For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
It reminds me of reading REI's description of their camino adventure, they see the "best parts" of the trails. I guess it's the Cliff's Notes version of traveling...Cherry picking the best bits isn't really the spirit of pilgrimage.
Why? Is it not reasonable a 1,000 years ago that Pilgrims took the best or most pleasant route to Santiago? I have trouble believing that Pilgrims then or now purposely took routes that were unfavourable if better options existed.Cherry picking the best bits isn't really the spirit of pilgrimage.
Why? Is it not reasonable a 1,000 years ago that Pilgrims took the best or most pleasant route to Santiago? I have trouble believing that Pilgrims then or now purposely took routes that were unfavourable if better options existed.
I understand what you are saying and agree that walking the whole way is best when possible. But if everyone ultimately walks their "own" Camino, what's the harm in Lorin's request for suggestions to help her have a positive experience on her terms?It reminds me of reading REI's description of their camino adventure, they see the "best parts" of the trails. I guess it's the Cliff's Notes version of traveling...
Notion900 is not saying walk the "whole way" but rather start somewhere and accept what lies head. And that is something everyone can do. A pilgrimage is not about siteseeing, it's about the process of getting to a destination. For this pilgrimage, it's about walking from point A to Santiago, in one outing or over many, and how walking affects the mind and the heart.I understand what you are saying and agree that walking the whole way is best when possible. But if everyone ultimately walks their "own" Camino, what's the harm in Lorin's request for suggestions to help her have a positive experience on her terms?
I totally get what you are saying. Your opinion is certainly valid and a great interpretation of what a pilgrimage is all about. But it seems Lorin is seeking a little different experience for herself... There has been a thread going on for a couple of weeks I think is called "Must see and dos". I don't see that as very much different than her request.Notion900 is not saying walk the "whole way" but rather start somewhere and accept what lies head. And that is something everyone can do. A pilgrimage is not about siteseeing, it's about the process of getting to a destination. For this pilgrimage, it's about walking from point A to Santiago, in one outing or over many, and how walking affects the mind and the heart.
It is also not about onés appropriation of an ancient route to make it "my Camino" but about stepping in the footsteps millions of others have walked over almost 1000 years and sharing in that experience.
I had not looked at that thread but just have now. I suppose the difference is that the answers were about what not to miss vs what to avoid.I totally get what you are saying. Your opinion is certainly valid and a great interpretation of what a pilgrimage is all about. But it seems Lorin is seeking a little different experience for herself... There has been a thread going on for a couple of weeks I think is called "Must see and dos". I don't see that as very much different than her request.
More good thoughts from you, Anemone, as I am aware you are passionate about the Caminos, as am I. I'm going to bow out of our conversation now, as I've already expressed my thoughts. I have respect for the position you take.I had not looked at that thread but just have now. I suppose the difference is that the answers were about what not to miss vs what to avoid.
I find that there is very little one can "miss" on the Camino as we all basically walk along a very narrow path. Detours are something else, like Eunate, but again, it's an add on, not cherry picking to only see highlights.
Finally, you will notice that very few people participated in the Must Sees thread. Perhaps because making one's own discoveries is also part of the Camino vs finding the prettiest in?
If you think through what I said, Cliff's Notes are valid (do they still make them?) ways to get an overview of a story, but people who enjoy reading want the nuances that come with the pages of the book. Picking parts of the Camino because they are the "best", or not the "worst", is about like that...you will get an idea of what the Camino is like, but less than the full experience. IMHO.I understand what you are saying and agree that walking the whole way is best when possible. But if everyone ultimately walks their "own" Camino, what's the harm in Lorin's request for suggestions to help her have a positive experience on her terms?
That's a great comparison and I agree that the full experience is best when possible, but she seemed to indicate only really wanting the Cliff notes this time around.If you think through what I said, Cliff's Notes are valid (do they still make them?) ways to get an overview of a story, but people who enjoy reading want the nuances that come with the pages of the book. Picking parts of the Camino because they are the "best", or not the "worst", is about like that...you will get an idea of what the Camino is like, but less than the full experience. IMHO.
Ouch!Cherry picking the best bits isn't really the spirit of pilgrimage.
I'm planning on starting on the Frances in St Jean, then detouring onto the Salvador in Leon to Oviedo to the Primitivo. So I won't be walking a traditional route.
hello fellow Pilgrims, I walked the Frances in 2015, and this year in 2017 I am heading for El Norte. But, rather than walk the whole Norte, I'm plotting a route that takes in the "best of" El Norte and the "best of" Frances + the Muxia to Santiago trek for my last 100k into Santiago. I have a total of 27 days on the Camino, and I will be walking from June 1 - June 27.
My question to this Forum - 1) for those who have done El Norte, what are the Must See sections, sights and stopovers? 2) for those who have done the French Way, what are your Must See's (I have my favourites, and I'm looking for confirmation and challenges to my top picks, which I will share).
Looking forward to hearing about your ideas. Gracias!
Okay, the OP has already walked the Frances twice, so I'm going to assume that she knows what the Camino is all about. Nothing wrong with doing things a bit differently this time.
I'm planning on starting on the Frances in St Jean, then detouring onto the Salvador in Leon to Oviedo to the Primitivo. So I won't be walking a traditional route.
Yes, you are right. I apparently have poor reading comprehension skills.Only once, isn't it?
We all walk our own Camino, for our own purpose. I walk for solitude, to put one foot in front of the other, for meeting interesting and kind people, for tapas and a glass of wine at the end of the day, to immerse myself in another culture, to improve my Spanish, to find gratitude in u expected corners. And, I walk without judgment of others.Cherry picking the best bits isn't really the spirit of pilgrimage.
Well said, Cherrys. Thank you. I have been a "tourist" - where I have had the luxury of more than one change of clothes and a known bed at night. But, more often, I have chosen to travel in ways that stretch me with challenges and unknowns. Through this kind of traveling, I have learned much about the world and myself. Having walked the Camino Frances in 2015, through a range of challenges -carrying a pack for 800 kms, trying to sleep in a room with a chorus of 30 people snoring, shin splints, looking for a bed after a 6+ hours of walking in the rain - I don't walk to prove anything. Rather, I walk to learn something more and different. I don't believe my planning to avoid highway walking makes me any less of a Pilgrim or a person.Hi - I've done the Frances twice, once alone and once with my husband. The second time we took a couple of different variations because I had heard they were worth doing. In four weeks we leave for the Norte, then probably over to the Primativo. I have been scouring this forum, as I have in the past, for recommended albergues, restaurants, churches and other sites of interest, because I greatly value the insight of other members who have walked before me. I guess I feel that we all use the forum to help us find what will be the most meaningful camino for us, relying on other members' suggestions, blogs and pictures, let alone equipment choices! So I guess I don't see why wanting to see and experience the nicest parts ( and we all know we will experience the opposite at times) should make one a tourist. If I wanted to be a tourist in Spain (which I would enjoy), I would not walk for days on end, with a pack, listening to people snore, etc., but instead, I choose for the third time to put up with all of that because of the insights I've been privileged to gain from the camino, the friends we've made, and the great places we've seen - thanks in part to many suggestions from other forum members. Sorry, I don't usually go on like this - Cherry
Agreed! Not very kind or helpful. Not what I would expect from a fellow Pilgrim. I brought my question to this forum for guidance and instead was met with judgment. I will step aside from this thread, take the helpful insights that I received and leave the rest behind.Ouch!
Yes, you are right. I apparently have poor reading comprehension skills.
one of the most important lessons I was taught on my first camino was "Tolerance". Who am I to decide what is or is not in the spirit of pilgrimage. My pilgrimage is mine and mine alone.Cherry picking the best bits isn't really the spirit of pilgrimage.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?