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At 67 I’ll be walking my second Camino, this time out of Lisbon. This weekend I was ready to book the hostel out by the park and found it fully booked 6 weeks out. I’m done with planning. I told my wife I’ll sleep in the gutter if needs be.What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
Still possible to be spontaneous provided you are willing to deal with the unexpected when it appears! Of course a lot has changed and in my curmudgeonly old fart mind not all for the better. I think part of the problem now is an excess of information - just far too much stuff about the Camino out there on the interwebs and much of it wildly contradictory. So people "research" for months or even years and attempt to micromanage their journeys while still thousands of km from the starting point. Or "walk" it virtually by drone or bodycam footage in advance. Fine if that's your style but it isn't mine either. I'll be back in SJPDP to walk with a friend next week. Because it is peak season I've booked beds for SJPDP, Roncesvalles and Zubiri. The rest we will play by ear. And a warm summer night in Spain isn't a bad time or place for a night under the stars if it all goes pear-shaped!The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
That is the spirit!! On my Camino Frances last year I developed the same spirit....i would rather sleep rough than worry.At 67 I’ll be walking my second Camino, this time out of Lisbon. This weekend I was ready to book the hostel out by the park and found it fully booked 6 weeks out. I’m done with planning. I told my wife I’ll sleep in the gutter if needs be.
When I walk alone this is my thought - unfortunately, when I'm walking with a group or 4-6 pilgrims we have to book and right now I'm booking almost a year ahead!That is the spirit!! On my Camino Frances last year I developed the same spirit....i would rather sleep rough than worry.
Leave room for the unknown and a bit of discomfort.
We've all become smartphone-ised since those 1990s Caminos ...What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
For some reason when I saw the title of this post I thought it was about the song....
"And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what's going on?"
lol and then I watched the video for the song again and made a note to myself to add that to my Camino playlist because it's a fun song and a lot of the lines are very appropriate for Camino.
"Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means. "
Everything changes. We all do. We get bolder or more nervous. Aspects of Camino will always change and be different every time it's walked. Some things stay the same or mostly the same. But it's still there and you can book accommodation or find it as you go, or a combination of both. Go! Walk!
Buen Camino!
You may be becoming an old pilgrim. Many people still do the Camino in a spontaneous fashion, often successfully.What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
Or if you are...Honestly, though...if you're not a believer in the Christian God, what event, place, or person *hasn't* changed in 28 years?
I've walked the CF in 2019 and booked only 1 single accomodation ahead (Puente de la Reina).What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
It seems the, "unexpected," is becoming the norm.Still possible to be spontaneous provided you are willing to deal with the unexpected when it appears! Of course a lot has changed and in my curmudgeonly old fart mind not all for the better. I think part of the problem now is an excess of information - just far too much stuff about the Camino out there on the interwebs and much of it wildly contradictory. So people "research" for months or even years and attempt to micromanage their journeys while still thousands of km from the starting point. Or "walk" it virtually by drone or bodycam footage in advance. Fine if that's your style but it isn't mine either. I'll be back in SJPDP to walk with a friend next week. Because it is peak season I've booked beds for SJPDP, Roncesvalles and Zubiri. The rest we will play by ear. And a warm summer night in Spain isn't a bad time or place for a night under the stars if it all goes pear-shaped!
Well saidYou may be becoming an old pilgrim. Many people still do the Camino in a spontaneous fashion, often successfully.
Certainly, there are more people booking ahead, using various supportive services (up to and including fully packaged tours), and worrying than when we first did our Caminos. The Camino has opened itself up to a much wider range of pilgrims, including these pilgrims. But it is still open to those who want to do it in the fashion of yesteryear.
You need to decide what kind of pilgrim you want to be and pursue that route: spontaneous and surprised and accepting risks (which were there 28 years ago) or worried and trying to avoid risks and surprised (there will always be surprises, that's life).
Hope you haven't started a trend to post music videos,I have enough trouble tearing myself away from the site as it isFor some reason when I saw the title of this post I thought it was about the song....
"And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what's going on?"
lol and then I watched the video for the song again and made a note to myself to add that to my Camino playlist because it's a fun song and a lot of the lines are very appropriate for Camino.
"Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means. "
Everything changes. We all do. We get bolder or more nervous. Aspects of Camino will always change and be different every time it's walked. Some things stay the same or mostly the same. But it's still there and you can book accommodation or find it as you go, or a combination of both. Go! Walk!
Buen Camino!
Ah spontaneity, ... be careful what you wish for. 2 nights ago my wife and I hit a deer in Northern Michigan. Survived totalling the car with barely a scratch. I'm in the life is amazing,enjoy every second and hug your kids phase right now! Also back home and enjoying the predictability of life right now...lol.
What was the deer’s take on the situation?Ah spontaneity, ... be careful what you wish for. 2 nights ago my wife and I hit a deer in Northern Michigan. Survived totalling the car with barely a scratch. I'm in the life is amazing,enjoy every second and hug your kids phase right now! Also back home and enjoying the predictability of life right now...lol.
Bravo, good luck and Buen Camino!At 67 I’ll be walking my second Camino, this time out of Lisbon. This weekend I was ready to book the hostel out by the park and found it fully booked 6 weeks out. I’m done with planning. I told my wife I’ll sleep in the gutter if needs be.
I have seen a few, usually in music related posts. I think we're all addicted to the forum as part of our Camino addiction.Hope you haven't started a trend to post music videos,I have enough trouble tearing myself away from the site as it is
That's generally true of the Francés, but other routes can have fewer accommodations.I’m on the Camino now and there has been plenty of walk in accommodation available.
Good sense of balance. I am doing my first from SJPDP in 3 weeks. I reserved albergues thru Roncevilles...I will call 24 hours in advance for othersStill possible to be spontaneous provided you are willing to deal with the unexpected when it appears! Of course a lot has changed and in my curmudgeonly old fart mind not all for the better. I think part of the problem now is an excess of information - just far too much stuff about the Camino out there on the interwebs and much of it wildly contradictory. So people "research" for months or even years and attempt to micromanage their journeys while still thousands of km from the starting point. Or "walk" it virtually by drone or bodycam footage in advance. Fine if that's your style but it isn't mine either. I'll be back in SJPDP to walk with a friend next week. Because it is peak season I've booked beds for SJPDP, Roncesvalles and Zubiri. The rest we will play by ear. And a warm summer night in Spain isn't a bad time or place for a night under the stars if it all goes pear-shaped!
Six weeks ago I walked the Inglis camino with my family group of 6. We never booked ahead and never had a problem finding a bed in either the municipal albergues or private pensions.When I walk alone this is my thought - unfortunately, when I'm walking with a group or 4-6 pilgrims we have to book and right now I'm booking almost a year ahead!
The unrest is everywhere. This will be my first Camino and according to many on this (and some other) forums, I'm woefully underprepared (apparently because I haven't trekked with a full payload every day for six months prior), I won't find a place to lay my head (cue video of the Band playing 'The Weight' here) and I'm committing pack suicide by being 100 grams over my 10% body weight. I do have tickets; flying into Paris from Adelaide South Australia, night train to Bayonne then commuter train to SJPDP. Because I know I'll need to stop at Orisson and reassure my titanium knee that we've got this, I've booked there and at Roncevalles. Then - nothing. No bed bookings, no sending packs ahead, no ticket home. Just coming in on a wing and a prayer.Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places.
With a attitude like this , you’ll do fineThe unrest is everywhere. This will be my first Camino and according to many on this (and some other) forums, I'm woefully underprepared (apparently because I haven't trekked with a full payload every day for six months prior), I won't find a place to lay my head (cue video of the Band playing 'The Weight' here) and I'm committing pack suicide by being 100 grams over my 10% body weight. I do have tickets; flying into Paris from Adelaide South Australia, night train to Bayonne then commuter train to SJPDP. Because I know I'll need to stop at Orisson and reassure my titanium knee that we've got this, I've booked there and at Roncevalles. Then - nothing. No bed bookings, no sending packs ahead, no ticket home. Just coming in on a wing and a prayer.
I realize you are playing with a bit of hyperbole here, but I need to come to the defense of this forum. I don't think you will find a single thread on this forum that lets that sort of silly statement go uncontested.according to many on this (and some other) forums, I'm woefully underprepared (apparently because I haven't trekked with a full payload every day for six months prior), I won't find a place to lay my head (cue video of the Band playing 'The Weight' here) and I'm committing pack suicide by being 100 grams over my 10% body weight.
For some reason when I saw the title of this post I thought it was about the song....
"And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what's going on?"
lol and then I watched the video for the song again and made a note to myself to add that to my Camino playlist because it's a fun song and a lot of the lines are very appropriate for Camino.
"Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means. "
Everything changes. We all do. We get bolder or more nervous. Aspects of Camino will always change and be different every time it's walked. Some things stay the same or mostly the same. But it's still there and you can book accommodation or find it as you go, or a combination of both. Go! Walk!
Buen Camino!
Good job!Six weeks ago I walked the Inglis camino with my family group of 6. We never booked ahead and never had a problem finding a bed in either the municipal albergues or private pensions.
I walked just five years ago and it was vastly different this year. Too much time utilizing electronics to arrange the experience. Not enough time with others.What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
I walked just five years ago and it was vastly different this year. Too much time utilizing electronics to arrange the experience. Not enough time with others.
Deer are the embodiment of spontaneity.What was the deer’s take on the situation?
Seriously, glad you came out okay.
Well put. For some, research, anticipation, planning, training, are ways of extending the experience, as much as being present during and reflecting on after.This is my motto for the camino. I do love to research and plan, because it gets me excited for what's to come....
I wonder if some of us are clinging to some form of control, seeing as the last three years were all about the unknown. The over-planning, worrying about little things, trying to plan out the "perfect experience"...is some sort of coping mechanism from the pandemic? Just my musings and casual observation of the forum over the last 12 months.
sed tempus fugit amor manet in aeternumWhat's going on? Tempus fugit - and with the flight of time, so everything has changed.
In 1994 there were less than 150 albergues on the Camino Frances.
There was no Google, Wifi, mobile phones, GPS or Apps.
Only 15 863 pilgrims claimed a Compostela that year.
Last year 438 182 Compostelas were issued.
Estimates are that only 1 in 5 pilgrims walking parts of the Caminos each year will arrive in Santiago and claim a Compostela. If you do the math that's an enormous number of people walking sections on the Camino or not claiming a certificate if they reach Santiago.
(PS: I've walked to Santiago 13 times since 2002 and have 2 Compostelas and a Welcome certificate.)
Timing is everything on the Inglés.Six weeks ago I walked the Inglis camino with my family group of 6. We never booked ahead and never had a problem finding a bed in either the municipal albergues or private pensions.
Yes - love of the Camino doesn't change, and the Camino doesn't really change either. Only the people change.sed tempus fugit amor manet in aeternum
I set out at age 61 with no preparation¹ and my only discomfort was blisters—and those were from walking around Cardiff, not Camino. So I just sort of ignore all the warnings I get about costs, bookings, training.according to many on this (and some other) forums, I'm woefully underprepared (apparently because I haven't trekked with a full payload every day for six months prior),
Is that you Uncle Tom?At 67 I’ll be walking my second Camino, this time out of Lisbon. This weekend I was ready to book the hostel out by the park and found it fully booked 6 weeks out. I’m done with planning. I told my wife I’ll sleep in the gutter if needs be.
No, I'm not Uncle Tom, but I am walking the Camino Portuguese in late September through October. Hope to see you on the trail so we can catch up on Portland's culinary scene.Is that you Uncle Tom?
We walked the Camino in June with a group of twelve. We did just fine without planning everything out ..What's going on? I walked the Camino for the first time 28 years ago. Badly prepared and only booked a train ticket. Now I worry about everything: my journey, my train connections and my sleeping places. Because of the unrest, also readable on this forum, I'm just reserving sleeping places. The spontaneous and unexpected has disappeared. Is this the new age or am I becoming an old pilgrim?
What's going on? A pilgrimage was a once in a lifetime experience. It's now become an 18 times and more, holiday. Not judging, just stating facts.What's going on? Tempus fugit - and with the flight of time, so everything has changed.
In 1994 there were less than 150 albergues on the Camino Frances.
There was no Google, Wifi, mobile phones, GPS or Apps.
Only 15 863 pilgrims claimed a Compostela that year.
Last year 438 182 Compostelas were issued.
Estimates are that only 1 in 5 pilgrims walking parts of the Caminos each year will arrive in Santiago and claim a Compostela. If you do the math that's an enormous number of people walking sections on the Camino or not claiming a certificate if they reach Santiago.
(PS: I've walked to Santiago 13 times since 2002 and have 2 Compostelas and a Welcome certificate.)
Got mine !!In 1994 ...
Only 15 863 pilgrims claimed a Compostela that year.
Thank you for your informative post. When I was 75 I walked, with pack and alone for 670ks of the CF and loved every minute of it, even though I had to literally crawl up one rocky incline on hands and knees at one time and became so ill I had to return to Australia twice.Still possible to be spontaneous provided you are willing to deal with the unexpected when it appears! Of course a lot has changed and in my curmudgeonly old fart mind not all for the better. I think part of the problem now is an excess of information - just far too much stuff about the Camino out there on the interwebs and much of it wildly contradictory. So people "research" for months or even years and attempt to micromanage their journeys while still thousands of km from the starting point. Or "walk" it virtually by drone or bodycam footage in advance. Fine if that's your style but it isn't mine either. I'll be back in SJPDP to walk with a friend next week. Because it is peak season I've booked beds for SJPDP, Roncesvalles and Zubiri. The rest we will play by ear. And a warm summer night in Spain isn't a bad time or place for a night under the stars if it all goes pear-shaped!
In a bar in Cirauqui at the moment. Hiding from a thunderstorm and monsoon-like rain! Just as well we have a short day in mind. Lightning flashing, thunder shaking the place and streets you could almost canoe in just now!PS. I would love to hear of your present journey.
I will go and check my records so I can see where you are, your weather sounds horrific. We, here in Australia are just venturing into spring but our winters are mild here on the Gold Coast. Thanks for your reply. Buen CaminoIn a bar in Cirauqui at the moment. Hiding from a thunderstorm and monsoon-like rain! Just as well we have a short day in mind. Lightning flashing, thunder shaking the place and streets you could almost canoe in just now!And that's an improvement on last night's spectacular storm which dropped the temperature from 33C to a more comfortable 19C.
Just walked from Cirauqui to Lorca in almost continuous rain. Flowing water on the paths in many places over boot depth. Field ditches, arroyos and rivers all full of fast-flowing brown run-off. Not one of the better weather days!I will go and check my records so I can see where you are, your weather sounds horrific.
I hope for better weather for you. I have just put feelers out for may 2024 as both occasions past I walked then and it was considerably better weather. Of course I am older now but living the dream of completion. Buen Camino.Just walked from Cirauqui to Lorca in almost continuous rain. Flowing water on the paths in many places over boot depth. Field ditches, arroyos and rivers all full of fast-flowing brown run-off. Not one of the better weather days!
On the Portuguese, sleeping rough is not likely to be much of a risk. There are an awful lot of small, friendly, but non-advertising places around in the smaller towns. Someone will find you a bed!That is the spirit!! On my Camino Frances last year I developed the same spirit....i would rather sleep rough than worry.
Except potentially in Porto, Vigo, or Redondela. Only Porto of those three for me last year, but Redondela was a close call !!On the Portuguese, sleeping rough is not likely to be much of a risk.
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