Greetings From Germany

[Bitburger]

I am an American expat who resides in Germany. Currently I am in the training phase in preparation to do my Camino. Doing local hikes of 10- 15 kms in relativly hilly country. I am not really sure how I set this challenge in front of myself. Either it found me or I found it, but since my personal revelation, the desire to do the Camino has taken hold of much of my waking free time. It has motivated me to make some long overdue lifestyle changes. It is interesting the power of an idea. I never imagined myself as a "Pilgrim".
In the process of researching the "Camino" , I discovered that the route from Cologne (Koln) to Trier passes less than 1 km from my front door. At that moment I knew, where my trip would begin. So obviously have I have some serious training that needs to be done before my adventure begins.
Have any other readers done a extreme "Camino"? If so what additional challenges did you encounter?

 

[dougfitz]

You might want to look at the forum pages on Long Distance Pilgrims in the section on Routes to Santiago. Lovingkindness is currently walking from Trondheim, and has some beautiful posts about her journey.

 

[sun is shining]

Hey Bitburger (ich mag ja Karlsberg lieber aber jedem das seine )

The way from Koeln to Trier is lovely passing through some of the nicest countryside Germany has to offer. I've walked most of it a few years ago in small weekend trips. The infrastructure is great but unfortunatelt accomodation can be fairly expensive. It might be worth brining a lightweight tent with you. In Trier itself is a hostel that offers beds starting from 10E a night and in most smaller places you should find a wide choice of B&Bs.

I'd definitely recommend you to take a day or two break in Trier if you've not been before. It;s a lovely town rich in history and culture from the Porta Nigra to Karl Marx.

Whats the rest of your plan from Trier? Towards Paris via Saarbruecken?

 

[Bitburger]

Well I am debating which way to go. Le Puy seems like it would present more natural beauty , while Vèzelay offers the chance to visit the grave of Mary Magdalene. I have plenty of time to decide. My Camino is in the distant future 3+ years.

I think my Camino is going to take me 3 3/4 months to walk, 20km per day for 100 days.So have to time it so I am in between contracts (work), and ready to walk 2kkm. I am a firm believer all things are possible you just need to do thorough research, plan in detail , and excute expecting problems.

 

[jl]

Hi, I am planning to walk from Koln (in the future) to Namur (via Aachen) & Reims one day.
From there one would then carry on to Vezelay. I have walked from Troyes several years ago, and if you were wanting natural beauty you could take the Nevers branch of the path which is, I believe, a journey of great beauty. I took the Bourges branch as I wanted to see the Cathedral there. You will find that 20 - 25 kms per day is quite do-able, and as you walk into your Camino you will proably do many more days closer to 30kms. Accomodation is the factor most affecting daily distance. The Vezelay path has many lovely little pilgrim refuges too by the way.
Don't forget to factor in some rest days - I usually put one in at a place I want to spend some time in about ever 7 - 10 days, although this is quite flexible. Some say that one should stop in a tiny place where there is not much to see so one has a real rest, but I like to stop at a place that has things of interest for me to see, as I may never be back there again and I want to make the most of every opportunity along the way. Cheers, Janet

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I walked the Vezelay route last fall, and it was very enjoyable. However, if you are just looking for opinion, I preferred the Le Puy route. I found it more "scenic", and the infrastructure was better because it is more-traveled. The local Amis et Pelerins groups on the Vezelay route have really increased and improved accommodations. They want to attract more pilgrims, so new gites pop up each year. We stayed one place that had been recruited to open because it was a proper distance from an existing facility. The retired couple renovated a fallen-down garage into a splendid pilgrim room, and now host hundreds of visitors annually.