Camino longing

[John Gilliland]

I hope this posts and is not behind a paywall:

The travel 'ache' you can’t translate

For all of us trapped inside our homes during coronavirus who long to travel, the Germans have a word for that: fernweh, or a pain to see far-flung places beyond our doorstep.

www.bbc.com

 

[ebrandt]

Well, I certainly have fernweh these days!

 

[Turga]

The Germans have another word that could be used in the current state of the world: Weltschmerz translating to ‘world weariness’ in the sense of "a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering".

 

[Kathy F.]

The Germans have another word that could be used in the current state of the world: Weltschmerz translating to ‘world weariness’ in the sense of "a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering".

That sounds Yiddish to me.

 

[David Tallan]

That sounds Yiddish to me.

Not surprising as Yiddish is a High-German derived language. Even the eastern dialects of Yiddish, which have more inclusions from Slavic languages, still are about 75% German in origin, I think. It basically started out as German written with the Hebrew alphabet. Much as Ladino is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish and basically started out as Spanish written with the Hebrew alphabet.

 

[Kimtom]

And then there’s good old Sehnsucht, a yearning and wistful longing... that’s what I’m experiencing, having left the Camino at Villa Franca Montes de Oca almost 2 weeks ago now, with albergues closing up ahead...

 

[jungleboy]

The Germans have another word that could be used in the current state of the world: Weltschmerz translating to ‘world weariness’ in the sense of "a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering".

That reminds me of a paragraph from The Old Patagonian Express when the author Paul Theroux reads to the (by that stage) blind Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges:

I went on reading this reproach to a traveler--just the reading of it made me feel homesick--and every few stanzas Borges exclaimed how perfect a particular phrase was. He was quite in awe of these English compounds. Such locutions were impossible in Spanish. A simple poetic phrase such as "world-weary flesh" must be rendered in Spanish as "this flesh made weary by the world." The ambiguity and delicacy is lost in Spanish, and Borges was infuriated that he could not attempt lines like Kipling's.

 

[Kathy F.]

Not surprising as Yiddish is a High-German derived language. Even the eastern dialects of Yiddish, which have more inclusions from Slavic languages, still are about 75% German in origin, I think. It basically started out as German written with the Hebrew alphabet. Much as Ladino is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish and basically started out as Spanish written with the Hebrew alphabet.

I knew about Yiddish - I'm from New York, for heaven's sake - but I never heard of Ladino! I'm trying to wrap my head around old Spanish written with the Hebrew alphabet. Hmmmm I love it!!

 

[malingerer]

I knew about Yiddish - I'm from New York, for heaven's sake - but I never heard of Ladino! I'm trying to wrap my head around old Spanish written with the Hebrew alphabet. Hmmmm I love it!!

I am reading THE TURN OF THE ERMINE, which is an anthology of Breton literature. Its in BRETON, FRENCH, WELSH and ENGLISH! Its doing my head in, in an amazing way. Definitely a book for those confined! I am currently reading only the English translations but my mind is storing this book up for a peek at the French translations and then the Welsh as that is a language which for the life of me I don't understand but would like to get a grip of! I need to be immersed as this post is very timely. I have waited since September through a long wet and miserable weather pattern for the sun to return. It has. Me? I'm over 70 with underlying health problems! You guessed it! I have to stay home! That is a very very bitter pill to swallow! I'm putting on weight and giving myself headaches with good red wine! Am I griping ? Yep! However, I have a beautiful view across the park and have a crick in the neck gawping at the sky for a more than ever sight of my swifts. Git those wings flappin kiddies! I need you.

The Malingerer.

 

[Former member 62607]

I hope this posts and is not behind a paywall:

The travel 'ache' you can’t translate

For all of us trapped inside our homes during coronavirus who long to travel, the Germans have a word for that: fernweh, or a pain to see far-flung places beyond our doorstep.

www.bbc.com

And then theres the welsh word ‘Hiraeth’ - untranslatable the welsh would say but when i lived in england and thought of Wales it was with a yearning heart and a feeling i was in the wrong landscape. Thats hiraeth to me.

 

[catheriam]

As David Mamet wrote in several of his movie scripts, "Give it a name!" At last!

The name for my ache and my deep travel pain is "fernweh".

 

[easygoing]

My name for it is zerocaminovirus20

 

[trecile]

Normally I have an almost constant "Camino longing", but when I think of the Camino and Spain as it is now, the feeling is gone.

 

[trecile]

Normally I have an almost constant "Camino longing", but when I think of the Camino and Spain as it is now, the feeling is gone.

I live very close to the Caminho Portuguese. My suggestion would be to postpone for at least a year, maybe more. I think that foreigners have not yet taken on-board how they will be treated when travel does restart. Everything has changed. You will be treated with suspicion, even dislike.

Since i moved to Portugal nearly 4 years ago, I have been so blessed with the affection of the local people. For me, that continues. Unknown people however are almost being ostracized. I saw that this morning at the bakery, I was treated like a long lost friend, even at 2 metres! Then an outsider stopped for bread. So did the conversation until he left.

Sad but true. Spain and Portugal will be different to foreign travellers, even if you are a pilgrim.

After reading this post on another thread, my desire is even less!

 

[hughb]

After reading this post on another thread, my desire is even less!

And I should add that since i moved to Portugal I walk at least one or two caminhos a year and most months play for a few days walking on part of a Camino, somewhere.

Today if i walk a few kilometres with my dog, I am blessed.

Stay safe. Bom caminho

 

[John Crawford Howell]

And then there's good old Wanderlust, my enduring obsession. . .

 

[Joselito]

I've always like the word "Sehnsucht", but what I'm experiencing now is more like "Fernweh" - and specifically for the Camino. Was planning on returning in 2019, but a family illness prevented that, then plans for 20, now that's dead, now hoping for September of 2021. Hoffentlich! !Ojala!

 

[John Crawford Howell]

I've always like the word "Sehnsucht", but what I'm experiencing now is more like "Fernweh" - and specifically for the Camino. Was planning on returning in 2019, but a family illness prevented that, then plans for 20, now that's dead, now hoping for September of 2021. Hoffentlich! !Ojala!

Ernest would be proud of your aspirational goal. Es kann sein.