I have read about people taking along MP3 devices, listening to music or Books On Tape, etc. I can't see doing either myself, but I think everyone has to do their own thing. Same with choosing where to start, what to carry, using taxi services for luggage, and so on. While it is understandably easy to be judgemental and view others as having a less authentic experience, it seems important to accept that we all come to the journey from different places.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
You Gotta Walk That Lonesome Valley
I had to take the car to the dealer today for some tweaking, and on the walk back to the house I considered what songs might become earworms during the Camino. This one sprang to mind.
I have read about people taking along MP3 devices, listening to music or Books On Tape, etc. I can't see doing either myself, but I think everyone has to do their own thing. Same with choosing where to start, what to carry, using taxi services for luggage, and so on. While it is understandably easy to be judgemental and view others as having a less authentic experience, it seems important to accept that we all come to the journey from different places.
I have read about people taking along MP3 devices, listening to music or Books On Tape, etc. I can't see doing either myself, but I think everyone has to do their own thing. Same with choosing where to start, what to carry, using taxi services for luggage, and so on. While it is understandably easy to be judgemental and view others as having a less authentic experience, it seems important to accept that we all come to the journey from different places.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Pre-Departure Anxiety
Last night I had another Camino-related anxiety dream.
The first one occurred a few weeks ago after I bought a train ticket to St. Jean Pied de Port (my intended starting point). There are a million things to decide, including WHEN to go and WHERE to start and HOW LONG to be away. Eventually you just have to starting picking things, and then build the logistics around that.
I decided I will leave Luxembourg on 10/10/2014. Double Ten Day, if you're Chinese. It's an easy date to remember, and has some significance because the DH and I lived/taught English in Taiwan before we were married. I believe we celebrated Double Ten Day weeping with homesickness and watching a Tina Turner concert on TV.
So there's that.
I bought myself a train ticket from Luxembourg to Metz, Metz to Paris Est, Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne, Bayonne to Cambo les Bains, and finally, Cambo les Bain to St. Jean Pied de Port. I leave at 07h40, and arrive in time for dinner just about 12 hours later at 19h24.
I booked myself a bed and dinner/breakfast at a hostel called Beilari for 26EUR. For an additional 4EUR, they will provide me with a lunch for the next day.
I also booked the next night (October 11) at the Real Colegiata in Roncesvalles. This one costs 10EUR for a bed. If I understand correctly, I have to find a restaurant for dinner.
After that, I'll just have to play it by ear.
The night I made these arrangements, I dreamt I was at the hostel in Roncesvalles at dinner time. It was a buffet sort of affair, and I was very tired and hungry and a bit confused as to how things worked. I set my tray down at one point and wandered off to find something to drink. When I returned, my tray of food had been cleared away. Dinner was over, and I was out of luck.
Last night I dreamt that I returned to a parking lot only to realize that our car was no longer there. It had apparently been stolen. This was bad, but not as bad as the realization that all of my in-current-use hiking gear lives in the back of our car (really), and it, too, was gone. I was especially sick about the dream loss of my hiking boots. It took me three pairs of boots to find the pair I am currently wearing. It would be a real pain to have to replace them now. I woke up quite shaken.
I was talking to someone recently about the mix of emotions I'm feeling now that I've set this thing in motion and made it public. It's sort of like how I felt both times I was pregnant: I wanted to be pregnant, but there was still this moment of "Oh, shit. What have I gotten myself into?" The Camino is a similar feeling: it's big and long and no one can do it for me.
The first one occurred a few weeks ago after I bought a train ticket to St. Jean Pied de Port (my intended starting point). There are a million things to decide, including WHEN to go and WHERE to start and HOW LONG to be away. Eventually you just have to starting picking things, and then build the logistics around that.
I decided I will leave Luxembourg on 10/10/2014. Double Ten Day, if you're Chinese. It's an easy date to remember, and has some significance because the DH and I lived/taught English in Taiwan before we were married. I believe we celebrated Double Ten Day weeping with homesickness and watching a Tina Turner concert on TV.
So there's that.
I bought myself a train ticket from Luxembourg to Metz, Metz to Paris Est, Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne, Bayonne to Cambo les Bains, and finally, Cambo les Bain to St. Jean Pied de Port. I leave at 07h40, and arrive in time for dinner just about 12 hours later at 19h24.
I booked myself a bed and dinner/breakfast at a hostel called Beilari for 26EUR. For an additional 4EUR, they will provide me with a lunch for the next day.
I also booked the next night (October 11) at the Real Colegiata in Roncesvalles. This one costs 10EUR for a bed. If I understand correctly, I have to find a restaurant for dinner.
After that, I'll just have to play it by ear.
The night I made these arrangements, I dreamt I was at the hostel in Roncesvalles at dinner time. It was a buffet sort of affair, and I was very tired and hungry and a bit confused as to how things worked. I set my tray down at one point and wandered off to find something to drink. When I returned, my tray of food had been cleared away. Dinner was over, and I was out of luck.
Last night I dreamt that I returned to a parking lot only to realize that our car was no longer there. It had apparently been stolen. This was bad, but not as bad as the realization that all of my in-current-use hiking gear lives in the back of our car (really), and it, too, was gone. I was especially sick about the dream loss of my hiking boots. It took me three pairs of boots to find the pair I am currently wearing. It would be a real pain to have to replace them now. I woke up quite shaken.
I was talking to someone recently about the mix of emotions I'm feeling now that I've set this thing in motion and made it public. It's sort of like how I felt both times I was pregnant: I wanted to be pregnant, but there was still this moment of "Oh, shit. What have I gotten myself into?" The Camino is a similar feeling: it's big and long and no one can do it for me.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Resources About the Camino
This post is a work in progress: I'll add resources to it as I discover and use them.
Books
A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz
A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley.
Purchased, but it has not yet arrived. Not yet sure I'll want to carry this one along with me.
Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez
This one is as much about making the movie as their relationship.
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago by Hape Kerkeling
The author is a German comedian/author/presenter. I had never heard of him, but I think most Germans have.
Seven Tips to Make the Most of the Camino de Santiago by Cheryl Powell
Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore
I read this ages ago, but am rereading it now. Some of it is so funny, I have frightened the rest of the family with my spasms of laughter. I will NOT be taking a donkey with me. He also wrote a book about the Tour de France which makes him just about my favorite author ever!
Michelin Guide Camino de Santiago
This is just a little book with maps -- one for each stage, more or less according to the Brierley route. I've written lots of notes in it already. It's very light. I expect to carry this one with me.
Apps
eCamino based on the John Brierley book. Perhaps I do not need the book.
TrekRight This looks very useful as it has albergues, etc in it.
RENFE The Spanish national train network's app. For arranging my return.
Voyages-SNCF.com The French national train network's app.
Websites/Blogs
www.caminoadventures.com
www.caminodesantiago.me From this site I downloaded two pdf files to my iPhone: one with ALL the albergues/refugios and one with RECOMMENDED albergues/refugios.
www.girlsontheway.com This is a blog written by a mother who walked the Camino with her two young daughters. The kids are serious hikers. I spent an entire day reading this.
www.trailjournals.com Backpacking journals and photos from long-distance hikers.
Books
A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz
A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley.
Purchased, but it has not yet arrived. Not yet sure I'll want to carry this one along with me.
Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez
This one is as much about making the movie as their relationship.
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago by Hape Kerkeling
Seven Tips to Make the Most of the Camino de Santiago by Cheryl Powell
Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore
I read this ages ago, but am rereading it now. Some of it is so funny, I have frightened the rest of the family with my spasms of laughter. I will NOT be taking a donkey with me. He also wrote a book about the Tour de France which makes him just about my favorite author ever!
Michelin Guide Camino de Santiago
This is just a little book with maps -- one for each stage, more or less according to the Brierley route. I've written lots of notes in it already. It's very light. I expect to carry this one with me.
Apps
eCamino based on the John Brierley book. Perhaps I do not need the book.
TrekRight This looks very useful as it has albergues, etc in it.
RENFE The Spanish national train network's app. For arranging my return.
Voyages-SNCF.com The French national train network's app.
Websites/Blogs
www.caminoadventures.com
www.caminodesantiago.me From this site I downloaded two pdf files to my iPhone: one with ALL the albergues/refugios and one with RECOMMENDED albergues/refugios.
www.girlsontheway.com This is a blog written by a mother who walked the Camino with her two young daughters. The kids are serious hikers. I spent an entire day reading this.
www.trailjournals.com Backpacking journals and photos from long-distance hikers.
First, Some Background and Information About Hiking in Luxembourg
If you don't know me, I am a hiker. Last year I walked 1,600 km (1,000 miles), mostly in Luxembourg (where I live) and often with my Darling Husband (hereafter known as DH) who likes hiking, too.
Although this is going to be a blog about the Camino de Santiago, I wanted to start with a little background and also share some resources for hiking in the Grand Duchy.
I belong to a hiking group here in Luxembourg that is made up of members of the American Women's Club of Luxembourg. We tend to hike distances of about 10 km twice a week (Mondays and Fridays). These hikes often come from what we call the Blue Book or commune ("community") hikes. These hikes are circular: you start and finish at the same point, which is almost always a parking lot.
The DH and I often hike on weekends (if we aren't on our bicycles). If we aren't cobbling together a couple of the Blue Book hikes (to make something closer to 20 km), we often use what we call CFL hikes. CFL is short for "Chemin de Fer Luxembourgeoise" or the national railway. The CFL hikes are generally linear hikes. We tend to drive to a train station ("gare"), park, take the train to the hike start, and then walk back to the car. The CFL hikes are good ones to combine to make for a 18 to 24 km day.
The Blue Book hikes, the CFL hikes, and what are called "sentiers nationaux" (national footpaths) are all available on a website we refer to as "the Geoportal." This is a great resource (available online and as a smartphone app) that also includes cycling and mountain bike trails. The app has saved us more than once when we have wandered off course.
Once a month, I usually join a smaller, slightly more hardcore group of women for what we call a "ramble." These are hikes in the 20 to 25 km range. These hikes can be Luxembourg sentiers. Lately we have been walking sections of a German hike network called the Moselsteig. Yeah, the site is in German. But you can figure it out.
Sometimes (although rarely), I will participate in what is called a marche populaire. These hikes usually offer two or three possible distances -- something like 6/12/20 km. They are nice because there is almost always someone selling sausages and cremant after. They can be a pain because they are popular, and parking can be a problem. The DH thinks they have too many people ambling along at a snail's pace, so we don't do these very often. But if you follow the link, you will see that there is a hike just about every weekend.
And every September, I join a group of women for a three-day hiking weekend. I've gone with them to Epernay (France's champagne region), Heidelberg, and Boullion (SW Belgium). In a few weeks we are going to Bruges.
There are branches of the Camino all through Europe, including Luxembourg. My children sigh and roll their eyes when I point out the scallop shells that mark the routes. Shortly after we arrived in Luxembourg, I suggested we spend a school break hiking the last 100 km of the Camino as this is the minimum distance necessary to say you have officially completed it. The kids, of course, nixed that idea. We compromised by hiking 100 km in Luxembourg over two weeks. We saw the shells often, and this has, oddly, left them with a great deal less enthusiasm about it.
Some of my hiking colleagues have already done one or more of the routes that lead to Santiago. I have read a number of books about it (although not Shirley MacLaine's). I have seen the Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie and read the accompanying book about it. There are endless resources available about the Camino -- I'll devote a post to what I have enjoyed or found helpful.
My point is that I have been interested in the Camino for years, and it was only a matter of time before I got serious about really doing it.
Although this is going to be a blog about the Camino de Santiago, I wanted to start with a little background and also share some resources for hiking in the Grand Duchy.
I belong to a hiking group here in Luxembourg that is made up of members of the American Women's Club of Luxembourg. We tend to hike distances of about 10 km twice a week (Mondays and Fridays). These hikes often come from what we call the Blue Book or commune ("community") hikes. These hikes are circular: you start and finish at the same point, which is almost always a parking lot.
The DH and I often hike on weekends (if we aren't on our bicycles). If we aren't cobbling together a couple of the Blue Book hikes (to make something closer to 20 km), we often use what we call CFL hikes. CFL is short for "Chemin de Fer Luxembourgeoise" or the national railway. The CFL hikes are generally linear hikes. We tend to drive to a train station ("gare"), park, take the train to the hike start, and then walk back to the car. The CFL hikes are good ones to combine to make for a 18 to 24 km day.
The Blue Book hikes, the CFL hikes, and what are called "sentiers nationaux" (national footpaths) are all available on a website we refer to as "the Geoportal." This is a great resource (available online and as a smartphone app) that also includes cycling and mountain bike trails. The app has saved us more than once when we have wandered off course.
Once a month, I usually join a smaller, slightly more hardcore group of women for what we call a "ramble." These are hikes in the 20 to 25 km range. These hikes can be Luxembourg sentiers. Lately we have been walking sections of a German hike network called the Moselsteig. Yeah, the site is in German. But you can figure it out.
Sometimes (although rarely), I will participate in what is called a marche populaire. These hikes usually offer two or three possible distances -- something like 6/12/20 km. They are nice because there is almost always someone selling sausages and cremant after. They can be a pain because they are popular, and parking can be a problem. The DH thinks they have too many people ambling along at a snail's pace, so we don't do these very often. But if you follow the link, you will see that there is a hike just about every weekend.
And every September, I join a group of women for a three-day hiking weekend. I've gone with them to Epernay (France's champagne region), Heidelberg, and Boullion (SW Belgium). In a few weeks we are going to Bruges.
There are branches of the Camino all through Europe, including Luxembourg. My children sigh and roll their eyes when I point out the scallop shells that mark the routes. Shortly after we arrived in Luxembourg, I suggested we spend a school break hiking the last 100 km of the Camino as this is the minimum distance necessary to say you have officially completed it. The kids, of course, nixed that idea. We compromised by hiking 100 km in Luxembourg over two weeks. We saw the shells often, and this has, oddly, left them with a great deal less enthusiasm about it.
Some of my hiking colleagues have already done one or more of the routes that lead to Santiago. I have read a number of books about it (although not Shirley MacLaine's). I have seen the Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie and read the accompanying book about it. There are endless resources available about the Camino -- I'll devote a post to what I have enjoyed or found helpful.
My point is that I have been interested in the Camino for years, and it was only a matter of time before I got serious about really doing it.
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