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Even last year, walking the Portuguese way felt a little weird. I was struck by how different the 'personality' of that route to Santiago is. It's not that it was better or worse, merely different. Certainly the social element was easier to cultivate on the French way because there is much more of an eclectic mix of ages, nationalities, and circumstances, and I think I missed that a little bit when walking last year.
My fear/anxiety is that second time around it just won't feel the same, that in retreading my steps I'll be thinking about 2012 and all the people I met and what I was doing the last time I was in town X or village Y. It can't be the same second time around, I know that, but do I risk sullying my perfect memories of the first time around or should I just go into it with that sense that no two Caminos are ever the same and try not to think in terms of comparisons.
Hi, Mark. You're right, it's a lovely conundrum to have!
I agree that the Norte and the VDLP are the two alternatives with fewer pilgrims than the Frances but more than the Invierno, Vadiniense, Levante, etc. My only cautions on those two in the summer (rather than spring) is that the Norte travels through heavily touristed parts of Spain (think beaches and quaint fishing villages), so things are busy and crazy and the focus in summer is not so much on the pilgrims but on the tourists. The VDLP has the heat, something I couldn't contend with. Both are amazing and wonderful, but I have walked them in May, not summer, so I can't tell you about July/August.
Hello all,
I'm hoping to walk the Camino in July and August of this year, and at the moment I'm mulling over which route to take. I walked the full Camino Frances in May & June 2012 and the Camino Portugues from just outside Porto in June 2013, so I'm a reasonably seasoned walker at this stage! This year, I've been thinking about walking the Norte or the Via de la Plata, but I'm also considering perhaps walking the Frances again.
And that's the main focus of this thread - the Frances second time around, good idea or bad idea? I absolutely loved it in 2012 and made some wonderful friends along the way. I'm guessing starting in early July will be noticeably more busy than it was starting in late May two years ago, but that's not my main reservation. My fear/anxiety is that second time around it just won't feel the same, that in retreading my steps I'll be thinking about 2012 and all the people I met and what I was doing the last time I was in town X or village Y. It can't be the same second time around, I know that, but do I risk sullying my perfect memories of the first time around or should I just go into it with that sense that no two Caminos are ever the same and try not to think in terms of comparisons.
Even last year, walking the Portuguese way felt a little weird. I was struck by how different the 'personality' of that route to Santiago is. It's not that it was better or worse, merely different. Certainly the social element was easier to cultivate on the French way because there is much more of an eclectic mix of ages, nationalities, and circumstances, and I think I missed that a little bit when walking last year.
Any thoughts on my 'dilemma' (I use the word self-effacingly, as what a lovely dilemma it will be if I find myself to spend five or so weeks walking this summer!) would be much appreciated!
I cannot tell you what to do, only share my experiences with you.
I wanted to walk the Frances a second time this year. We started in Lourdes this time. When we reached Puente de la Reina I almost immediately felt bad. It was not at all a feeling of 'coming home' as I had imagined. I experienced that what you write down as your fears in the OP. I walked on to Logroño and then switched to the camino del Norte - which was the best decision ever. I had never been there before, the crowds were a lot smaller, beautiful scenery and people, great albergues. I loved it. In retrospect I can't imagine why I wanted to do the Frances again; there's so much more camino to walk!
Happy planning and buen camino!
no two caminos of the same walks over time will ever been the same. if i were you i will walk a different camino. the excitements of the first camino will never bve able to be duplicated by the second camino. i would seriously consider walking ther caninos. i would highly recommend, if you have the time, to walk the vdlp. it will bve bvery different from the cf. you will also meet mostly european pilgrims. one disadvantage is that it will be bvery hot in the southern part of the camino. bvut so is the cf. it will not be so crowded. you can either joined up at astorga to the cf, or you can continue westward bvis the sanabres to ourense.
whatebver you decide. have a wonderful camino.
I walked the Norte in may June 2013 and had a great time. There were enough other pilgrims to make for good company when I wanted it, and solitude when I wanted to be on my own. Some places were busy with tourists, but it was easy enough to walk on and find quiet spots, there was never a sense of being crowded or amongst too many people. Having done the Frances, this will give you a very different experience.
I have been racking my brain trying to remember a quote I once read here about returning to travel to a place where you had already been. I have a vague memory that it might have been by Jose Saramago, Portuguese Nobel prize winner, but I just can't find it. It was along the lines that even though you go back to the same place, things will always be very different, the weather, the time of year, the people, etc etc. He said it very eloquently. I also think that maybe Sil was the one who first wrote it on the forum. Anyway, the point was that your second, third, or fourth camino will be a totally different experience than your first if you are open to the differences and not comparing. Does anyone remember this quote?
As I was searching though, I did come up with a list of 100 "best" travel quotes, which are reprinted here:
http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/
and here
http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/the-next-50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/
Some of these quotes are already familiar and used frequently by forum members. Some of them help me to explain to my friends why I keep going back to the camino, when there are all these other exciting, wonderful places to explore. Like this one from Sinclair Lewis:
“He who has seen one cathedral ten times has seen something; he who has seen ten cathedrals once has seen but little; and he who has spent half an hour in each of a hundred cathedrals has seen nothing at all.” – Sinclair Lewis, on sightseeing.
UPDATE: I found it! It looks like it's a favorite quote of both Sil and Margaret (mspath). Here's what Sil said:
When I have finished a Camino I live in anticipation of the next one, whenever that might be. As for returning to the same route, Margaret and I seem to have a lot in common with Nobel Prize winner, Jose Saramago who wrote In “Journey to Portugal”:
'The journey is never over. Only travellers come to an end. 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 the 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. The traveler sets out once more."
And here are some other threads with more interesting commentary on the dilemma:
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...ou-come-back-to-the-camino.18954/#post-139921
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-future-of-the-camino.14028/#post-95389
Lots to ponder.
You and I both!! I know there is a lot of places we would have liked to spend more time in, but we were newbies and were not sure if we would have the time. Next time will be a different story for usI too plan to walk the Frances a second time and I look at it as if I am reading a very good and complex book over again. I always find something that I missed the first time, usually something insightful and important. Buen Camino
Hello all,
And that's the main focus of this thread - the Frances second time around, good idea or bad idea?
Remember
"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
Last December I finished my 9th Camino Frances walking, as always, from SJPdP to Santiago; now mid January I am dreaming of my next. Each journey is never the same, but always special. Carpe Diem!
Margaret Meredith
My second Camino Frances only started as a 'mini Camino' from Pamplona to Burgos because I enjoyed that section so much the first time. However due to a twist of fate (and no small amount of incompetence on my part) I ended up walking on to Santiago instead. On leaving Burgos I wondered what one of my all time favourite sections (Hornillos to Hontanas) would be like second time round, because first time round that short section was just magical. The right time of day, the right weather etc. I didn't want to spoil my memories. Second time round it was...just magical as well! It was a different but it was special and it was mine. I have a few other places like that.
Carpe Diem is the plan! Based on the thoughts above and other conversations, I've decided that if I am walking this year (fingers crossed!), then it will be the French Way again. I hope to benefit from my past experience on the route, but without attempting to replicate the experience. I want something new, and I'm sure it will be. That said, if I can make good decisions along the way based on having walked the route before, then all the better!
Dear friendHello all,
I'm hoping to walk the Camino in July and August of this year, and at the moment I'm mulling over which route to take. I walked the full Camino Frances in May & June 2012 and the Camino Portugues from just outside Porto in June 2013, so I'm a reasonably seasoned walker at this stage! This year, I've been thinking about walking the Norte or the Via de la Plata, but I'm also considering perhaps walking the Frances again.
And that's the main focus of this thread - the Frances second time around, good idea or bad idea? I absolutely loved it in 2012 and made some wonderful friends along the way. I'm guessing starting in early July will be noticeably more busy than it was starting in late May two years ago, but that's not my main reservation. My fear/anxiety is that second time around it just won't feel the same, that in retreading my steps I'll be thinking about 2012 and all the people I met and what I was doing the last time I was in town X or village Y. It can't be the same second time around, I know that, but do I risk sullying my perfect memories of the first time around or should I just go into it with that sense that no two Caminos are ever the same and try not to think in terms of comparisons.
Even last year, walking the Portuguese way felt a little weird. I was struck by how different the 'personality' of that route to Santiago is. It's not that it was better or worse, merely different. Certainly the social element was easier to cultivate on the French way because there is much more of an eclectic mix of ages, nationalities, and circumstances, and I think I missed that a little bit when walking last year.
Any thoughts on my 'dilemma' (I use the word self-effacingly, as what a lovely dilemma it will be if I find myself to spend five or so weeks walking this summer!) would be much appreciated!
Rosie, you will get better responses if you start your own thread, rather than add on to an old one.Dear friend
congratulations on your successful completion of the Camino 2x. I was hoping I could ask your advice, I am planning on doing the Frances trek starting at the end of march and this will be my first time. I can only get a month off from work, so I am hoping I will be able to walk from St Jean pied de Port to Santiago with a few days to spare in case I want to continue on to the coast and go all the way to the water. How many km did you walk per day and how long did it take you? Were you alone? What were the greatest challenges? What are the Albergues like? is it wise to reserve ahead of time? How heavy was your pack? can you wash clothes at the albuergues and hang dry? Let me know if March-April is a good time of year.
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I walked the French Way lase April and May. If I wasn't walking the Way of Saint Francis this year I would be walking the French Way again this year.Hello all,
I'm hoping to walk the Camino in July and August of this year, and at the moment I'm mulling over which route to take. I walked the full Camino Frances in May & June 2012 and the Camino Portugues from just outside Porto in June 2013, so I'm a reasonably seasoned walker at this stage! This year, I've been thinking about walking the Norte or the Via de la Plata, but I'm also considering perhaps walking the Frances again.
And that's the main focus of this thread - the Frances second time around, good idea or bad idea? I absolutely loved it in 2012 and made some wonderful friends along the way. I'm guessing starting in early July will be noticeably more busy than it was starting in late May two years ago, but that's not my main reservation. My fear/anxiety is that second time around it just won't feel the same, that in retreading my steps I'll be thinking about 2012 and all the people I met and what I was doing the last time I was in town X or village Y. It can't be the same second time around, I know that, but do I risk sullying my perfect memories of the first time around or should I just go into it with that sense that no two Caminos are ever the same and try not to think in terms of comparisons.
Even last year, walking the Portuguese way felt a little weird. I was struck by how different the 'personality' of that route to Santiago is. It's not that it was better or worse, merely different. Certainly the social element was easier to cultivate on the French way because there is much more of an eclectic mix of ages, nationalities, and circumstances, and I think I missed that a little bit when walking last year.
Any thoughts on my 'dilemma' (I use the word self-effacingly, as what a lovely dilemma it will be if I find myself to spend five or so weeks walking this summer!) would be much appreciated!
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