BootsnAll Travel Community

Hiya Josh,
In 2002 I and two friends (women) walked the Camino Frances from Roncesvalles to Santiago - 27 days averaging 28kms per day. (I was the 'baby' at 56 and Georgette was 74yrs old.
In 2004 a friend (65 years old) and I walked over 1000kms from Paris to Spain.
If you are interested in our daily stages or any other info please contact me at: sillydoll (at) gmail. com
Buen Camino!

Sorry Josh - forgot to answer your last question.
When you start, you start out as Josh - a nervous traveller carrying all his personal and material baggage from home.
After a while you become a pilgrim. Once you have divested yourself of your personal baggage - and perhaps some material baggage - you become the pilgrimage.
In my opnion. the best book to read is by Joyce Rupp called "Walk in a Relaxed Manner". It is a warts and all account of her pilgrimage a couple of years ago.
Go well.
Sil

In May 2004, I walked the camino from Astorga to Santiago. This was the best trip I've ever been on.

I decided to do it only a few days in advance, so I didn't have time to train. My hiking boots were back in the US, and I was in Madrid, so I had no time to buy boots and break them in. I walked the camino in sneakers, and was fine for the most part (it was fairly dry when I did it though, which helped quite a bit). If I were to do it again, I would have opted for a little more ankle support.

You want to pack light, and invest in a good, comfortable pack (I use a Lowe top loader). I remember one hostel manager would weigh people's packs. An Australian girl and a Scottish man I was with had packs around 18 kg. The Dutch girl with us was too embarrassed to have hers weighed. Mine weighed 9 kg, and I was damn proud of it. I had thrown out a bunch of stuff to get it that light.

I went alone and loved it; I joined up with other people and so I met people from all over.

It isn't really physically demanding, as long as you're in decent shape- plenty of old or overweight people manage to do it. It takes mental toughness.

If somebody asked me what the best day of my life would be, a strong contender would be May 11, 2004. It's no coincidence that this was also the longest, toughest day of the camino for me. The camino is a visceral experience.

Josh, I'm leaving for Paris on the 20th, and my plan is to meet up with some friends, then make my way to Spain for the Camino. I've just ordered the books now, so with luck, they'll arrive in time for the trip. If not, I'm still going.

I want to walk for a spiritual refresher, and partly to lose 15 pounds that just won't go away. So, I intend to lose weight upon my soul and my body. I'll let you know how it works out, considering I'm also an internet addict. (VBG)

Wonderful thread! I'm planning to walk the Camino Portugues in July and August of 06, as much of it as I can cover in four weeks, and if I don't make it to Santiago I won't worry; will continue next summer. The journey itself is the pilgrimage, and part of my quest is to be fully aware of all that I meet, paying equal attention to the inside and the outside. July/August is said to be the worst time to do anything in Europe, but I'm a teacher, and I have to teach summer school till July 8. I'll celebrate my 62nd birthday on the Way. I will appreciate anybody's input, ideas, suggestions. I'm waiting for my Certification to arrive, and I've also ordered Brierly's guide to walking the Camino Portugues. I'm hoping to follow an "alternate route" from Ponte de Lima west to the ocean, and up the coast. Does anyone have any experience of this? Are there pilgrim rest-houses in Portugal similar to the refugios in Spain? I'm doing this on little money and great heart. If I can't find rest-houses, it will have to be rooms in people's houses, hostels, or campgrounds with bungalows, as I won't carry a tent and all that. I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has done this!

Perhaps you could contact the Portuguese Caminho organisation for info.
http://www.caminhoportuguesdesantiago.com/EN/caminho.php

There is also a pilgrim's diary here:

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/jeffmcd/Portugal/Portugal.htm

Buen Camino,
Sil

The John Brierley Guide to the Camino Portugues is AMAZING. Beautifully written, full of photographs and maps, with poems and meditations, history, information about sites on the way as well as places to sleep and eat. He sees the various pilgrimages to Santiago as a sign of deepening and broadening ecumenical spirituality, not as a phenomenon related solely to Roman Catholicism. The Brierley guide includes alternative routes, both geographical and spiritual, all in a compact format so you can take it with you and choose that days' route as you go. Brierley just finished this guide in 2005, so it's wonderfully up to date. There are in fact four or five Ways north through Portugal from Porto, all of them ancient pilgrims' ways and several of them well marked, but Brierley describes each one in detail so that a pilgrim can follow one for a while, and then follow another. There's the Roman way, the way of the Visigoths, the early medieval way, the late medieval way. . . . If the urge to make a pilgrimage calls, Brierley will turn up the volume and make the call irresistible. Or so it is for me. He has written another guide (both published by Findhorn Press) about the extra pilgrimage to Finisterre referred to a little earlier in this thread. Thanks for the links. They're wonderful. I'm on fire with this.

Grannygold, your name is written on another path. All the others are preparation for the 1200 year old centuries-old 88 temple, Buddhist pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku.

Do not search for
the footsteps of the masters of old,
search for what they sought.


Visit it at: http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com

May it be so, one day. Right now my younger son is in Japan, not as a pilgrim but as a sound engineer for an American rock band called Korn (with the K turned backwards). Many paths, one mountain. Thank you.

You will be there one day dear gogo.

Here begins the Journey
Now begins the Day.
With one step upon the Road
Your soul is on its Way.

Grannygold, how are you doing on the Camino????

If you are on it, Buen Camino.

Look at the topic "In Portugal Spirit Alive and Well" under "Spiritual Traveler" and Grannygold's Blog:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Grannygold/

I´m in Santiago de Compostela at this moment. I`m having the best time of my life, ever! I love Portugal! I love Finisterre! And I am totally blown away by Santiago de Compostela. It´s all in my blog, so I won´t say more, but thanks for asking.
Ecstatic Granny

When I arrived there, I was totally blown away by the cathedrals exterior. The interior is way over the top, so much so that one grows to love it after a while. The exterior is another matter, full of spires do-dads all over, with sculptures upon sculptures, details rising to the top spire like a 16th century candy cake. It just amazes.

Its too bad I had to scoot from Santiago too soon, due to visa situations, or I would have stayed a lot longer.

I wanted to go to finisterre, but time restrictions again stopped me. I would have taken a bus, however. I was never up to 36k walks even in my prime, what with my huge backpack and tricky tendons.

The Camino definitely teaches you the value of reachable goals, and finishing what you start.

Good on you!!!!

Now I have my sights on the 88 temple walk in Japan, if I can get the 4,000 dollars I will need, not counting airfare.

This time I will take a 8kilo backpack, not a 12 kilo one, and the exactly correct shoes.

There is also a camino in Brazil, though I'm told its over touristed. Its called the Camino de Oro. I am fast becoming a fan of Camino Tourism!!!

happy days!!!

Hi there,
I know what you mean about the camino - it calls you back!
I have been collecting info, stories and web sites on the Shikoku pilgrimage for a couple of years. If you would like copies just let me know and I'll email the folder to you.
Sil

PS: I have just completed ± 700kms of the Via Francigena to Rome. They say that if you do it now you are still a pioneer (my certificate - Testimonium - was number 454) and that in a few years it will rival the camino.

I won't be walking it,but we will be visiting it ( and much of northern Spain ) this fall and I have been enjoying the comments.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Madhu:
Thanks!

I'm not undertaking this as a sport but more of a mental journey. Not sure yet why am even thinking of doing this.

Hi Madhu!

I am doing the "Camino Frances" Im thinking April 2007 (not written in stone yet)I have been wanting to do this for about 3 years now, just dont want to do it alone @ least not @ the begining, or untill I let go of my insecurities of beeing alone on the road. I was reading up on your info and you sound very interesting, we have lots in common. I am 34 and live in Dallas TX. I too want to go to Argentina. I dance Tango and love photography. Let me know if you are interested in @ least meeting up someplace in the camino.
Buen camino!

A film with soul: Las Peregrinas…the women who walk.

There will be a simultaneous Worldwide screening of this film on the camino on 3/4/5th November 2006 at Gatherings in 30 cities in Canada, US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa.
Sue Kenny's vision is to bring people together in Gatherings as an opportunity to watch an enlightening woman's film and then provide a forum for conversation to follow.

A 5 minute sample of the film is available for download www.suekenney.ca

Feel free to call or email her if you have any questions or if you would like to host a gathering. Please share this with anyone you know who might be interested. Thank you for your interest and support.