Linda's book

[Adrienne Patton]

Hi all!

The thing to remember about Linda's book is that it is
not a guide book.  If you choose to take it, you will
still benefit from carrying an actual guidebook as
well.  Linda's book does not contain information on
the daily route, alternative routes, facilities, food,
water, refugios, distance, terrain, prices, practical
info, etc.

There are 2 English language guidebooks popularly used
on the Camino:

The Confraternity of St. James publishes a pilgrim
guide, yearly updated.  I used The Camino Frances
version in 2000 and it was excellent.  It is
inexpensive, thorough, lightweight and full of
up-to-date, accurate, practical and useful
information.  I am carrying their northern routes &
Finisterre guides on my walk this spring.
http://www.csj.org.uk/

A Practical Guide for Pilgrims: The Road to Santiago,
by Millán Bravo Lozano, was carried by most of the
Europeans I encountered.  It is a book and a package
of maps, divided into suggested daily legs, with route
description on the back of each one.  I cannot speak
to the quality of the book part, as no one carried
that in their pack, but the maps were very good and
largely accurate.  (I thought the CSJ info was better
and more useful personally, but Lozano's maps were a
convenient, visual accompaniment, carried by my
French, German & Italian companions.)
http://www.stanfords.co.uk/bookdetails/bookdetails?item_code=59512

The weight of Linda's book is not an issue if you are
a strong and experienced backpacker who does not feel
the need to "count your ounces" before you go.  It is
also a great resource to carry if your primary
motivation for walking the Camino is for art/history
appreciation.

My experience as a traveler prior to my Walk was as a
"tourist" - a low-budget backpacker, but a tourist
nonetheless.  I am an artist and have an art history
degree, so I have always sought out those types of
things when I traveled.  But I discovered very quickly
that I had to give up that mentality.  I had to accept
that I could not see "everything".  When I walked into
a town in the evening my feet hurt and I was tired,
hungry and needed to bathe and do laundry.  And I
wanted to commune with my fellow pilgrims.  And
pilgrim hours (and days) often do not correspond with
tourist/sightseeing schedules and the Spanish
timetable.  And most significantly for me, the
"sights" became of little importance.  The physical
experience, the spiritual experience, and the shared
experience - the Walk itself - was all that mattered.
I remember this personal lightbulb moment occurred in
Pamplona.  We arrived on Monday when everything was
closed.  I considered staying behind to do tourist
things on Tuesday, but it was too early for a full
rest day and I did not want to part with my newly
acquired band-o-pereginos.  Everything became very
simple from that point on - it was all about the Walk.


While I walked, I passed ruins, monuments, interesting
architecture, etc.  I appreciated it all without
feeling like I was missing something because I did not
know who built it and when.  I did look up certain
things when I returned, however.  If I walk the Camino
Frances again, I will read Linda's book before
departure, take notes on points of personal interest
in my journal to take with me, and then take pictures
and notes as I walk about things to look up on my
return.  But as it was on my 1st pilgrimage, I
abandoned the book in Estella, for reasons of excess
weight as well as a change in my priorities.

Ultreya!
Adrienne
casamagdalenayahoo.com
"Not all those who wander are lost"

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