- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF 2023 sept/Oct
Primitivo July 2024
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I felt the same way Dave. I don't even remember how long ago I read it but I'd say at least 20 years ago. It was the first time I'd heard of the Camino. And my overwhelming thought after reading the book - despite its many eccentricities - was 'Wow. Imagine walking 800 kms across a country. How wonderful. Maybe one day I could do that.' I promptly forgot about it - until the next 'nudge' came out of the blue some years later ... but I always look back on that book fondly, if only for that reason. Though I've never been tempted to read it again.The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
Certainly would seem the obvious place, but just seems odd that there would be no mention of the bridge and its not that small (although maybe it was smaller back then).There is a seasonal swimming pool in the river in Molinaseca. I don't think El Acebo is likely - their water supply is from quite small springs and there is no substantial stream nearby.
What a nice story. It started off ok for me, but some of it is just too far off the spectrum even for me. I've skipped a few chapters about her regressions, not too say that it's not what happened to her - just didn't resonate with me.I felt the same way Dave. I don't even remember how long ago I read it but I'd say at least 20 years ago. It was the first time I'd heard of the Camino. And my overwhelming thought after reading the book - despite its many eccentricities - was 'Wow. Imagine walking 800 kms across a country. How wonderful. Maybe one day I could do that.' I promptly forgot about it - until the next 'nudge' came out of the blue some years later ... but I always look back on that book fondly, only that reason. Though I've never been tempted to read it again.
Even though it's so long since I read it - that sounds very similar to how I felt. But, hey, who was I to question her 'experiences' - worldly or otherwise.What a nice story. It started off ok for me, but some of it is just too far off the spectrum even for me. I've skipped a few chapters about her regressions, not too say that it's not what happened to her - just didn't resonate with me.
I've just looked at the passage in the book. I can't see it matching anywhere else on that section of the Camino. Maclaine mentions a crowd gathering while she bathed and swam in the river. That suggests a moderately sized place to me rather than a hamlet.and/or she took artistic license in the description.
I think you're probably right. But it seems strange there was mention of passing through the several genuinely small villages after the mountain path (not that the rest of the book is that descriptive either), and no mention of what is probably the most striking element of Molinaseca and impossible to miss as you enter - the Roman bridge.I've just looked at the passage in the book. I can't see it matching anywhere else on that section of the Camino. Maclaine mentions a crowd gathering while she bathed and swam in the river. That suggests a moderately sized place to me rather than a hamlet.
It gets weirder. I don´t give up on books lightly but this one defeated me.The book is weird
I think you're probably right. But it seems strange there was mention of passing through the several genuinely small villages after the mountain path (not that the rest of the book is that descriptive either), and no mention of what is probably the most striking element of Molinaseca and impossible to miss as you enter - the Roman bridge.
That's me about half right then.....We're doing it the wrong way folks. (2 min video)
You have to beg for food
And not make friends........
Not all that common for anyone at the time. The publicity drive around the 1993 Holy Year raised awareness of the Caminos internationally and brought @Rebekah Scott amongst others to the Caminos. Also Jack Hitt who wrote about his 1993 Camino in "Off The Road" and inspired some of the scenes in the film by Emilio Estevez. But there had been other Americans too well before Ms Maclaine. Gitlitz and Davidson had made several trips to Spain and the Camino both alone and with college groups in the 1970s and 1980s. And my own Canadian/American mother in law (born in Toronto, raised from 10 in Vermont) had walked the Frances in 1985. I think our own @rappahannock_rev was on the Caminos in the 1980s and @David Tallan may have spoken about his journey to a few of his neighbours to the south too!Not the done thing for Americans at the time.
Yes for all the craziness in the book you can't take away the fact that what she did was quite outside many peoples comfort zone at that time.What I find remarkable about Shirley MacLaine are not the nuttier parts of her book but the fact that she was 60 years old and walked in 1994. Not the done thing for a senior American woman at the time. She had not even seen The Way which premiered in 2010. I’ve not read the book, I only read what is posted on the forum and seen some interviews on YouTube. 1994 … 30 years ago … a generation. She must be 90 now?
BTW, I, too, think that she talks about the natural swimming pool of the Rio Meruelo in Molinaseca. I had a look at a few photos. Sometimes the river hardly carries any water.Yes for all the craziness in the book you can't take away the fact that what she did was quite outside many peoples comfort zone at that time.
I listened to the soundbite linked in #13. She says: "You stay in refugios." That certainly dates her Camino.Not all that common for anyone at the time.
Thank you for that. I really needed yet another reminder of my own age this morning....I listened to the soundbite linked in #13. She says: "You stay in refugios." That certainly dates her Camino.
Both times I've been there (Oct 23 on my CF and Oct21 on a road trip) there hasn't been enough water to go above your ankles! I guess that is at the end of the dry summer period though.I did not take a photo and what I remember are the people swimming and enjoying the sun in the small area where it is possible to do so and to enter the river.
As you are coming in to Molinaseca the camino crosses the bridge over the Meruelo river. The area under the bridge is a swimming area and it beautiful too.
Molinaseca swimming
As you have read the book you have probably noticed that Ms Maclaine is very good at doing "odd"Still odd if it is under the bridge for there to be zero mention.
We stopped at the restaurant at the end of the bridge and as I remember it the river (I call it a river and not a stream but I am not a native English speaker) looked like a decent river at the time and there were people swimming in an area on the other side of the bridge. During which months did Shirley MacLaine walk in 1994?Some of the photos from the link show the river actually really deep! Still odd if it is under the bridge for there to be zero mention.
I'm pretty certain there is only one bridge? Where is the second one?The large photo in the link shows the other stone bridge of Molinaseca and not the bridge that pilgrims walk over which is closest to the church that pilgrims pass by.
I was going to correct my post but you answered already. The photo is taken from the second bridge. See StreetView.I'm pretty certain there is only one bridge? Where is the second one?
I have just consulted my Kindle - she commenced from SJPdP June 4th!During which months did Shirley MacLaine walk in 1994?
Ah ok the road bridge I guess you mean.I was going to correct my post but you answered already. The photo is taken from the second bridge. See StreetView.
We were there in late June 2015. The river was dammed and townspeople were relaxing along both banks with just a few in the water. I turned my convertible pants into shorts and swam back and forth under the Roman bridge. It was my only swimming along the camino.
Picture at: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...an-bridge-at-the-entrance-to-molinaseca.1066/
Ariel photograph of the swimming hole: https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=42.537689,-6.518975&z=19&t=h
Sad to say, that the whole site is geolocked and streams not available in Germany.We're doing it the wrong way folks. (2 min video)
You have to beg for food
And not make friends........
The Hardest Part of Shirley MacLaine's 500-Mile Pilgrimage
At age 60, Shirley MacLaine embarked on a solo pilgrimage along what is known as El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trail that crosses from France into northern Spain. Watch as she tells Oprah about the hardest part of the journey.www.oprah.com
In 2019 we were walking over the bridge while the first day of vacation-activities started. Many kids in the river, music and a lifeguard watching.Plenty of water in the river on June 12, 2022
Molinaseca
(and even couple of pictures of the bridge)
In 2019 a Pentecostal church pastor walked the Camino Frances carrying a surfboard!Memorable moment: a fellow pilgrim got a scubamask and snorkel off his backpack and started diving
You can watch it with VPN. It is just because of the quote of "you have to beg for food" and "not make friends" which she says she finds hard to do. "Don't spend any money". She talks a lot about the spiritual journey. "On purpose, it's a spiritual camino". It's an Oprah interview. I don't know what she writes about eating and spending in her book.Sad to say, that the whole site is geolocked and streams not available in Germany.
Maybe he got the Frances and Norte mixed up!
how? And why?
I found my 1990 Camino diary not long ago. Reading through it again I realised that some events and places from my 1990 and 2002 Caminos had been jumbled up in my memory over the years. That I had completely forgotten staying in some places and had confused the location of a hostal and so on. It happens. Possibly even more if one is trying to remember not only events in one life 20 years ago but also separating them from your many other past lives... Never had to face that particular challenge myself!The interview was apparently aired in 2014. That's already 20 years after the time when she walked. Recollections may vary, to quote the Royal House of Windsor.
She writes things that didn’t actually happen. Like having her feet washed when she got to the pilgrims office in the cathedral. I’ve researched that to no end and not found anybody who either saw that or experienced that. I enjoyed the book - but with a grain of salt. Could be just at another location and she conflated the two places.Ok bear with me. The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
In the book, about halfway through is this:
"I skipped along a mountain path with Ariel beside me. Then I entered a small village with a stream and a kind of swimming hole." Apparently where she was baptised (or baptized if you wish) in a former life, and she proceeded to swim in there. Afterwards she walked on to Ponferrada.
Does anyone know where this was/is? I've googled and can't find anything. In my head I think my spirit guide persil is telling me it's El Acebo. I remember just before you leave the track to enter the village there was a sign to some sort of water thing to the right of the village (I think but can't see anything on map), I didn't go there but was wondering if it's there. I don't think it could be Molinaseca as no mention of a bridge and it's not exactly small.
I know it's not very interesting but these things bug me.
It was certainly not standard practice at the time but I wouldn't rule it out as happening as a one off event specially staged for the famous American film star peregrina. I've had my feet washed on arrival at an albergue before and I am probably even less well known...She writes things that didn’t actually happen. Like having her feet washed when she got to the pilgrims office in the cathedral. I’ve researched that to no end and not found anybody who either saw that or experienced that.
Maybe he came from Nazaré?Maybe he got the Frances and Norte mixed up!
He lives in Soorts-Hossegor which lies between Biarritz and Arcachon. On his YouTube channel, he comes across as a typical surfer dude who happens to be a vicar. In the 11 Camino videos, he carries his surfboard and he goes into churches to pray. No doubt on a mission to reach target groups that are underrepresented on this forum.Maybe he came from Nazaré?
I would say Molinaseca I swam in the river there last May v cold but so refreshing. I then walked on to PonferradaOk bear with me. The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
In the book, about halfway through is this:
"I skipped along a mountain path with Ariel beside me. Then I entered a small village with a stream and a kind of swimming hole." Apparently where she was baptised (or baptized if you wish) in a former life, and she proceeded to swim in there. Afterwards she walked on to Ponferrada.
Does anyone know where this was/is? I've googled and can't find anything. In my head I think my spirit guide persil is telling me it's El Acebo. I remember just before you leave the track to enter the village there was a sign to some sort of water thing to the right of the village (I think but can't see anything on map), I didn't go there but was wondering if it's there. I don't think it could be Molinaseca as no mention of a bridge and it's not exactly small.
I know it's not very interesting but these things bug me.
I agree with Molinaseca as the likely place, which would easily seem like a small village to a Hollywood, Broadway, etc star.Don't people swim at Ribadiso?
I haven't read the book so I have no idea what you guys are talking about. lol!
But if she walked on to Ponferrada the only river I know of is at Molinaseca.
I've seen people swimming there.
I know Shirley MacLaine only as an actress from movies I've seen but I listened for a few minutes to another interview with her just now. She comes across as smart and witty, and she makes fun of those who make fun of her. She jokes that she writes Jimmy Kimmel's and others' jokes.One thing I would like to add to balance all the previous comments about Shirely, is that she is one powerful, multi-talented, generous, trail-blazing woman from a time when women were not encouraged to be so.
Same. I’ve read an awful lot of books about the Camino and hers seemed to me, so personal that it was dull. After the first couple of dreams zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzWhat a nice story. It started off ok for me, but some of it is just too far off the spectrum even for me. I've skipped a few chapters about her regressions, not too say that it's not what happened to her - just didn't resonate with me.
Well heres the thing, at first I was totally with her on her spiritual path and was thinking how cool, but I just got lost amongst all of the past life on the Camino thing, and then of course it got even more weird than that. The whole book kind of started off really well for me, a great story, but it just kind of got lost along the way (pun intended).Her spiritual beliefs sound strange to me but
Of this there is no doubt no matter how one feels about the book. And actually the very fact that she wrote exactly what she wanted to, knowing that she would lose some people when she did is even more evidence of this. She didn't roll over and tone it down to be more pleasing to people.One thing I would like to add to balance all the previous comments about Shirely, is that she is one powerful, multi-talented, generous, trail-blazing woman from a time when women were not encouraged to be so.
My first thought was Molinaseca, too. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing people swimming in the river. On the other hand, the only swimming place I remember noting in El Acebo was the swimming pool at the large albergue with the flags at the entrance to the village.There is a seasonal swimming pool in the river in Molinaseca. I don't think El Acebo is likely - their water supply is from quite small springs and there is no substantial stream nearby.
Pretty sure that is much later than 1994!n the other hand, the only swimming place I remember noting in El Acebo was the swimming pool at the large albergue with the flags at the entrance to the village.
I didn't speak to neighbors to the south, but I did inspire a friend who walked from Arles to SJPP to Santiago in 1990. I'm not sure if you walked at the same time as him, Bradypus, but you'd likely remember him because he's have been a young guy, 6'10".Not all that common for anyone at the time. The publicity drive around the 1993 Holy Year raised awareness of the Caminos internationally and brought @Rebekah Scott amongst others to the Caminos. Also Jack Hitt who wrote about his 1993 Camino in "Off The Road" and inspired some of the scenes in the film by Emilio Estevez. But there had been other Americans too well before Ms Maclaine. Gitlitz and Davidson had made several trips to Spain and the Camino both alone and with college groups in the 1970s and 1980s. And my own Canadian/American mother in law (born in Toronto, raised from 10 in Vermont) had walked the Frances in 1985. I think our own @rappahannock_rev was on the Caminos in the 1980s and @David Tallan may have spoken about his journey to a few of his neighbours to the south too!
I found my photos from my Camino a couple of years ago and noticed a gap in them. I wondered what had happened. Later, I found my diary and read that I had run out of film and, what with Easter weekend, there were no places to buy more, even in the big town. So that explained it. Different times!I found my 1990 Camino diary not long ago. Reading through it again I realised that some events and places from my 1990 and 2002 Caminos had been jumbled up in my memory over the years. That I had completely forgotten staying in some places and had confused the location of a hostal and so on. It happens. Possibly even more if one is trying to remember not only events in one life 20 years ago but also separating them from your many other past lives... Never had to face that particular challenge myself!
WOW What a difference 2 months makeAugust 2022. Severe drought in Spain, even in the northern parts. River in Molinaseca. No swimming.
View attachment 165215
I don't know where it is but I, too, read the book - the first book I read about the camino. I also found it to be confusing but true to form for Shirley MacLaine!Ok bear with me. The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
In the book, about halfway through is this:
"I skipped along a mountain path with Ariel beside me. Then I entered a small village with a stream and a kind of swimming hole." Apparently where she was baptised (or baptized if you wish) in a former life, and she proceeded to swim in there. Afterwards she walked on to Ponferrada.
Does anyone know where this was/is? I've googled and can't find anything. In my head I think my spirit guide persil is telling me it's El Acebo. I remember just before you leave the track to enter the village there was a sign to some sort of water thing to the right of the village (I think but can't see anything on map), I didn't go there but was wondering if it's there. I don't think it could be Molinaseca as no mention of a bridge and it's not exactly small.
I know it's not very interesting but these things bug me.
I read it end to end (prior to my first camino) and concluded that it was a complete book of fiction, and have no intention of ever opening it again....It gets weirder. I don´t give up on books lightly but this one defeated me.
Wise decision.I read it end to end (prior to my first camino) and concluded that it was a complete book of fiction, and have no intention of ever opening it again....
Molinaseca 10 Oct 2016View attachment 165260
Quite a contrast. . .August 2022. Severe drought in Spain, even in the northern parts. River in Molinaseca. No swimming.
View attachment 165215
@davejsy, I noticed only now that you are currently reading Shirley MacLaine's Camino book, which strangely enough has slightly different titles as to the UK and US editions.Ok bear with me. The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
I met Mme Debril and she definitely called it a carnet when she refused to give me one...I was hooked the moment I read about SJPP and Mme. de Brill and the carnés. This felt authentic and genuine to me - the common spelling is Debril and carnets of course.
Like I said, for me the book started really well and I thought I was really going to like it. But the further I got through it the further it got away from me.@davejsy, I noticed only now that you are currently reading Shirley MacLaine's Camino book, which strangely enough has slightly different titles as to the UK and US editions.
Now I am someone who raises already a very skeptical eyebrow at the mere sight of the word "ley lines". But yesterday I decided to buy the Kindle version of her Camino book.
I am now halfway through and in Leon with her. She did walk in 1994 at age 60! I was hooked the moment I read about SJPP and Mme. de Brill and the carnés. This felt authentic and genuine to me - the common spelling is Debril and carnets of course. And of course the book is a mixture of fact and fiction and commonly known narratives about legends and Camino-related history and thoughts - her own thoughts and not standard thoughts.
It's not a standard Camino memoir of the kind we are now all too familiar with - I woke up in the xxx albergue, put on my boots, had a coffee, walked, had another coffee, walked, arrived at the xyzzy albergue, checked in, found my bed, had a cool beer, chatted with Tom, Jerry and Hans but Sophie and Annabelle had not yet arrived ...
I will let you know in case I don't finish it.
Wow, signed J. Debril. When I saw your postscript and the photo of your piece of paper I changed my reaction emoji from my earliera piece of paper with her sello on it to add to the credencial which I received in Roncesvalles
I am not sure that I will be able to explain my judgement in a few words. I myself would not say about myself that I love stuff like ley-lines, spirits, what lies beyond and the such. I am satisfied though that I am finally reading the book myself instead of relying on the assessments that I've frequently read on the forum which are often quite negative and put downs. I have just finished the description of the Molinaseca scene.Will be interesting to see how you find it!
Not long ago I was given the copy of Elias Valiña's famous guide book which he signed for my mother in law in 1985. The book I borrowed for my first Camino. I may build a reliquary where the two autographs can keep each other company...Wow, signed J. Debril. When I saw your postscript and the photo of your piece of paper I changed my reaction emoji from my earlierto now .
I like to think that this forum’s best aspect is to help first-time pilgrims prepare for the best experience possible by pointing out the benefits to be gained and the losses to be avoided. Secondarily the forum is an excellent place for the experienced to share their stories and impressions of times gone by, with other seasoned pilgrims who have a common reference and can understand. There can be positive worth in both cases.
For some veterans, the rudimentary info might seem boring or dismissively obvious, so that the conversation digresses and becomes more personal and reflective and less useful to people who don’t know what to expect nowadays but come here because they need help. Other vets are happy to share what they know that is relevant today to the specific query. Readers can pick and choose what comments to take time to digest and follow up on.
Now, in davejsy’s question a wealth of commentary has been stimulated about a place and a remarkable person’s experience there.
While there might be a fixation on the remarkable person and not the location, I hope that this string will excite the new pilgrim to look forward to the thrill of falling straight off the mountain into the welcome descanso that is El Acebo and then continuing the steep fall thru the tranquil and time-forgotten village of Riego de Ambros and the rugged trail that ends in the cool waters under the bridge at Molinaseca.
That day’s journey ending with a dip in the river can become a sort of baptismal renewal if the intention is there and if our reliance on judgements based on others’ comments are laid aside. Maybe we will take that initiation as a sign that we are all remarkable persons.
Reading the map is never as good as being in the territory. But reading the map ahead of time can be useful for choices made while in the territory. There is no substitute for being in the territory.
Any book about the Camino is not as good as being there yourself, but any book can stimulate a person to dream about what might be possible when they take the leap of faith and jump in with one foot firmly planted in mid-air.
Dreams are important and on the camino your dream will come into direct contact with the dream of every other person you meet. For first time pilgrims, having a sense of this is a good way to open up to the unexpected which will surely occur and color your experience. I think most have found that sharing dreams is something that happens daily on the way. This is the magic hidden in plain sight.
Thanks to davejsy for asking the question that has generated a lot of interesting discussion.
Thanks JP, the equipment issues are very essential as you have noted. But no less important is the attitude one brings with them especially since it is not as easily shed as shoes or pack.You cover a lot in your post. I agree that the forum is a great place for first time Pilgrims to get information. ie: packing, shoes, sleeping bag or liner, rain gear or poncho, etc. etc. These topics provide a new walker with good information that will help enhance their Camino experience by preparing them to minimize discomfort issues. ie: blisters, weather, accommodation etc..
When the forum/books/movies get into expectations, fantasy or not, is where I believe there is an issue. The Camino, imo, should be walked without expectations of outcome or potential euphoria or disappoints that others have experienced.
My recommendation is to prepare equipment wise with whatever you feel you might need. Then just start walking and let the Camino give you whatever is has to give.
I can not help but go back to a quote from the great philosopher Mick Jagger "You don't always get what you want but you find sometimes you get what you need".
This is a beautiful message about the Camino. Thank you for writing it.I like to think that this forum’s best aspect is to help first-time pilgrims prepare for the best experience possible by pointing out the benefits to be gained and the losses to be avoided. Secondarily the forum is an excellent place for the experienced to share their stories and impressions of times gone by, with other seasoned pilgrims who have a common reference and can understand. There can be positive worth in both cases.
For some veterans, the rudimentary info might seem boring or dismissively obvious, so that the conversation digresses and becomes more personal and reflective and less useful to people who don’t know what to expect nowadays but come here because they need help. Other vets are happy to share what they know that is relevant today to the specific query. Readers can pick and choose what comments to take time to digest and follow up on.
Now, in davejsy’s question a wealth of commentary has been stimulated about a place and a remarkable person’s experience there.
While there might be a fixation on the remarkable person and not the location, I hope that this string will excite the new pilgrim to look forward to the thrill of falling straight off the mountain into the welcome descanso that is El Acebo and then continuing the steep fall thru the tranquil and time-forgotten village of Riego de Ambros and the rugged trail that ends in the cool waters under the bridge at Molinaseca.
That day’s journey ending with a dip in the river can become a sort of baptismal renewal if the intention is there and if our reliance on judgements based on others’ comments are laid aside. Maybe we will take that initiation as a sign that we are all remarkable persons.
Reading the map is never as good as being in the territory. But reading the map ahead of time can be useful for choices made while in the territory. There is no substitute for being in the territory.
Any book about the Camino is not as good as being there yourself, but any book can stimulate a person to dream about what might be possible when they take the leap of faith and jump in with one foot firmly planted in mid-air.
Dreams are important and on the camino your dream will come into direct contact with the dream of every other person you meet. For first time pilgrims, having a sense of this is a good way to open up to the unexpected which will surely occur and color your experience. I think most have found that sharing dreams is something that happens daily on the way. This is the magic hidden in plain sight.
Thanks to davejsy for asking the question that has generated a lot of interesting discussion.
“You start your camino after you’ve finished.” One of those contradictory aphorisms that make perfect sense only after you return from pilgrimage to your customary life.We're doing it the wrong way folks. (2 min video)
You have to beg for food
And not make friends........
The Hardest Part of Shirley MacLaine's 500-Mile Pilgrimage
At age 60, Shirley MacLaine embarked on a solo pilgrimage along what is known as El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trail that crosses from France into northern Spain. Watch as she tells Oprah about the hardest part of the journey.www.oprah.com
It is also probably true the she, as a well known actress, may have had different challenges - to avoid using her fame or privilege. She could have spent lots of money and made countless "friends" if she didn't discipline herself rather artificially.Note that begging and not making friends were some of the hardest parts of her journey.
Yes, so true. And also for a celebrity to travel on foot without a security entourage is courageous and a mark of self-confidence that recommends emulation for those of us who seek a similar sense of self.It is also probably true the she, as a well known actress, may have had different challenges - to avoid using her fame or privilege. She could have spent lots of money and made countless "friends" if she didn't discipline herself rather artificially.
That's why I wrote that I think that some scenes are described by her creatively.If the scene at the river was as she described it in the book then the tv company have been quite restrained in their editing.
Wow thats actually really cool to see, assuming whoever was filming wasn't harassing her I hope. I haven't got to the her reaching Santiago yet - but is that Ali that she is walking with do you think?I have very mixed feelings for posting this and I think that I will remove the link later on. The reason for my mixed feelings is the fact that I have now read the descriptions of how Shirley MacLaine was harassed by the press once they got wind of her walking on Camino. While, again, details of one or the other scene described by her may not be quite accurate I find her descriptions believable.
I am posting this link because I think that it answers @davejsy's question although I guess we've answered it already.
Peregrinación a Santiago de Shirley Maclaine en 1994
A actriz estadounidense percorre un treito do Camiño de Santiago e expresa a súa satisfacción cando chega á cidade de Santiago.pasouoquepasou.crtvg.gal
Oooh, I think the toughest parts of the book are still lying ahead of you.I haven't got to the her reaching Santiago yet - but is that Ali that she is walking with do you think?
Hello Kathar1na,That's why I wrote that I think that some scenes are described by her creatively.
I've read the book now and I cannot add anything that has not yet been said here or in the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
She walked it and she was a bona fide pilgrim like any other - that is what spoke to me from her lines. The book is not a travelogue or "Caminologue".
BTW, what these video clips on Galician TV showed was already an invasion of privacy in my opinion. It was nobody's business to film her when she was on Camino and went for a bit of swimming and had made it clear that she was not going to give interviews and did not wish to be filmed or photographed. She wasn't there as a creative artist promoting a film or book for that matter.
Hi @Joe Walsh ,I like to think that this forum’s best aspect is to help first-time pilgrims prepare for the best experience possible by pointing out the benefits to be gained and the losses to be avoided. Secondarily the forum is an excellent place for the experienced to share their stories and impressions of times gone by, with other seasoned pilgrims who have a common reference and can understand. There can be positive worth in both cases.
For some veterans, the rudimentary info might seem boring or dismissively obvious, so that the conversation digresses and becomes more personal and reflective and less useful to people who don’t know what to expect nowadays but come here because they need help. Other vets are happy to share what they know that is relevant today to the specific query. Readers can pick and choose what comments to take time to digest and follow up on.
Now, in davejsy’s question a wealth of commentary has been stimulated about a place and a remarkable person’s experience there.
While there might be a fixation on the remarkable person and not the location, I hope that this string will excite the new pilgrim to look forward to the thrill of falling straight off the mountain into the welcome descanso that is El Acebo and then continuing the steep fall thru the tranquil and time-forgotten village of Riego de Ambros and the rugged trail that ends in the cool waters under the bridge at Molinaseca.
That day’s journey ending with a dip in the river can become a sort of baptismal renewal if the intention is there and if our reliance on judgements based on others’ comments are laid aside. Maybe we will take that initiation as a sign that we are all remarkable persons.
Reading the map is never as good as being in the territory. But reading the map ahead of time can be useful for choices made while in the territory. There is no substitute for being in the territory.
Any book about the Camino is not as good as being there yourself, but any book can stimulate a person to dream about what might be possible when they take the leap of faith and jump in with one foot firmly planted in mid-air.
Dreams are important and on the camino your dream will come into direct contact with the dream of every other person you meet. For first time pilgrims, having a sense of this is a good way to open up to the unexpected which will surely occur and color your experience. I think most have found that sharing dreams is something that happens daily on the way. This is the magic hidden in plain sight.
Thanks to davejsy for asking the question that has generated a lot of interesting discussion.
I have very mixed feelings for posting this and I think that I will remove the link later on. The reason for my mixed feelings is the fact that I have now read the descriptions of how Shirley MacLaine was harassed by the press once they got wind of her walking on Camino. While, again, details of one or the other scene described by her may not be quite accurate I find her descriptions believable.
I am posting this link because I think that it answers @davejsy's question although I guess we've answered it already.
Peregrinación a Santiago de Shirley Maclaine en 1994
A actriz estadounidense percorre un treito do Camiño de Santiago e expresa a súa satisfacción cando chega á cidade de Santiago.pasouoquepasou.crtvg.gal
It is not staged and not pre-arranged and not post-Camino. The TV crew was lying in wait for her as they had gotten wind of her walking.This makes me wonder if this was staged specifically for the film-makers.
I haven't reached the end of the book yet, but I am at the stage which describes how some guy is driving her through the towns to help her avoid the papps, and I think he was transporting her back-pack at that point.Looking at the last part of this clip, I see they are not carrying packs.
I would've thought Molinaseca, and maybe she's taking poetic license? Or when she walked the route might've been a little different?Ok bear with me. The book is weird, but I've started so I'll finish.
In the book, about halfway through is this:
"I skipped along a mountain path with Ariel beside me. Then I entered a small village with a stream and a kind of swimming hole." Apparently where she was baptised (or baptized if you wish) in a former life, and she proceeded to swim in there. Afterwards she walked on to Ponferrada.
Does anyone know where this was/is? I've googled and can't find anything. In my head I think my spirit guide persil is telling me it's El Acebo. I remember just before you leave the track to enter the village there was a sign to some sort of water thing to the right of the village (I think but can't see anything on map), I didn't go there but was wondering if it's there. I don't think it could be Molinaseca as no mention of a bridge and it's not exactly small.
I know it's not very interesting but these things bug me.
the road sign that they passed shows that they were leaving Santiago
True she was older, but also a professional dancer, so no big FEET/feat, maybe.What I find remarkable about Shirley MacLaine are not the nuttier parts of her book but the fact that she was 60 years old and walked in 1994. Not the done thing for a senior American woman at the time. She had not even seen The Way which premiered in 2010. I’ve not read the book, I only read what is posted on the forum and seen some interviews on YouTube. 1994 … 30 years ago … a generation. She must be 90 now?
Yes, I thought the video was obvious especially the shot at M.do Gozo that precedes the “santiago!”There is no reason to doubt that the TV clips show the peregrina walking from Monte do Gozo into Santiago and not leaving Santiago. Short lesson on Spanish road signs with town names on them:
If you drive or walk into a town you will see road sign S-500 on your right side of the road and you will be facing the side of the board with the name of the town written on it. On your left side of the road on which you are driving or walking into a town you will see the back of road sign S-510. Only the people coming from the town towards you will see the town name with the red diagonal line.
Have a good look next time you walk into Santiago or any other major town in Spain.
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As a adolescent she broke her ankle warming up for a ballet performance, but taped it and did her dance anyway. Didn’t mention the injury until after.True she was older, but also a professional dancer, so no big FEET/feat, maybe.
I have a copy of your want to read it. I'd be happy to send it to you.I felt the same way Dave. I don't even remember how long ago I read it but I'd say at least 20 years ago. It was the first time I'd heard of the Camino. And my overwhelming thought after reading the book - despite its many eccentricities - was 'Wow. Imagine walking 800 kms across a country. How wonderful. Maybe one day I could do that.' I promptly forgot about it - until the next 'nudge' came out of the blue some years later ... but I always look back on that book fondly, if only for that reason. Though I've never been tempted to read it again.
The OP wanted to know whether an opportunity to take a swim presented itself in El Acebo or elsewhere. He summarised the author's description in her book and asked whether anyone knows where this is/was. When I look at the words in the book and when I cut out all the text that is not a geographical description, this much remains:Lying. Making things up. That's what writer's do. Makes it impossible to find a swimming hole that never existed in the first place.
One mustn't forget that in all likelihood she's just plain embellishing her Camino experience. Lying. Making things up. That's what writer's do. Makes it impossible to find a swimming hole that never existed in the first place. I highly doubt she actually walked the majority of the Camino. I mean just watch that YouTube video of her on Oprah. She's talking nonsense.
I saw her book in an albergue, read a couple of chapters and that's about all I could stomach.
One mustn't forget that in all likelihood she's just plain embellishing her Camino experience. Lying. Making things up. That's what writer's do. Makes it impossible to find a swimming hole that never existed in the first place. I highly doubt she actually walked the majority of the Camino. I mean just watch that YouTube video of her on Oprah. She's talking nonsense.
I saw her book in an albergue, read a couple of chapters and that's about all I could stomach.
Depends on if they're for mindless entertainment or actual information.Are there any books on the subject that you recommend?
@RJM, I conclude from your post that you did not read chapter 14 where the swimming hole is mentioned?impossible to find a swimming hole that never existed in the first place. [...] I saw her book in an albergue, read a couple of chapters and that's about all I could stomach.
Exactly my thoughts after reading Shirley's book more than 20 years ago. Despite the 'other worldly' experiences and some 'more worldly' that seemed far fetched, I was still left with admiration for anyone that could walk across a country - and curiosity. Maybe I could do that one day? The 'one day' was almost 10 years later but ... her book planted the first seed.what I knew from then on was that this person had walked and it sounded like something I could or might do, too.
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