Santiago Pilgrimage

[Anne Burke]

Mary
I began the Camino last year on the 23 September from St Jean Pied de Port after arriving from Bayonne the day before. SJPP proved to be a lovely surprise and we spent the day walking the cobblestones, visiting the citadel and finally to "Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques des Pyrenees" and a most wonderfully helpful Frenchman who told us it was the best thing we'd ever do. He said for my friend and I (both 50+) and her 15 year old daughter it would be first and foremost a journey of the heart.We filled out the forms and he gave us our credentials and went through the Liste de Refuges with us. He told us where we would "dominate" and where we wouldn't:-) From there we went to 'L'Esprit du Chemin" for our overnight accommodation and at 6.30am with our breakfast in our packs, we klomped on the cobblestones in the half light....like so many pilgrims for so many centuries before us.

Reality, as it does, bit us hard:-) The scenery was stunning but the area where we were to"dominate" with the eagles turned into the first of many disasters! The wind began, then rain and finally hail. At one point the wind blew so hard, my poncho took off and landed on a sheep! Then the mist rolled in....etc etc  Despite the huge numbers who finish (and we were three of them 34 days later.....sans bus trips!) many people began that day but most certainly didn't continue.

11 hours later, Mary, we arrived in Roncesvalles and stayed an extra day before walking the next stage to Zubiri.Yes, the hardest day of the Camino. No, I wouldn't stay in Hounnto if I was to do it again- it's not far enough along the way. What we had to learn was to keep going despite any hardship....a lesson we had to refer to many times later on our journey. But ....we did it!! And it was that day we became pilgrims.

Anne




Pat Harrison <Pilgrim_OCDSaATT.NET> wrote:
Hello All:

I am new to this email list. I am writing to help me make a decision about doing the Camino with my husband this year. Right now, I do not feel that I am in good shape and don't know if the next four months of getting into shape would be sufficient to do the Camino. My husband has his heart set on doing the Camino and I don't want to disappoint him. Yet, I am 55 years old and aware of my limitations. If we went, we would leave on May 23rd and fly into Paris. We would start the pilgrimage in St. Jean. I have reservations about hiking through the Pyrenees.
Could someone give me an idea of how rigorous the hike through the mountains would be to get to Roncevalles?

Also, in reading various email threads, I learned that 600,000 to 900,000 people are estimated to do the Camino this year. Another concern is about sleeping accomodations. I don't really want to sleep on the floor of a Refugio if there are no more beds available or sleep on the ground under some tent that the Spanish army would set up. Did anyone do the Camino in 1999 when St. James feastday fell on a Sunday, too? If so, what were the crowds like, what does one do if there are no sleeping accomodations? It is the unknown that is causing me to have anxiety. Any information would be beneficial to help me make a decision.

Thanks very much!

Mary Frances Harrison


---------------------------------
Try the new improved Yahoo! Australia & NZ Search
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.oakapple.net/pipermail/gocamino/attachments/20040215/e2e77f97/attachment.htm