I still have plenty of pages left on my Camino Passport from my trip last year as I only started from Sarria.It seems that I have caught the Camino bug and am heading off again this year.Question is can I reuse my Passport from last year or should I get a new one?
I made the mistake of so enjoying the Sarria to Santiago "Camino Lite" with my eldest son that I decided that I really needed to prove that I could have done the St Jean to Santiago thing, so went back the following year to do it in September, and the next year in September, and the next in July and the next................. and once again in September 2010.
Before you know it, you will become a Serial Caminoist and your children will start wondering "what the hell does the Old Fellow get up to that he needs Absolution every year!!"
You start buying the odd piece of kit that might be more useful than the kit you carried last year. You start carrying extra medical bits and pieces in case someone might need help along the way.
You get inducted in to the mystical club of The Camino Grandfathers who take it as their self appointed mission to help those who find the going hard over the first week. Nobody asks you to help, but it is in the nature of pilgrims to help others, and it is your way of giving back a little of the enjoyment you get from walking the way.
You see the odd gravestone of pilgrims who have died along the way and as you pass by, you smile to yourself and think that there could be a lot worse ways and places to end your days.
Yes that certainly sounds a bit like me alright. But i cannot think of a better way to spend time to myself than walking with likeminded people enjoying beautiful country side and being at peace with the world for at least one week every year.
Oh yes thanks for the advice re the passport.
I notice that you regularly refer to the Meseta as yr fav part of the Camino. As we are starting at Burgos, this gives gr8 enthusiasm. As all other readings tell me how dry & boring this area is
The Meseta has a strange reputation on the Camino. Many of the guide books seem to liken it to a forced march across Death Valley in the States with burning sun, no water and the skeletons of past pilgrims littering the path.
Many worry about its fearsome reputation and decide to take the bus between Burgos and Leon, but one wonders if the reputation is enhanced somewhat to reinforce the decision not to venture on to the Plateau of Death.
In reality, it gets hot in summer, but the endless views are fantastic and you are walking through fields of corn and sunflowers. The stops in the villages are further apart but there is one oasis one must stop at.
There is a private albergue in Boadilla del Camino which is magical. Having walked a long way in the heat you walk past the official albergue (looks like an old school) and come across a large compound with semi derelict doors. Walk through those doors and you are faced with immaculate lawns and flower beds, statues in the garden, and the most fantastic swimming pool. The accommodation is fine, the food is reasonably dire, the beer cold and the welcome warm.
The Meseta section is always quieter as so many take the bus, but I would not miss it for the world.
Junior Member
New Passport or not? Question is can I reuse my Passport from last year or should I get a new one?
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