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<P><BR>Hello Martin Ray and all the others who have answered my questions so gracefully, helpfully and kindly. I shall be answering each of you privately, as my computer time allows. (I have been spending 4 hours a day answering my e-mails). Anyway, I just know I am on the right place, the very beggining of my journey, here with you. Thas story on the San Francisco Chronicle was deeply moving. Tchau. God bless you all.<BR> Ultreya!... I studied latin, but never heard of this world. I was a catholic seminarist when young. Later.</P></DIV>
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<DIV>Antonio Carlos da Silva Rosa </DIV>Lisboa-Portugal
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<DIV></DIV>>From: Martin Ray <BRERMARTINaWEBTV.NET>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
<DIV></DIV>>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: beginning the Camino
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 08:56:57 -0500
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Hello Antonio da Silva and others --
<DIV></DIV>>Antonio, the single best resource I've discovered since joining this
<DIV></DIV>>chatroom is a small book put out by the UK organisation www.csj.org.uk
<DIV></DIV>>that I plan on using as my Camino "bible" during this walk. It's called
<DIV></DIV>>"Pilgrim Guides to Spain -- 1. The Camino Frances". 95% of the
<DIV></DIV>>questions you may have before the walk, and 95% of those you may have
<DIV></DIV>>DURING the walk later on, are carefully gone into, in an organized,
<DIV></DIV>>simple fashion. Believe me, I know how many necessary details there are
<DIV></DIV>>to cover in advance, not having done the camino yet myself, but now I
<DIV></DIV>>finally feel confident in my preparation, knowing this guidebook will
<DIV></DIV>>accompany me. Footcare, guidelines as to the proper gear (& no more!),
<DIV></DIV>>first aid kits, thumbnail descriptions of the available resources in
<DIV></DIV>>each town & village, distances, warnings, alternate routes, etc, etc,
<DIV></DIV>>are discussed in just enough detail.... get this guide and read it
<DIV></DIV>>before you leave, you will not regret it! (order online for about 7
<DIV></DIV>>Euros)
<DIV></DIV>> Then you can discover the many other benefits the wonderful people
<DIV></DIV>>at THIS site will share with you -- like Sue's miracle, the personal
<DIV></DIV>>revelations many peregrinos experienced on the fierce, lonely plateau
<DIV></DIV>>called the meseta, avoiding the industrial outreaches when approaching
<DIV></DIV>>Burgos, leaving a stone from home (and one's own obsessive cares) at the
<DIV></DIV>>Cruz de Ferro, taking salt! as well as enough water, & much much more.
<DIV></DIV>>But first get your main course, the framework of details (the guide),
<DIV></DIV>>and then you can add the gravy (and the dessert) here....
<DIV></DIV>> Antonio, I am also 57. My name is James David Martin Ray (go by
<DIV></DIV>>Martin), live in Raleigh, NC, and have booked a ticket leaving here on
<DIV></DIV>>April 9 to Madrid. I now plan to begin in Roncevalles, rather than in
<DIV></DIV>>St Jean PdP (thanks to thoughtful advice given here), and now feel
<DIV></DIV>>(again, from here), that this pilgrimage may take longer than I
<DIV></DIV>>originally planned. As a further suggestion, have you given thought to
<DIV></DIV>>starting much further back (like in Roncevalles, Somport, or even le
<DIV></DIV>>Puy) and doing only what you can do? Then you would really have
<DIV></DIV>>something to look forward to for next year, and be further prepared in
<DIV></DIV>>ways you can't even guess at yet. This would also take out the very
<DIV></DIV>>real pressure to finish!, and to finish from an arbitrarily selected
<DIV></DIV>>beginning, which may be confusing to you at the moment (& even up to
<DIV></DIV>>your departure!). Please give some thought to that, Antonio. Having a
<DIV></DIV>>goal constantly in mind may also cause you to make some decisions that
<DIV></DIV>>you are likely to regret ("have to push on, even though I'd like to look
<DIV></DIV>>around this town, it's raining hard, and I'm injured and exhausted!").
<DIV></DIV>>You thereby allow yourself to be just where you are, and space for the
<DIV></DIV>>unexpected -- which you will certainly encounter!
<DIV></DIV>> Whatever you decide, ultreya! and buon Camino! (That goes to
<DIV></DIV>>everyone here, too) Martin
<DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>MSN 8 helps <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMXENUS/2743">ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. </a> Get 2 months FREE*.</html>