Camino de Santiago in Europe

[robermarbe]

Dear All
I have seen that the Camino de Santiago could start from many European countries. I am spanish but I do live in The Netherlands.
I was wondering whether in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and other countries, there are similar infrastructures to the ones you can find in Spain.
It is also interesting to know whether there are people waliking those European Caminos or there are just bikers.
I would thank any information in this regards

[Covey]

I met a girl last year who had walked from just outside Amsterdam. When I asked her why, she said that there was a church in her neighbourhood with the sign of a scallop shell and an arrow pointing the way to Santiago, so she decided one day to follow the arrow! She was using a tent which made life a bit easier as there is not a chain of albergues in Europe as there are in Spain. If you do not camp, then there are the occasional monastery's for you to stay in , or you have to use B&B's or guest houses which can prove expensive for a long haul trek.

[robermarbe]

Thank you Covey. This is another option. To be honest I would like to avoid the crowds I might face this summer in Spain. I have many plans drafted on paper but I am still trying to make up my mind about what way I should follow. I will try to find those signals in the church you mentioned. It might help me to take a final decision.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Robermarbe ~

Are you familiar with the Camino markings in Paris? Perhaps that could be a starting place for you. Here's a link to a great article that describes some of the architectural details within Paris which, as you probably know, was a gathering point for pilgrims heading to Santiago. http://peregrinations.kenyon.edu/vol1-3/gower.pdf

Also, here's more information on the Tour St. Jacques, the tower in Paris that is the traditional starting place of the Camino in Paris.

Buen camino ~
Sandy Brown
Seattle USA

[HuskyNerd]

Oops, the link: Saint-Jacques Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[robermarbe]

Hi guys
Thank you vey much for your inputs. I have checked the sites and they are very interesting. Since it opened my mind I was googleing and I found this link about the Camino in France. Looks interesting. I do not speak french but I could translate a bit.
Here is the link Association Randonneurs et P

[Leslie]

perhaps if you want to avoid the crowds consider the Via de la Plata - bit hot in mid summer though.

My friend the one who pushed me to do the Camino the first time walked from Holland - he used a tent. Most of the people walking the routes in France are French or German - so if you only speak English you will have Germans to talk to - every German i have met speaks English...

[robermarbe]

Hi Leslie,
Yes. You are right. A good thing of Germans is that they are good in english... In Spain we are not so good. Now I am in Ukraine for some days (business) and I feel how you guys must feel when you go to the Camino de Santiago with the spanish language. Here, nobody speaks english. It is even hard to find a menu in english.
If I can help any body from this forum with the language or to do any arrangement in Spain, please, let me know.
I am still considering to do this European Camino and leave the spanish one for next year.
Your sugestion of Via de la Plata is good but I guess that it must be really hot on summer. It is quite common to have over 40 degrees in Seville and that way is really hot. Anyway, it is one of the Caminos I am most interested on. From the cultural point of view it must be amazing. I would really like to walk through the Romans roads...