three times, it is always different. Sometimes harder, sometimes easier. Its such a long way from St Jean that you really don't know what is around the corner and that is what makes us come back and even do the same route.
 
Hi ma
Hi Mark - know how you feel but don't worry. My husband and I have done the Frances Camino 2 and 1/2 times 2009 2011 and 2012. 2009 was a disaster, both of us got ill with flu and had to go home to South Africa after 1 week. So we went again and again. The 2011 was unbelievable, 2012 Camino was magical as we met up with pilgrims we had met in 2011 along the way just before Itero d la Vega. Then, in the church at O'Cebreiro, an Australian pilgim called out my name absolutely incredulous. Each Camino is so different. Evan if you have walked the same route three times, it is always different. Sometimes harder, sometimes easier. Its such a long way from St Jean that you really don't know what is around the corner and that is what makes us come back and even do the same route.
We are going in 2015. April is our month and Camino Frances is the route. Again - God willing.
 
We hope to return in 2016. I have the same thoughts as you. The first time we walked the Camino Frances was in August 19th to Sept 31, 2013. It was just my husband and I. I walked with foot problems. I bought shoes that were exactly my size and I did not account for foot swelling.
We want to walk the Camino again in 2016 with my grown son. We want to return at the same time of year (August-Sept).
Nothing always stays the same. Some things will be different i'm sure. I personally think that the Camino is always changing because you are always changing. Things always have a way of changing (completion certificates for instance)in some way too. Change can be positive or negitive. Change is what you make of it. This change may lead you on the path that is right for you.
I am sure that our Camino will have new adventures and paths for us to walk. I am also sure the Camino will have it's ups and downs (ha, ha, hee, hee). I can only look forward to it with a smile and happy feet!
 
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Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I've already done the Camiño 3 times. Next year it will be my fourth time. I never felt like wanting to compare one year with another. That was something that never crossed my mind. At least during the walk. Later at home or when talking with friends I may have compared some streches but that was it. Bon camiño and please take it as it comes.
 
The Camino offers such a rich experience that I have no doubt that you can do it many times and always find something new to enjoy. My first Camino (Frances) was amazing, and I only walked into Santiago a month ago, but I'm already scheming to go back. It has been a wonderful privilege and I would be delighted if I can get another chance.
 

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Hi Caminantes, My wife and I are leaving for Madrid from Brisbane - AU on May 4th to walk the Frances. We are flying with Qatar. I am a bit worried that if I check in my backpacks, they have a...
Hi all, Im walking my first Camino in April (CF) and was wondering if it would be likely for me to encounter leeches? I know for most people leeches are not a big deal but they are in plague...
In past years, when we walked from Samos to Sarria, there was simply a yellow arrow that went off to the right of the highway, up a hill, past a pig farm then a sharp left turn at a small church...
Are you also interested to know the reasons why other fellow pilgrims choose to walk El Camino? Please participate in the poll!
Several local websites have reported a small earthquake this afternoon with an epicentre in the Sarria area. Apparently felt quite strongly locally but with little likelihood of property damage...
Hello!! I am a retired Spanish gentleman living in Madrid. My name is Jose and I would like to do the Camino de Santiago again!!! But this time I would like to walk and improve my English Level...

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