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Is it the climb the first day out of SJPP, finding an albergue in the evening, finding good affordable meals, the toll on your feet, following directions? Or something entirely. My husband I (both 62) will be doing the Camino in May 2017. We are not overly experienced travelers, but did fine in Mexico and Peru. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
for me it was adjusting my meal desires (I wanted to be walking by 7 am and in bed by 10 pm) to a country on a different schedule (still fast asleep at 7 am and just eating dinner at 10pm). once I worked a compromise I was a happy camper: food bought the day before for a light breakfast, walk until a bar was open for coffee, walk more until bars were serving breakfast (tortilla), walk until lunch for my largest, 'real meal' (3pm), stop walking, get a bed, explore town...and bar food/tapas, communal albergue dinner, or self-made dinner. Late night dinners on Spain's schedule were reserved for rest days. This is not to say I didn't get lost a lot...but I always eventually found my way, and it never bothered me like missing meals did...all it took was one very hungry morning my third day on the camino to teach me Spain wasn't going to be on my clock, so I'd better get myself on Spain's.
My sister and I both talk about which of our pets are food-motivated/driven. I guess I just proved I also will quickly modify my behavior in order to be fedWell said Sparrow. Exactly where my wife and I ended.
Odd, that's one of the things I loved the best - the unknown, the not knowing of what was coming up next!...The hardest part of walking in Spain was having no picture in my head of where I was, where I would eat, what was coming up next etc. I found that very unnerving. I was surprised at my reaction but with practice it got easier to deal with the 'unknown' each day.
I think this is what will throw me a bitWhen I practiced walking at home, I always knew where I was, how far to the next coffee shop, where I would stop for lunch etc. The hardest part of walking in Spain was having no picture in my head of where I was, where I would eat, what was coming up next etc. I found that very unnerving. I was surprised at my reaction but with practice it got easier to deal with the 'unknown' each day.
Oh ok I am going to have to avert my eyes from the dogs then. Mine are a part of our family.I just returned from my first Camino, SJPP to Santiago, where I turned 60. Thanks to the wisdom of extensive training before I left, I had no physical issues at all. Not even a blister. As others have said, coming home was by far the hardest part. It's really challenging to let it go. After that, it was hard to be a vegetarian on the Camino. I'm pretty tired of eggs and potatoes, but if other vegetarians want some tips, I have a lot now. ;-) And finally, it was hard to see dogs chained to trees.
But there's no perfect world and the Camino is just magic, especially Day 1 over the pass from St Jean to Roncesvalles! Directions are easy once you figure out where to look for the arrows and you stay aware of when you saw the last one. The rewards are invaluable. I came home with a feeling of inner peace that I don't ever remember having.
This is a great question, and you already have some wonderful answers - too many perhaps for you to prepare yourself for each of them individually. So apart from cautioning you not to believe anyone here who claims they know what most pilgrims do or do not do - because very, very few of us meet enough other pilgrims to be well qualified to make such a grand claim - I wondered what I might add that would be helpful.Is it the climb the first day out of SJPP, finding an alburgue in the evening, finding good affordable meals, the toll on your feet, following directions? Or something entirely. My husband I (both 62) will be doing the Camino in May 2017. We are not overly experienced travelers, but did fine in Mexico and Peru. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I won't say it is the hardest part of the camino but be prepared to spend a lot of time with your significant other, a lot more than you may be used to. And the weather and the wear and tear on your bodies can make you awfully cranky at times too. I came across one couple that would have been better off walking a few days apart.
....................................
The mental effect of not having control of my body was MOST difficult.....
Nanc
I'm not sure how to say this delicately, but bathroom issues. When one needs to get an early start, and can't "go" yet, constipation can be a problem. It was a problem for me, at 70 my system isn't what it used to be. Even with drinking fluids, eating vegetables and every other thing, the hours at the albuerges were not consistent with the functioning of my 70 year old body. I did better staying at accommodations with a bathroom so I didn't need to rush off until I was ready.
I need those tips on walking the Camino as a Vegetarian! I believe I will be there mid Aug to mid Sept 2017. Thank you!I just returned from my first Camino, SJPP to Santiago, where I turned 60. Thanks to the wisdom of extensive training before I left, I had no physical issues at all. Not even a blister. As others have said, coming home was by far the hardest part. It's really challenging to let it go. After that, it was hard to be a vegetarian on the Camino. I'm pretty tired of eggs and potatoes, but if other vegetarians want some tips, I have a lot now. ;-) And finally, it was hard to see dogs chained to trees.
But there's no perfect world and the Camino is just magic, especially Day 1 over the pass from St Jean to Roncesvalles! Directions are easy once you figure out where to look for the arrows and you stay aware of when you saw the last one. The rewards are invaluable. I came home with a feeling of inner peace that I don't ever remember having.
I think I started planning my next Camino not long after leaving Roncesvalles!The hardest part for me was its ending. I've been planning my next walk since. Cannot wait for April/May next year!
Jimmy, I hope that works out for you. Many people, including older ones, do not have this problem. It was a potentially serious one for me, which I solved by mostly staying in private accommodations so I would have more time. Buen Camino!Imsundaze & Rod Murray bring up an important yet delicate point.However the body can be trained in that respect.
Maybe I should incorporate a body training plan into my preparations. So If I start getting up, so that I am about and ready to walk daily from the Spanish time of 06:00 then maybe by the time I am actually get there I will not have these delicate problems.
Then again being up daily at 5:00 am here in the UK is not likely to happen in reality.
You are faster!I think I started planning my next Camino not long after leaving Roncesvalles!
there is a thread somewhere with a list, I will look for it...i think it is for the frances, but these are my tips for any route:I need those tips on walking the Camino as a Vegetarian! I believe I will be there mid Aug to mid Sept 2017. Thank you!
here's here threadI need those tips on walking the Camino as a Vegetarian! I believe I will be there mid Aug to mid Sept 2017. Thank you!
But in the shops don't touch the fruit.Shops have lots of great veggies and fruit, and if you are staying in a place with a kitchen you can buy things that require cooking.
he's serious. ask for what you'd like from the shopkeeper.But in the shops don't touch the fruit.
Seriously, don't touch the fruit.
For me it was sleeping with loud snorers in the room and the reentry to my regular life. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!Is it the climb the first day out of SJPP, finding an alburgue in the evening, finding good affordable meals, the toll on your feet, following directions? Or something entirely. My husband I (both 62) will be doing the Camino in May 2017. We are not overly experienced travelers, but did fine in Mexico and Peru. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not a vegetarian, but I had an experience where the waiter told me that there was no meat in the spaghetti dish, only tomato sauce, only to be served the most meat filled spaghetti sauce I had on the entire Camino.Be clear about no meat, however,
I was tempted when jamon appeared in my promised vegetable only sandwich to pull it out and announce "el jamon no es un vegetal" while holding it aloft...but I decided to table the ugly American act for another day.I'm not a vegetarian, but I had an experience where the waiter told me that there was no meat in the spaghetti dish, only tomato sauce, only to be served the most meat filled spaghetti sauce I had on the entire Camino.
Why are you not supposed to touch the fruit?But in the shops don't touch the fruit.
Seriously, don't touch the fruit.
I don't know if they are worried about damage, contamination, theft, or it's just not how it is done....but you point out what you want and they bag it for you. it was the same way in markets I"ve been to in some overseas assignments and even in Baltimore.Why are you not supposed to touch the fruit?
Is it the climb the first day out of SJPP, finding an alburgue in the evening, finding good affordable meals, the toll on your feet, following directions? Or something entirely. My husband I (both 62) will be doing the Camino in May 2017. We are not overly experienced travelers, but did fine in Mexico and Peru. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Viranani!Nice new avatar, PEI_Heather!...And welcome home to the Camino de la vida. Often a much more challenging camino than the one in Spain. Buen Camino!
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond, Suzanne. Here are my tips in a short list: Buy stuff in the supermarkets and cook. Take some sort of flavoring with you (i.e., spices). Carry food in your pack and, in addition to noshing on it along the way, liven up the omnipresent eggs and potatoes in bars and restaurants with it. The Spanish cheeses were my favorite. They're so good! I also schlepped dried fruit, nuts, grains, etc. Bars and restaurants almost always have yogurt so I often made myself a little breakfast or dessert bowl. When you're in a bar/restaurant, look at the ingredients they have in their dishes and ask if they can cook a specific dish. Not many places serve pre prepared dishes and they will often combine the ingredients that you suggest. In other words, if you ask what they have that doesn't contain meat, you'll get a blank stare. But if you invent the dish, they'll often cook it. Look for Middle Eastern restaurants...they have the best variation of veggie options with some flavor and are the easiest to find. Have you seen the list of veggie albergues and bar/restaurants that I put together before my Camino? It's here on the forum somewhere. Needs to be updated, and that's being done by another pilgrim. Private message me and I'll send you other tips as I think of them (along with those of the other pilgrim who is brainstorming the same topic).I need those tips on walking the Camino as a Vegetarian! I believe I will be there mid Aug to mid Sept 2017. Thank you!
You can always go out into the rain and pretend you're in Galicia.
Better yet, go out in the rain and be completely there, in it. That, I think, is the essence of the Camino experience and it doesn't require a particular location...we can do it anywhere.
(I will completely agree that it can be a bit more of a challenge at home...)
Nice new avatar, PEI_Heather!...And welcome home to the Camino de la vida. Often a much more challenging camino than the one in Spain. Buen Camino!
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond, Suzanne. Here are my tips in a short list: Buy stuff in the supermarkets and cook. Take some sort of flavoring with you (i.e., spices). Carry food in your pack and, in addition to noshing on it along the way, liven up the omnipresent eggs and potatoes in bars and restaurants with it. The Spanish cheeses were my favorite. They're so good! I also schlepped dried fruit, nuts, grains, etc. Bars and restaurants almost always have yogurt so I often made myself a little breakfast or dessert bowl. When you're in a bar/restaurant, look at the ingredients they have in their dishes and ask if they can cook a specific dish. Not many places serve pre prepared dishes and they will often combine the ingredients that you suggest. In other words, if you ask what they have that doesn't contain meat, you'll get a blank stare. But if you invent the dish, they'll often cook it. Look for Middle Eastern restaurants...they have the best variation of veggie options with some flavor and are the easiest to find. Have you seen the list of veggie albergues and bar/restaurants that I put together before my Camino? It's here on the forum somewhere. Needs to be updated, and that's being done by another pilgrim. Private message me and I'll send you other tips as I think of them (along with those of the other pilgrim who is brainstorming the same topic).
Thanks for this.Physically, the very first morning's walk/climb on the CF between SJPdP to Orisson. My woeful lack of training came home to roost, and I struggle up steep inclines anyway. There was at least two to three moments when I questioned my ability to keep going. Every other climb thereafter seemed manageable by comparison as I had become stronger mentally and physically along the way.
Emotionally, and so much more harder than the above, is having to saying goodbye to a special pilgrim friend who had to return home early due to injury. And the weirdness of having to return to Santiago alone after walking to Finisterre and Muxia. It was incredibly bitter-sweet to walk on my own around the same streets I had arrived into four days earlier, triumphantly with 12/13 pilgrim friends, who had since returned home or continued travelling.
For all that, I consider myself incredibly fortunate that the above details the extent of my hardest experiences along my Camino. So many others had to deal with genuine pain and suffering on a daily basis, be it blisters, knee and foot issues. But they kept going, and watching their humility and determination to do so was inspiring.
In addition, when I consider how difficult it was for me to return home having completed a full and rewarding Camino walking experience, my heart goes out to those, such as my friend, who had to cut short their own walk because of health or personal issues.
When I was back in Madrid after my first Camino I had to resist the urge to follow some pilgrims that I saw on their way to the Camino in the train station.The hardest part for me personally was resisting the very strong urge to buy a ticket back to SJPdP to start it again after the second day in Santiago after I finished.
Good luck, Paul.I did the CF last May 2018.
The hardest part for me personally was resisting the very strong urge to buy a ticket back to SJPdP to start it again after the second day in Santiago after I finished.
Physically, the downhill to Roncesvalles, after a hard day on day 1.
I will be doing the CP from Porto May, after my Chemo is finished, and all going well plan to do CF again in September this year.
The very best of luck and Buen Camino
Is it the climb the first day out of SJPP, finding an alburgue in the evening, finding good affordable meals, the toll on your feet, following directions? Or something entirely. My husband I (both 62) will be doing the Camino in May 2017. We are not overly experienced travelers, but did fine in Mexico and Peru. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
This is my mentality going into the Camino...just going to take it as it comes and as a learning experience. "making love to my feet" has never crossed my mind though...lolMy advice : GO ! Deal with what comes up and learn as you go . Take it steady ; listen to your body ; make love to your feet.... and view every problem as a new opportunity ...
Trust me, it's a sight harder running down a road in the middle of nowhere being chased by a barking dog whose intentions are unclear but seem, to the casual observer, to be anything but benign.And finally, it was hard to see dogs chained to trees.
You notice it when you can no longer search for their messages on the basis of their @forum name. If you happen to come across their old messages you will see the monniker Guest under their avatar. Some people do announce that they will leave but sadly Anemone del Camino and also Mark didn't.
Hopefully you find that untrue!I know that there are people here who love the Meseta. I haven't done the Meseta yet, but I'm pretty sure that for me the hardest part of the Camino would be the Meseta between Burgos and Leon in summer.
Strong agree! (Hiked the Frances twice and starting my 3rd this week. God bless the Orisson albergue!)I cannot believe all the BS answers below: "It depends blah blah." The hardest part of the Camino is from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. Period.
So… is this because the custom is that they serve you or because the fruit is bad in some way- pesticides or something? ThanksBut in the shops don't touch the fruit.
Seriously, don't touch the fruit.
The shopkeepers don't want people squeezing and bruising their wares.is this because the custom is that they serve you
The shopkeepers don't want people squeezing and bruising their wares.
It could be the other way too, at home you are more or less "stuck" in a pattern, you know how your partner will react. During a Camino you are confronted with ever changing circumstances meeting new people. It is a perfect situation to rediscover one another, which is fine, presuming the base of the relation is stable.I won't say it is the hardest part of the camino but be prepared to spend a lot of time with your significant other, a lot more than you may be used to. And the weather and the wear and tear on your bodies can make you awfully cranky at times too. I came across one couple that would have been better off walking a few days apart.
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