LIVE from the Camino Camino home to home, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

[nycwalking]

Day 372 -- HOME

More later, but 371 ended outside one last time in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Super glad you’re home.

Now whose travels will I follow along?

Buen camino.

 

[NorthernLight]

Home.

The pilgrimage may be over, but the journey continues. Ultreia!

 

[Bala]

Welcome home!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Glad you are home, but I will miss following along on your travels. Sounds like you are there in time to miss the winter weather that @mspath posted about.

Thank you -- though that's mainly stormy weather in Northern France, well away from the route I would have taken, even had I walked it. The normal Winter weather did hit the Pyrenees right at the end of it, but that's not the extreme weather in the North that the article discusses.

 

[C clearly]

Congratulations!

 

[mspath]

JabbaPapa,

Thank you for sharing your extraordinary camino via this forum. Your tenaciity and perseverance have been remarkable. Now that you have taken off those special hiking boots may you relax and enjoy the comforts of home.

Carpe diem and, as always, Ultreia!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Now that you have taken off those special hiking boots

The soles and heels are pretty much destroyed, so they're going in the trash -- but I have my other pair on right now. Same (UK) size 14½ French Army boots.

I trashed my formerly inflatable mattress after waking up yesterday, having used it one final time. Backpack's going the same way, it's been dying as well (both shoulder straps broke, and the zipper barely functions), once I triple check that it's empty.

Although I carried three different sizes of trousers with me, I had purchased a fourth pair that was the smallest, wearing those now, plus t-shirt without accumulated Camino grime.

And some 100% woollen socks that I had bought now fit, from less inflammation on the ankles. So I'd say that the health purpose of that Camino was a success !!

 

[VNwalking]

Ah, the physical effects of a camino - the body is in better shape, and the equipment is wrecked.
Glad you're home and at ease, @JabbaPapa.

 

[JabbaPapa]

There are several follow-up posts I'd like to type, but as things stand I'm really just letting my body recover and relax.

Back to my one steak a day, which is fantastic, but I've been wolfing down pork belly and eggs far more than normal.

I can still see the Camino just by looking out of my window, and it is as beautiful as always.

 

[J Willhaus]

I've been wolfing down pork belly and eggs far more than normal.

Well you have to be a budding millionaire to be able to afford "bacon and eggs" now in the US. Regular eggs were $6 per dozen at the store this week. Interestingly enough the "organic" eggs which are usually much higher were about $3.50 so have not gone up in price that much. Bacon, pork belly, etc. are now about as much as steak here as well. Enjoy your time savoring the memories of your journey (along with your meals) and when you feel up to it, share your follow up. I, for one, will be waiting.

 

[mspath]

JabbaPapa,
Lucky you to be able to see the camino from home! Are there any other pilgrims about?
After each of my caminos great delights were very long hot showers and newly clean clothes. True luxury!!
Happy relaxation.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Well you have to be a budding millionaire to be able to afford "bacon and eggs" now in the US. Regular eggs were $6 per dozen at the store this week. Interestingly enough the "organic" eggs which are usually much higher were about $3.50 so have not gone up in price that much. Bacon, pork belly, etc. are now about as much as steak here as well. Enjoy your time savoring the memories of your journey (along with your meals) and when you feel up to it, share your follow up. I, for one, will be waiting.

The meat is up about 15%-20%, but that's from a very good starting price. About €5 for a steak the size of my plate instead of €4 and a bit. The pork belly is nowhere near the price of steak !! Eggs are up to €5 for 15 ; not organic as such but never been refrigerated though, so good enough.

 

[J Willhaus]

The meat is up about 15%-20%, but that's from a very good starting price. About €5 for a steak the size of my plate instead of €4 and a bit. The pork belly is nowhere near the price of steak !! Eggs are up to €5 for 15 ; not organic as such but never been refrigerated though, so good enough.

Ah...a good boneless ribeye here is about $15 per pound at the grocery store and at least double that at a steakhouse. Bacon is about $5-7 lbs so you are right, it's still cheaper to have bacon and eggs!

 

[lovingkindness]

...so you´ve made it home!
Bon chemin et bon courage, @JabbaPapa

 

[JabbaPapa]

The aches and pains still haven't quite gotten back to normal baseline, left shoulder has some backpack strap stuff, knees, ankles, muscles still complaining.

I have been stuffing my face though, catching up on the various series that I like, eight months worth, gaming again, and generally just staying in and resting.

Such a relief to be without the Albergues and extra food expenses on top of my rent and bills though !!

There's a qualitative differenc to this return home compared to the others, a lot from having walked back to France, but also from having walked for such a long time continuously, double any previous, and also for so far.

I still have the Camino fatigue like any pilgrim, still feel like I need to get my pack in order to head on out.

This is in contrast to previous arrivals, when it was just done and behind me.

Some Camino attitudes have also become even more deeply ingrained, a certain sense of continuous and yet stable impermanence especially.

One thing is certain though - - of the three major pilgrimages of this Camino, the most important by far turned out to be Santiago.

 

[Bradypus]

I still have the Camino fatigue like any pilgrim, still feel like I need to get my pack in order to head on out.

That sounds familiar. Although I have never been on the road continuously for quite as long as you did I found it hard to return to a stationary "normal" after spending just over two months walking. Just waking up in the morning with nowhere else to be that day was strange and unsettling. No words of wisdom to offer you - just to say that you are not alone on that one. Ultreia!

 

[mspath]

The aches and pains still haven't quite gotten back to normal baseline, left shoulder has some backpack strap stuff, knees, ankles, muscles still complaining.

I have been stuffing my face though, catching up on the various series that I like, eight months worth, gaming again, and generally just staying in and resting.

Such a relief to be without the Albergues and extra food expenses on top of my rent and bills though !!

There's a qualitative differenc to this return home compared to the others, a lot from having walked back to France, but also from having walked for such a long time continuously, double any previous, and also for so far.

I still have the Camino fatigue like any pilgrim, still feel like I need to get my pack in order to head on out.

This is in contrast to previous arrivals, when it was just done and behind me.

Some Camino attitudes have also become even more deeply ingrained, a certain sense of continuous and yet stable impermanence especially.

One thing is certain though - - of the three major pilgrimages of this Camino, the most important by far turned out to be Santiago.

JabbaPapa,
How nice it is to read a new post on your extraordinary thread! So glad that you are resting after so many long days and kilometers traveled. Like you many of your readers probably also feel a "sense of continuous and yet stable impermanence" ; we all ponder what the future might be .

Take care and Carpe diem!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Finances for the final Camino month were tough again, train fares from Lourdes in particular, but I made it through -- no more Albergues nor pilgrim menus on top of rent and bills is a huge difference.

Got enough for tomorrow, and Tuesday is payday. Hooray !!

A great help is that there is a local fund to help the elderly and disabled at Christentide, that I had forgotten about, but I went to see someone in the local services to say hello, and there were a nice €40 waiting for me (they lasted long), and a box of chocolates, well-timed indeed as that was on my birthday !!

On the topic though, this fourth stage of my Camino did get more and more difficult after the first three months ; sure, there was a lot of sleeping outdoors in that period of it, so less expenditure, but even so. 5 days of difficulty, 10 days the following month, 15 the month after. And I got through December with a great deal of help from some forum members, whom I am deeply grateful towards, and also a few nights outdoors, and it did help that Castilla y León is not so costly as Galicia.

I'd never attempt a Camino with no money, that's ridiculous, but the truth is that my income that was sufficient in the early Summer of 2022 ceased to be enough over the course of Autumn to Winter 2022-23.

The only two I came across with no money as such were one clinically insane pseudo-pilgrim tramp, living on the Camino ping-pong manner going back and forth between the Albergues that would put him up for free because they feel sorry for him, and he is very disturbed ; and one "True Pilgrim" I met twice, first at Santiago, then weeks later in Mansilla de las Mulas, on his Way from Santiago to Rome with his two dogs and sleeping nearly always outside. Brilliant guy, and definitely a pilgrim, no pseudo- about him.

One German peregrina though looked at me in disgust and disdain, "if you haven't enough money, don't go on the Camino" according to her.

Nonsense, but this is the risk now with grotesque inflation plus the increasingly generalised touristification of the Camino, in a redefinition as a privilege for the rich, and no longer a Catholic Christian Pilgrims' Way, that all are welcome in, rich or poor. This has been the tendency for many years, but a tipping point seems to have been reached.

Of course there's a personal situational element to these comments, a certain bias, as I myself am now less capable of just sleeping outdoors than I was, 30 years after my first Camino, and with complicated dietary needs that are not dirt cheap as things were previously ; and the walking takes longer and longer ; but even so, daily Camino expenditure did increase substantially over the course of 2022.

I certainly do not begrudge those pilgrims wishing for more comforts along the Way, may they be enjoyed !! But a certain equilibrium that had emerged, a positive cohabitation in good will, is in the process of being ruined by the current financial crisis.

I think some sort of solution is inevitable, for the Camino anyway, but I do hope it doesn't get *too* bad in the meantime ... If it becomes for the wealthy alone, the fewer pilgrims there will be, the less custom at each place along the Way, then establishments will be forced into closure from not enough pilgrims. If things get worse.

We walk these Pilgrim Ways in Faith, not in cost/benefit ratio !!

 

[Flog]

Congratulations on completing your epic pilgrimage. You recounted many challenging and difficult times and overcame considerable hardship along the way, yet your faith prevailed and you persevered to meet your three goals, Fatima, Santiago and finally Lourdes..

One German peregrina though looked at me in disgust and disdain, "if you haven't enough money, don't go on the Camino" according to her.

But do try to see it in the eyes of others. Perhaps she meant if you haven't enough money, don't expect your fellow pilgrims or others to subsidize you? I'm with her. Being asked for money puts most of us on the spot.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Perhaps she meant if you haven't enough money, don't expect your fellow pilgrims or others to subsidize you? I'm with her. Being asked for money puts most of us on the spot.

Not what she said. And you weren't there.

And just saying "no" isn't hard, and I expect nothing from nobody, unless it should be some common courtesy, decency, and respect.

The Way of Saint James is not a tally of expenditures.

Anyway, she did help me.

 

[Flog]

Who knows what she said? Not wishing to belabour a point but having to 'just say no' in the first place puts many of us in an uncomfortable position, and besides, 'in my opinion' walking a pilgrimage however long and arduous, doesn't automatically entitle us to charity.

But I do agree with you:
the traditional ethos/values/spirit, what have you, of the ways of St James are being eroded and replaced by the unrelenting demands of tourism at an alarming rate now. It feels very different to me now than it did when I first walked just eight short years ago. Harder to find, yet these values still survive and it's up to us as pilgrims to help nurture them and keep them alive. But I also feel it's true of society in general, we have lost the run of ourselves..

 

[mspath]

Finances for the final Camino month were tough again, train fares from Lourdes in particular, but I made it through -- no more Albergues nor pilgrim menus on top of rent and bills is a huge difference.

Got enough for tomorrow, and Tuesday is payday. Hooray !!

A great help is that there is a local fund to help the elderly and disabled at Christentide, that I had forgotten about, but I went to see someone in the local services to say hello, and there were a nice €40 waiting for me (they lasted long), and a box of chocolates, well-timed indeed as that was on my birthday !!

On the topic though, this fourth stage of my Camino did get more and more difficult after the first three months ; sure, there was a lot of sleeping outdoors in that period of it, so less expenditure, but even so. 5 days of difficulty, 10 days the following month, 15 the month after. And I got through December with a great deal of help from some forum members, whom I am deeply grateful towards, and also a few nights outdoors, and it did help that Castilla y León is not so costly as Galicia.

I'd never attempt a Camino with no money, that's ridiculous, but the truth is that my income that was sufficient in the early Summer of 2022 ceased to be enough over the course of Autumn to Winter 2022-23.

The only two I came across with no money as such were one clinically insane pseudo-pilgrim tramp, living on the Camino ping-pong manner going back and forth between the Albergues that would put him up for free because they feel sorry for him, and he is very disturbed ; and one "True Pilgrim" I met twice, first at Santiago, then weeks later in Mansilla de las Mulas, on his Way from Santiago to Rome with his two dogs and sleeping nearly always outside. Brilliant guy, and definitely a pilgrim, no pseudo- about him.

One German peregrina though looked at me in disgust and disdain, "if you haven't enough money, don't go on the Camino" according to her.

Nonsense, but this is the risk now with grotesque inflation plus the increasingly generalised touristification of the Camino, in a redefinition as a privilege for the rich, and no longer a Catholic Christian Pilgrims' Way, that all are welcome in, rich or poor. This has been the tendency for many years, but a tipping point seems to have been reached.

Of course there's a personal situational element to these comments, a certain bias, as I myself am now less capable of just sleeping outdoors than I was, 30 years after my first Camino, and with complicated dietary needs that are not dirt cheap as things were previously ; and the walking takes longer and longer ; but even so, daily Camino expenditure did increase substantially over the course of 2022.

I certainly do not begrudge those pilgrims wishing for more comforts along the Way, may they be enjoyed !! But a certain equilibrium that had emerged, a positive cohabitation in good will, is in the process of being ruined by the current financial crisis.

I think some sort of solution is inevitable, for the Camino anyway, but I do hope it doesn't get *too* bad in the meantime ... If it becomes for the wealthy alone, the fewer pilgrims there will be, the less custom at each place along the Way, then establishments will be forced into closure from not enough pilgrims. If things get worse.

We walk these Pilgrim Ways in Faith, not in cost/benefit ratio !!

JabbaPapa,

Joyeux anniversaire! May you continue to enjoy many meaningful future years.

Thank you for sharing your poignant thoughts re the current changes on the camino and the resultant dual losses of availability for all and the unique camino spirit.

Like you many of us who have walked camino paths realize how important it is that such paths exist forevermore for all to follow.

I recall what you so beautifully wrote early in December as you left Belorado regarding memories of the good ways "with care and attention to that which has long been and that we hope to see continue" .

Indeed, may the good ways continue.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Who knows what she said?

Me.

 

[SEB2]

@Flog, you write that 'walking a pilgrimage however long and arduous, doesn't automatically entitle us to charity.' Perhaps it would have been better to preface this statement with 'in my opinion' as others on the forum or on the Way may have a different take on this.

So, 'in my opinion, if one has ample money, it is not charity to give to another pilgrim, nor is it a hardship to share it - and I would emphasise the word 'share'. Back in the seventies, with a youthful idealism based loosely on the example of the Bruderhof and people experimenting with new ways of living on the land in the USA, my family and I joined an embryo commune in Scotland. It was more farming, families and craft-based than the stereotype of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Sadly the group soon foundered because of differences in how to rear our children, but we never ever fell out about money, which was shared without question.

Back in 2015 and 2016 when I walked the Camino, there were occasions when I might pay for coffee or food for other people I had met while walking, and sometimes others would do the same for me, not on a balance sheet basis as it was not necessarily a reciprocal arrangement more 'pay it forward' and because the pleasure of being able to share - be it food, encouragement or experiences - seems to be doubly valued and intensified on the Camino. Many of us walk alone and being separated from our families are especially heartened by the comradeship and the knowledge of strangers looking out for one another that becomes part of 'becoming' a pilgrim. If a cup of coffee, food or money isn't something a fellow pilgrim is in a position to offer, kind words cost nothing but they also warm hearts and lift the spirits of travellers when they are far from home.

I consider that to help a peregrina/peregrino to continue their journey is a privilege, not charity. Think of the work that Rebekah & Paddy Scott do at their home in Moratinos & organising the 'ditch pigs' clean up, or the donativo albergues staffed by volunteers, some who fly thousands of miles to serve pilgrims (as do some of the 'ditch pig' volunteers). I thank them for all that they give of themselves and their generosity towards us. Ultreia!

 

[Flog]

Points well made indeed. I'm very grateful for the work of volunteers too.

 

[VNwalking]

the increasingly generalised touristification of the Camino, in a redefinition as a privilege for the rich, and no longer a Catholic Christian Pilgrims' Way, that all are welcome in, rich or poor. This has been the tendency for many years, but a tipping point seems to have been reached.

This is the feeling I get here on the forum, too - with more and more questions about itineraries and booking. An indication of the general trend. When I get bored or cynical it helps to remember the camino has always had a touristic element. And I do thet sometines too, on the camino.

What does get to me, though, is the intolerance and entitlement that money can bring - a sense of superiority as compared to those who have less. And it's out there, no doubt about it. Money is nothing compared to purity of heart. And being a pilgrim is about heart, not pocketbook.

But a certain equilibrium that had emerged, a positive cohabitation in good will, is in the process of being ruined by the current financial crisis.

Or maybe just the relative proportion of those with means, who never knew the way it was before?

I expect nothing from nobody, unless it should be some common courtesy, decency, and respect.

Amen. Unfortunately for most people, the respect one gets is directly proportional to the money one has. That's the world, sadly.

Perhaps it would have been better to preface this statement with 'in my opinion' as others on the forum or on the Way may have a different take on this.

the pleasure of being able to share

Beautiful post, @SEB2.
There's an inability to be generous that comes with disrespect for those without means, calling them all 'freeloaders.' Some perhaps. But by no means all. Contributing to the betterment of all does not necessarily have anything to do with money.

And regardless - it is a joy to share, much more than to accumulate.

 

[Former member 104756]

There's an inability to be generous that comes with disrespect for those without means, calling them all 'freeloaders.'

Very true. It’s worth remembering that the distance between having sufficient and being without means can be a very small step indeed.

And regardless - it is a joy to share, much more than to accumulate

Yes

 

[henrythedog]

“Very true. It’s worth remembering that the distance between having sufficient and being without means can be a very small step indeed”

And can happen in the blink of an eye.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Tonight, once the money comes in, I will start with the business of fixing the stuff that was broken on the Camino, first my glasses and my phone. I've found a source for the spare part that I need for the latter, plus in the meantime I'll get a new battery for my older Windows Phone, as that will arrive sooner, so get me up and running again. It was good that I had the Android device as backup, it saved the final weeks of this Camino, but I do dislike Android as a smartphone OS.

The specs are more simple, but I'll have to get a new frame from China, then down to my optician for one new lens plus mount the lenses on the new frame.

Don't know if I'll walk another Camino again, though there is the Roman Jubilee in 2025, but I'll still get replacements for the inflatable mattress (which deflated) and the backpack (broken straps and broken zip).

At least I had a spare pair of army boots, a new pair of trousers, and sundry items of non-Camino-wrecked clothing waiting for me when I got home !!

 

[VNwalking]

Fixing phone and glasses...really important.
Fixing other broken bits...well, that Roman Jubilee is far enough ahead to give time to do that. By the time that rolls around may you have more ease of body!

 

[Becky 59]

Welcome home! I feel like a part of history, meeting you in Santiago a few months ago.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Fixing phone and glasses...really important.
Fixing other broken bits...well, that Roman Jubilee is far enough ahead to give time to do that. By the time that rolls around may you have more ease of body!

I actually found a French supplier for the broken smartphone piece, and cheaper, so I'll have that in a couple of days, and can skip the battery for my backup Windows Phone for the time being.

The glasses frame won't arrive until probably the end of the month, so it may only be the beginning of March for that repair job.

I did forget to mention that the hem of my big black pilgrim cape is frayed, so that will need taking in to the seamstress for a little shortening.

Yeah, there's no rush to replace the hiking kit, the backpack is probably still OK for my normal training hikes (on the historic Via Aurelia, so the local historic Camino/Via Romea route) that I'll be starting with again soon ; which is a great change, because after my Stages 1, 2, & 3 I was hurt/injured each time and couldn't do so that quickly, though post Stage 1, I was still "in training", so it didn't matter. This time, the few weeks' post-Camino rest was sufficient.

 

[Bradypus]

Just been reading the new book "Waybread" by Laurie Dennett. In one of the articles she talks about the history and significance of the Compostela. As someone who made the journey in both directions you might appreciate this part.

"The compostela had uses outside the city of the Apostle, besides merely proving that the bearer had been there. Since pilgrims in earlier centuries had to return home by the same means as they arrived, the compostela may have served as an additional form of safe-conduct, especially if the return journey took their owners off the established routes where they enjoyed considerable legal protection. Whether on the well-worn pilgrim roads or farther afield, the possession of a compostela may have resulted in spontaneous offers of meals, beds and favours from local people that eased the homeward way. The rules of the religious foundations at Roncesvalles and Aubrac allowed for the special treatment of accredited pilgrims on their way home, which included warm water for washing and better wine."

Dennett, Laurie . Waybread: Memories of the Camino for the Onward Journey (p. 206). Peaceable Publishing. Kindle Edition.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Just been reading the new book "Waybread" by Laurie Dennett. In one of the articles she talks about the history and significance of the Compostela. As someone who made the journey in both directions you might appreciate this part.

"The compostela had uses outside the city of the Apostle, besides merely proving that the bearer had been there. Since pilgrims in earlier centuries had to return home by the same means as they arrived, the compostela may have served as an additional form of safe-conduct, especially if the return journey took their owners off the established routes where they enjoyed considerable legal protection. Whether on the well-worn pilgrim roads or farther afield, the possession of a compostela may have resulted in spontaneous offers of meals, beds and favours from local people that eased the homeward way. The rules of the religious foundations at Roncesvalles and Aubrac allowed for the special treatment of accredited pilgrims on their way home, which included warm water for washing and better wine."

Dennett, Laurie . Waybread: Memories of the Camino for the Onward Journey (p. 206). Peaceable Publishing. Kindle Edition.

I have encountered just such several times over the years, and thank you for this.

---

Otherwise, my Lumia 950XL Windows Phone is fixed and back in action.

Hooray !!

 

[mspath]

Braddypus and JabbaPapa,
That dual offer of "...warm water for washing and better wine" certainly would have been very welcome!!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Home :

 

[mspath]

JabbaPapa,
It is such a pleasure to see you so fit and content next to the splendid roundel commemorating Saint Jacques and the tower of the église Saint Jacques de la Boucherie. Thank you for sharing this photo here on the forum.

​

 

[JabbaPapa]

JabbaPapa,
It is such a pleasure to see you so fit and content next to the splendid roundel commemorating Saint Jacques and the tower of the église Saint Jacques de la Boucherie. Thank you for sharing this photo here on the forum.

It's just downhill from where I live.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Good day today.

Cool and overcast, so I went into town for my shopping in the coat i.e. my great big black pilgrim cape.

Meat and eggs first, then read a bit (Tom Clancy stuff at the moment) -- then going to the supermarket for the rest of the provender, a gentleman passing in his car, "are you a pilgrim ?", yes but I've finished, reply from him : Bon Chemin ...

To then out of the supermarket, then I was stopped by two lovely bourgeoise beauties, sisters, "are you a pilgrim ?" ; yes, chatting a bit more this time, do you need to sit down somewhere, why not in here ? The tea room. They offered something to eat, had some themselves, Quiche Lorraine for me, and some Earl Grey.

Good Camino talk, good pilgrimage talk, good Christian talk, and maybe these two lovelies will walk the Camino. Every little step helps, and the Camino provides.

----

And something has clearly changed over this very lengthy Camino of mine ; I'm certainly more kindly towards others than I was, despite my grumpiness, but others seem generally to be more kindly towards me, mostly, albeit that some who were less so are now ignoring me, but there's some increased respect there too in the absence of lack thereof.

The more important of my various purposes this time was health, and it has definitely improved, but there's a curious spiritual change that I hadn't quite expected.

 

[JabbaPapa]

My photos aren't great, and I certainly don't want to abuse Ivar's bandwidth, but I always try for the sort of thing I like to rotate in my desktop images. Unusual one for me, with other pilgrims :

 

[JabbaPapa]

Technically, today, I finished the material part of this Camino.

Since getting back home, many weeks ago, I have been unable to get into church for multiple reasons, but mostly from too much overall pain.

Others may certainly view things differently, but as to me, convert that I am, chronic pain has been a serious obstacle ever since getting back.

But today, I was finally strong enough to get in, present myself to the Altar and the Tabernacle, speak with our Parish Priest.

I have walked from the Altar, and I have presented myself before the Altar -- Part 1.

Still need Confession and Holy Eucharist.

Interference from this disability continues to be very annoying indeed !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I am finally starting to get a sense of the physical changes to me from this very lengthy Camino.

I've still not quite recovered from the ordeal, and the fact that my glasses broke about six months ago is more than just an annoyance now that I'm home (far less problematic when I was still walking -- though the fix for that is done tomorrow), but I am starting to get a comparative notion about my 2018 before and my 2023 after.

My 2014 Camino led to losing 15 kilos (a year of training plus the walk), and from the Grotto at Lourdes and with some Grace of God through our Lady Saint Mary, the end of my need for knee braces while walking. Good stuff.

This time, less dramatic, but still positive healthwise.

25 kilos lost, so better, and I have recovered much of the muscle that I had lost after the onset of this horrid period of disease in the late 2000s.

My body is stronger than it was when I started the Camino four years ago. But OTOH my walking is slower. So I'm stronger but slower, which feels rather counterintuitive.

On my first two stages in 2019, my daily average was about 15K, and my longest one was a 35K towards the end of stage 2. That was a fun day, even though it was full tarmac and horrid rain, and resting places few and far between, main road next to a motorway to boot. My memories of that day's hike are nevertheless quite pleasant ones. Mainly due to a slow crescendo from dire dull scenery to absolutely amazing.

Then 2020 -- a bout of the covid over 2019-2020, and whilst legally I could have walked in the Summer, truth is my "long covid" and the post-viral syndrome killed that possibility.

The 2021 stage 3 had its particular difficulties, including from being a stage not from home, nor getting to any of the pilgrimage destinations. Daily averages were down to my still current 12K to 13K averages, though I could still manage the occasional 25K+. A frustrating stage, but at least I made it that year back onto the Francès, and a decent hike along that route between Logroño and Moratinos. In the Meseta.

Whatever health benefits that year were mostly countermanded by some emerging nutritional problems that I still had not under proper control, and some injury during the home journey plus the covid 2.0 stopped my plan to start stage 4 in Autumn 2021.

I do have great memories of the various pilgrims and others that I met in 2019 and 2021 after I reached the Camí Catalàn, including some particularly brilliant hospitaleras/os. Two brilliant meals stand out as among the top five of all of my Caminos ; and another was the conceptual perfection of a simple, ordinary, Spanish menú del dia having neither anything special about it, but also exactly nothing wrong with it either. A flawless ordinary on a plate.

Then the 2022 stage 4 leading into early 2023 -- I got my act together at last, and despite those 2021 problems, I had strengthened my body sufficiently to make this one work.

Yes I was slower than three years previous at the start of it, but my muscles were better, and I ended up strong enough to get me to Fátima, then Santiago de Compostela, SJPP and Lourdes.

Overall though, I have lost around 40 kilos during the ten years or so since my 2013 training and 2014 Camino, and during this 2019 - 2021, 2022, 2023.

So stronger but slower at the end of it all -- the pain is about the same, but it's the fact that I'm slowing down that makes the prospects of any other foot pilgrimages in the future rather more difficult now ; though that's still a much better situation than in the early 2010s when I was thinking that my walking days were completely over. Certainly though, this was the third but very last of my truly long Caminos.

We'll see if I can possibly go from Home to Rome in two years' time, but that's just 800K, and walking back Home from Rome simply isn't something I'd want to do even in better health circumstances, the walk back here from Genova would be just too ghastly. OK on the way out though, as a difficulty to get past, plus some very pleasant villages and towns along the Way. But we'll see.

 

[JabbaPapa]

It is sometimes quite gratifying to be a former IT professional --

From misclick, I thought that the following was lost. And then my IT brain kicked in.

--------------------

I think it's still going to take me a while to really recover and return from this one.

Some of it is just climate and weather -- finishing in Winter, even in the mild sort that we have down here, does make things harder versus a normal Camino situation, regardless weather, of having limbs and joints warmed up from walking every day, rain or shine. It stops, and then your body cools down.

Psychologically -- unintended, this one extended between 2018 and 2023, which makes six years. Not even considering the 373 days of Camino as such, nor the many extra days around that -- but now, that's no longer in the present nor the future, but in memory and in the past.

This, I have to say, is a real lesson.

The journey home, even though I could not physically complete it all of the way, has given me a deeper sense of completion than on even my two previous very long Caminos. There and Back Again, even were that just SJPP > SJPP, does seem to be a better Way ; not just more satisfying materially, but also ultimately more peaceful in purpose and reward. Some of you long-timers and repeat artists may wish to reflect upon that idea ...

The one really unexpected thing though, even after 30 years or so on these silly Camino Ways, is that people generally just don't look at me the same way as before. More kindness, more spontaneous help, more general respect, more laissez-faire, more forgive and forget, and really just more love.

Not as radically different as the before and after of my 1994 ; but perhaps deeper, and gentler.

---

There was, of course, my 2005 ; after which multiple people who knew me could not recognise me, and I had to actually reintroduce myself to them !!

That one was truly weird ...

 

[chinacat]

It might be my iPad but I can’t load your photographs….

 

[JabbaPapa]

It might be my iPad but I can’t load your photographs….

Edited and deleted.

Artefacts from misclick.

 

[Annette london]

It might be my iPad but I can’t load your photographs….

Me neither, on my iPad

 

[JabbaPapa]

Me neither, on my iPad

They were just ghosts from the unintended misclick.

When I restored, I just copied the text, but the copy operation seems to have imported some unintended junk data.

Deleted now, but I'm still happy that the intended typing was rescued !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Here's an intended photo, to thank you for your patience. Late December 2022 :

 

[JabbaPapa]

Music to go with that image is the soundtrack for The Way.

 

[mspath]

Music to go with that image is the soundtrack for The Way.

JabbaqPapa,
Thank you for sharing your sincere thoughts regarding your journey home and the happy facts that it was " more satisfying materially, but also ultimately more peaceful in purpose and reward".
It is a pleasure for those of us who followed you to share your pleasure now.

 

[VNwalking]

Some of you long-timers and repeat artists may wish to reflect upon that idea .

It's a very good idea!
And it's not so easy for anyone not resident in the schengen zone - we need visas! Or for people in North America who can only get a mingy fortnight off work each year. TBH I envy people living in the EU who have time to do this.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Got my new pair of glasses this afternoon, exactly the same as the old, very good, and among other things at least I can now use my computer monitor with less peering into it and less strain on my neck and shoulders.

Hooray !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

My Godfather will be getting me a Pilgrim Menu on Thursday (he is a pilgrim, but not a foot pilgrim as we think of that, except some short local pilgrimages) -- I still haven't managed to get back to the Holy Mass since Lourdes, despite multiple attempts, and I really hope that he can help me get towards that proper completion. He is an excellent Christian. And a year younger than I am ...

Materially, it's done -- but Spiritually and Religiously I am still on the Way.

Of course, this unexpected technical prolongation may very well hold a significance in and of itself. Notably, in this approach to Holy Week.

Am I called to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee ? It's towards that direction that I came from anyway from Compostela !!

Eh.

---

The Camino Provides.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Technically, this Camino remains unfinished, as I have remained unable (from the bloody handicap/disability and its pain) to take the Holy Eucharistic Mass at my Parish church, despite several attempts, let alone questions of Confession.

But I did make a good Way forward today.

My Godfather bought me lunch. (Sri Lankan curry)

This and that, but it does seem to be emerging that a Home to Rome 2025 might not be so unthinkable.

How others here see me has changed quite radically -- it's become, "Are you a Pilgrim ?", and variants of Buen Camino.

Whatever else, this tells me that my days on these silly Pilgrim Ways are not only behind, but also ahead of me.

So then what, Home to Rome to Home ??!!?!?

Started thinking about it, we True Pilgrims are such complete idiots !!

Could get home via Limone then Sospel and Menton maybe ? But then which route up there ?

---

I truly love my Godfather, though he has been an instrument of getting the craziest Camino notions into my head, and just seeing him once today was no exception.

His Soul and his Angel seem to know that the best of my own Christianity, and my Vocation thereto, is to be a Pilgrim.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Day 373 -- Holy Easter Sunday Mass -- Beausoleil

I had been in difficulty to get back to Church since Lourdes.

Multiple attempts, and multiple failures -- from the fatigue and lasting pain of the Camino mainly, worsened by the disability, even though I had been able to mostly push through it when walking ; but there was a spiritual element also.

Not just, what on EARTH have I just done ?

But also, how do I get back into life, and what is that anyway ?

I thought that I had fixed that stuff for good, in the 1994 !!

Though most Sundays, I tried to get down and attend Holy Mass, but no go. Knees generally, but ankles too. Just said no.

There's clearly an argument to be made that 7½ consequent months on those silly Camino Ways was too much ...

Don't think so, but this return home has been the strangest ever.

But still -- Ritually and Religiously, I finished my Camino on Sunday.

-----------

More trivially, I still have my Camino tan, arms anyway, so will likely keep it 'til next Winter. Love it !!

Less frivolously, I've mentioned before how the attitudes of others have changed towards me, and it's strange and wonderful.

The Camino Provides.

-----------

I am upgrading my computer to have an extra 10TB of storage capacity.

This alone is a sign of return home.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I am starting to more seriously consider this Home to Rome.

 

[JabbaPapa]

If I do this Home to Rome, and it is becoming likelier, I will make my Way via Milan and stay at my sister's place. I suppose that to do so would technically turn it into a Francigena. I am very grateful that she immediately said yes -- we've not seen each other in years.

 

[JabbaPapa]

It is increasingly difficult to be a Pilgrim of the Ways of Saints James, Peter, Mary, from an increasing judgmentalism.

I don't mind sleeping outdoors, except in heart of Winter, yet increasingly, foot pilgrims are expected to be wealthy.

Even by those who should think first of the Way.

The Way of Saint James is not the instrument of a conformity.

 

[JabbaPapa]

The time has finally come to mostly end this thread -- though I will of course continue to respond to any comments herein.

Easter Sunday & Day 373 was the final end of it.

And I have at last realised that Home to Rome 2025 is what I need to do, not just dream of hypothetically.

Not just that I'm still physically capable, which is wonderful, but also, and I think more importantly, I need some project and some purpose.

I can express no degree of gratitude at all towards those who have helped me along this one -- because it's massively greater than any conception of it.

I love all of those whom I have come across upon the Way, with or without help or judgment, gift or warning, welcome or direction.

We are Pilgrims -- and I am saddened by our seemed increasing ability to set that reality aside for material purposes.

Anyway.

Time to start the new thread ...

 

[JabbaPapa]

The new thread is here :

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/home-to-rome-2025.80134/

 

[JabbaPapa]

I have now properly recovered, physically (and fatigue), from last year's extremist 3,000K walk.

I had returned to the Mass on Easter Sunday, which I had to force, but today it was just normal -- finally !!

Now that the fatigue and overall stress of it are gone -- I'm stronger than I was when I started this last Camino in early January 2019.

Older too, and a lot slower.

But much better, I can stand up still with a lot less cumulative pain than in many years, very short distance walking is easier.

And whilst the best in recent years was realising, in my first week out of Lourdes that I no longer needed my knee braces, that they were instead a hindrance, from I think a healing of the Grotto ; this more obviously material outcome from good very long-distance hiking practices is a delayed consequence from that initial 2014 healing, but one that I needed to "win" for myself from that Grace but by my effort as well.

Faith, Grace, and Works -- these are a Trinity, and none of them work alone.

I continue to be humbled that despite my original agnosticism, God chose to force me into conversion, which is rather unusual, and brings me into such purposes -- despite my sins.

----

I am, a bit more personally, extremely happy to have made my Portuguese Way. There is a very substantial Portuguese community here, with restaurants, bars, shops, etc. -- and the more time passes since finishing this thing in the New Year, the closer I feel to these lovely people.

They know that I have walked from Home to Fátima -- and whilst this is nothing exceptional, because they all do it ; they do understand that my own home is 1,500K + further away from theirs' to Fátima, but it's not the distance ; rather it's that I am a very rare local to have done the same from my own home and far away.

So, there is a respect ...

But, basically, it's just -- right, so this is at least one guy who's done his bare minimum. No more, but "bare minimum" is cause of minimum and sufficient respect.

I love these people ; Pilgrimage and the Camino are the norm, not the exception.

--------

I am still in constant pain 24/7, BUT it is significantly less debilitating. Mostly, it's becoming just background noise -- though it does still make me very significantly slower than I was.

 

[JabbaPapa]

And yes, total days is 373.

It was 372 to home ; but the +1 for Holy Easter Sunday Mass most definitely counts, particularly because the proper end of any Camino is at the Altar of your home Parish Church.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I felt motivated to type the following on another thread, and for other purposes -- but it's actually not a bad résumé :

373 days and ~5,000K on the Provençal, Arles Way, Via Romieu/French Catalan, Camí Catalàn via Lleida / Ebro Way, Francès, Madrid Way, a lot of hors piste, one night in a Municipal on the Sureste, a few days on the Levante, one day 2 nights on the VDLP, some days switching between the Camino de San Francisco de Asís and the Camino Torres, then Rota do Vale do Côa, a bit on the Caminho Nascente, the Ruta do Zêzere, a NE > SW > W Fátima route I can't remember the name of offhand but is currently being waymarked and "officially" established, the Português Central, the Caminho do Fátima de Nascente, the Português Coastal, the Francès again, a short part of the Le Puy Way, and a short part of the Piémont Way, between early January 2019 and early January 2023 ; and in Winter, Spring, Summer (twice), Autumn, then Winter again.

------------

I still want to make a descriptive post about distances, so maybe this is a start.

 

[lovingkindness]

Isn't that amazing, @JabbaPapa ...and a little crazy, too!

Ultreia e Suseia

 

[JabbaPapa]

Guess I forgot to post this in here :

I still wish instead of 7 and 2022 they'd write VII and MMXXII ...

 

[JabbaPapa]

This was a prospective 2020 video, but somehow it feels retrospective and nostalgic of the emotional character of those crazy long final stages of this Camino.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I had forgotten this one :



and this one :

 

[JabbaPapa]

The changes in attitudes towards me since finishing this one continue to astound me.

I just went for a coffee towards midday (espresso : wonderful and tasty), at I think the best (and quite ordinary) coffee bar West of the Italian border (not far, 17K or so), and the young girl asked me : aren't you the guy who keeps on walking to Italy ? (which I haven't done in 23 years)

That she didn't even ask if I wanted sugar or not but instead gave me none (as I prefer) is an interesting detail.

There's a good chance that my Home to Rome 2025 will be a beautiful one, and hopefully with fewer thieves !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Well !!!

I honestly thought that was it, but this morning I have been powerfully called back to the Camino, and a consequence is that I will in fact do Stage 5 of this and walk Home from the Spanish-French border this year.

There will be an intermediary other Camino from I don't know where, to I don't know where, passing through Compostela in July, and I'll walk both to Santiago and from Santiago, the latter maybe one or two hundred K towards France. Then I will hitch-hike from wherever (i.e. including a degree of hiking and most certainly some of that on the meseta along the Francès), then in those circumstances it now seems entirely impossible on my Way back for me to not finish my Home to Home.

And given the compromises I was forced into, for multiple reasons, at the start of 2023, it will be Roncesvalles to Home, and I'll consider Roncesvalles as my Day 373+0.

Holy Mass at our Parish Church on the occasion of the Catholic Prayer Day for Vocations is what locked this determination down -- plus a reason to be in Santiago in July.

This is a huge surprise, and total it's about another 1,500K or thereabouts. Some of that is its own separate Camino, but my Stage 5 proper should add around 1,000K to this Camino and another ~80+ days or so to it.

This does not compromise my Home to Rome 2025 in the slightest.

 

[JabbaPapa]

My already ginormous Credencial is going to get even fatter !!

 

[lovingkindness]

...that's the Spirit, @JabbaPapa. On y va!

 

[JabbaPapa]

My already ginormous Credencial is going to get even fatter !!

Three extra Paris model credenciales to glue into the bloody thing are on their way right now ...

Interestingly, there will be a myse en abysme whereby my big, bloated credencial will contain another small credencial into which I am likely to glue its own Compostela certificate ...

I will need to find a little bottle of white glue to take with me for those purposes.

Kit-wise my biggest compromise will be walking with my 2014 Camino army boots, damaged and no longer water-proof -- but the soles and heels are still thick and solid. And they are replaceable if I make a detour via Marseilles when I reach that area.

I've been wearing my faded 2022-2023 Camino jeans and they're fine, albeit only nominally black at this point ; whereas the 100% woollen socks continue to perform excellently, my wonderful godfather is getting me the last t-shirt I need and a new inflatable mattress, and I can get some new boxer shorts in a few days.

I'll get the backpack next month.

I'll need to get a couple months supply of my anti-inflammatory, though that's mostly set, and as most of this will be in France, it makes everything easier prescription-wise later on. And I have built up some stock of it to get along with. I will need to resupply on supplements too next month, solidly, though I'll likely not bring too much of the Magnesium. It's just too bulky !!

----

Otherwise, I'm starting to consider Zamora > Santiago on the Sanabrés. Salamanca > Santiago would be nice, but I doubt I have enough time for it.

----

It's astonishing to me that this thread and this project have gone live again !! Then again, I think this is the strongest call to the Camino that I've had since the three I received prior to, during, and at the end of my 1993. It's not as strong as the last of those three (which was towards my 1994), but it is very similar to the first two. The Call that led to my 2005 was FAR more powerful, but that Camino was secondary to what I was Called to in Baptism.

I am so grateful to Bill Bennett for somehow stepping in and making all of this possible again !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

My already ginormous Credencial is going to get even fatter !!

The fatness of this thread is very similar to my own, and to that of my 2019-2024 Credencial. And ~6,600K total ???!!??!

 

[JabbaPapa]

My three new credenciales arrived in the post. They seem slim in comparison to the existing monster one that they will embiggen.

But then, the individual pages of a very large credencial do seem to thicken along the Camino, so we'll see !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

My godfather (who is a year younger than I am) is helping me with the new backpack and new inflatable mattress. Hooray !! And he is a brilliant godfather ...

I had my best compañero Anton on the phone yesterday, we were fast on the 2005, happily he seems to have recovered from his heart attack, and his current artwork is the best I've seen from him.

Still not sure where I'll be starting my 2024 intermediary Camino, though I am thinking about Salamanca and that end of the VDLP via lovely Zamora and then onto the Sanabrés.

As to the start of my return from Santiago hiking plus hitching towards Roncesvalles, well, looks like the only sensible route possible would be another Santiago > Sarria ...

It's OK, it's a beautiful route -- just this time it will be in August.

The option via Vigo makes no sense, as it's mostly on the Francès regardless ; as to via Monforte de Lemos, it would be beautiful but ultimately counterproductive.

---

It's possible that my even more bloated credencial has enough room in it for the stamps on my 2025 to Rome ; does this turn this equally bloated Camino into a Home to Home to Rome ??!!?!?

The mind boggles ...

Post number 1,175 ...

 

[JabbaPapa]

I love it when the world turns indigo :

 

[JabbaPapa]

Just got my new backpack.

It's smaller and lighter than my last one, but I think that's a good thing, as this will not be a winter Camino so I need less stuff.

The Army sleeping bag fits in, and the new inflatable mattress is tiny when uninflated.

Packing the sleeping bag tightly seems to leave enough volume for the rest of my junk, and there are outside volumes as well.

Straps are more comfortable than the silly Decathlon one, and I like the smaller volume.

It's workable. I like it.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Which mattress did you settle for in the end?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Which mattress did you settle for in the end?

This thing :

https://www.amazon.fr/Unigear-Gonflable-Ultraléger-Résistant-Couchage/dp/B07P2VZQ8X/ref=sr_1_23?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UeZQprb5s21AcuNi71vP6wNmaiMAu0rihDWg6dEpQYPqn1Tlu68IkqKU7VwAbjWGjF41yJ_fPrlHy854r0_xSzKLG7ZCmRYoTbT6Efww61Chp4YZ4NIFBzw6SqFY7-j0yuDxrj5XRXggkMZBZXO8viPSfrlvjTFa5kUrUxUgyiMo_MMf4H0UtvflWkLGsBkaRpBHegJ1UxPTBDKXgS511TfKq485eNwwmQmhZTCkbFcbD9MFGBgVqgjaqLUvuLCZpM7dnlcbTPXISsLg06qC26TXmWL07F2KuP9FgQ6o9MQ.-vKFktFAOYUFaypn6_Iv6YEdG3Is-aP3i4HWtWhLO4I&dib_tag=se&keywords=matelas+gonflable+rando&qid=1713149300&sr=8-23&th=1&tag=operapc-def-sp-co2-fr-21

It's cheap and light, and too short, but I don't need much. I'll be in Southern Europe.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Wow, it certainly is cheap, but not too bad weight wise. I'll be interested to know how you get on after a couple of weeks sleeping on it - or is it intended more for emergency use?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Wow, it certainly is cheap, but not too bad weight wise. I'll be interested to know how you get on after a couple of weeks sleeping on it - or is it intended more for emergency use?

Definitely not daily use !!

It's really just to insulate against body temperature loss when I'll sleep outdoors (or on the floor indoors).

I'll not much need it 'til I get back to France, and if it turns out to be rubbish, I'll just get a replacement somewhere. It's good enough to set out with.

We'll see -- my first inflatable mattress was a gift in 2005 from the hospitaleras in SJPP, and was similarly cheap. Served me well enough.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I have worked out how to organise a new pair of Army boots.

I am going to Paris next month for a Baptism, and there seems to be a Night Train from there to Marseilles -- which is where my boots come from.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Now that's dedication!

 

[J Willhaus]

I have worked out how to organise a new pair of Army boots.

I am going to Paris next month for a Baptism, and there seems to be a Night Train from there to Marseilles -- which is where my boots come from.

Do you need to try them on or can they ship them to you?

 

[JabbaPapa]

I should be less poor this year than the last few ones (cross fingers !!) -- and I am increasingly leaning towards starting from Salamanca on this surprise intermediary Camino.

Anyway, as none of it will be a Winter Camino this year, and a lot of it will be off the beaten path once I head out from Roncesvalles towards home, that'll be more rough sleeping, more French supermarket munchies, and so less expensive after that point.

The new backpack will take some getting used to, though I view its smaller size as a feature, not a bug. It has a number of separated zip-up volumes round and about, and it will take me a while to learn them. It feels like what I used to carry in the 1990s, but better, and better balanced. If I have to hang some stuff on the outside, then oh well !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Do you need to try them on or can they ship them to you?

It's an army base, so in either case I do need to go there. It's not mail order !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I am going to Paris next month for a Baptism

My feeling is that this isn't happening ; and if not, I have no idea whatsoever why not.

I have been called back onto the Camino anyway, as powerfully as I was in 1993 (three times), 1994 (actually in 1993), 2005, and 2014.

This current Camino is rather complex !! And I still can't look at it at all objectively.

I am setting out into a wilderness again, that much is clear, and some people out there seem to be disturbed by it.

 

[VNwalking]

some people out there seem to be disturbed by it.

Ah, but the question is...are you?
(That's a rhetorical question, actually - I can't imagine you are.)
Buen pre-camino, peregrino!

 

[J Willhaus]

OK, what is the new plan for getting the boots?

 

[Flog]

I am setting out into a wilderness again, that much is clear, and some people out there seem to be disturbed by it.

Forgive my curiousity, but...
where is this wilderness you speak of, and why would anyone 'out there' be disturbed by you setting out into it?

 

[PelegrinNikolai]

Isaiah 43:19

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?

I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

 

[JabbaPapa]

OK, what is the new plan for getting the boots?

Probably just revert to my old plan of walking with my 2014 boots, despite their lack of waterproofness, warped leather, and general damage.

Soles and heels are still thick enough, and it's not a Winter Camino.

I can still make a detour at about halfway through France to pick up a new pair in Marseilles.

 

[JabbaPapa]

where is this wilderness you speak of, and why would anyone 'out there' be disturbed by you setting out into it?

Our deepest wildernesses are in our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls.

Venturing out into those wildernesses is never an easy trip.

 

[lovingkindness]

Just got my new backpack.

It's smaller and lighter than my last one, but I think that's a good thing, as this will not be a winter Camino so I need less stuff.

The Army sleeping bag fits in, and the new inflatable mattress is tiny when uninflated.

Packing the sleeping bag tightly seems to leave enough volume for the rest of my junk, and there are outside volumes as well.

Straps are more comfortable than the silly Decathlon one, and I like the smaller volume.

It's workable. I like it.

A new pack! That's exciting...

 

[JabbaPapa]

It's turning real again, which is somewhat crazy, as I really, really did think it was done.

My medication resupply plus my various supplements all came in again over the past two days, plus my new 100% cotton boxer short underwear which is the best I've had since my teens. It actually fits !!

It's very clear that I really do need this, as my somewhat frustration last year at not fulfilling the original intent has turned into meaning and purpose thereto.

I got one new 100% cotton BLACK t-shirt, which is enough -- If you can handle it, cotton is best.

If you can't ?

Well, according to most reports, it's disastrously awful !!

I am SO glad to have a friend in cotton.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Today turned into an interesting test for my re-soled and sadly no longer fully waterproof 2014 Camino army boots.

It's the Western Alps here, but the rain today is somehow decidedly Pyrenean. Not cold, heavy drizzle, fine and constant -- and at the end of it my socks were and are still bone dry. After sitting out in the rain.

I'd love a new pair of boots, but these will do.

My ex was baptised yesterday, hooray !! Wasn't possible for me to attend, sadly, for reasons XYZ, but I think I may very well start my travel to Spain for my intermediary Camino via Paris then to Bayonne on Night Trains. Paris is where she lives and has been baptised.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Though truth be told, rain is now a LOT heavier, and I am glad to be indoors ...

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'm heading out again next week.

Hooray !!

I think I need to make a blimming *third* Live from the Camino thread, which is pretty weird.

The [intermediary] Camino will be from Salamanca and then the Sanabrés to Santiago, then from there a partial reverse Camino, certainly much of the Meseta, and then from Roncesvalles the end of this Long Walk back Home.

 

[J Willhaus]

Yes, start a new thread please!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I have made my first steps towards getting back onto this, and I am setting out from Santiago this morning to hitch-hike back to where I can start the fifth and final stage of this Camino.

So in the broader sense, my Way back Home has begun again.

hmmmmm post #1200 ...