Not as good as I thought...

[Likewhatever]

Hi all,
hope you?re enjoying your Camino or, if you?re planning to do it, you?re getting everything ready with happy anticipation. Maybe this would suit a blog more, but I haven?t got one. So here is my honest take on the whole camino...

I?m on the Camino at the moment. I?m currently in Palas de Rey actually. I just feel I want to get my experience of the camino off my chest so far. It?s not as fun or as interesting as I thought it would be. I am doing it with a companion and we both feel the same. People aren?t that friendly and often tend to be in groups, doing their own thing. I can get by in Spanish but my companion hasn?t a word of it, and it has been difficult for her to communicate with and get to know anyone. Whoever said the camino is very friendly must never have inter-railed around Europe! I have and stayed in hostels and met lots of great people (and am still in touch with some). However, on this camino, I find most people either keep to themselves or already have a group.

It?s mostly Spaniards doing it, followed by Germans. I?d say it?s two thirds Spanish, one quarter German and then I?ve met a handful of French and Americans, oh and one Italian. I?ve met absolutely no British or Irish and no Eastern Europeans either. Any cyclists seem really serious about the whole thing in their Lycra and they?re almost exclusively young and male. Walkers tends to be older. In my opinion, the camino tends to attract a slightly eccentric set (especially walkers), though this probably is to be expected.

I honestly think the whole camino is a bit gimmicky and lots of businesses make money off it, in what would be otherwise a very unvisited part of Spain by tourists. Thank God for St James, eh! You?d think the Galicians in their bars and shops would be a bit friendlier too, given that they depend on tourism, but they?re not exactly brimming with warmth either.

What doesn?t help things is I?ve got severe blisters on both feet, which were partly acquired in Madrid (damn sandals!), even before I started the camino! As for footwear, I wouldn?t recommend boots and sandals; rather I?d advise that pilgrims wear trainers/runners/sneakers for the trek and then simply flip-flops in the evenings to relax.

I can?t go any further because of my blisters, so we are heading to Lugo to get the bus back to Madrid. Maybe I?ll attempt the camino another time. But I just wanted to balance all utterly positive slant that is to be found on the internet about the camino and give my own personal experience. I?ve been bitten by some bugs on this pilgrimage, but the camino bug isn?t one of them.

[Leslie]

I hope your feet are better soon.

I had the same experience with my feet the first time I walked tha Camino. I had walked around Paris for a day in my sandals and started the next day from St Jean with blisters.

I found only a few people from the UK or Ireland when I walked. Most of the people I walked with were not UK - but I found many who spoke english, and often in groups that consisted of many the language used was english.

I rarely spoke to any spanish people - my spanish and there english...

Good to get a different view on it all.

[timecheck00]

My first thought is have you been hiking for days or for weeks? There is certainly a period of adjusting to the reality of day to day hardship, and communication difficulties. We didn't meet an English speaker for about 2 weeks, and our Spanish was such that we could talk to children only. By the end of the trip our best friend was a Brazilian woman who spoke neither Spanish or English, and we would have to use 3rd parties to catch up. I hope you will give it another chance, with maybe lowered expectations of fun, but the sure knowledge that you are on a grand adventure you will remember for the rest of your life.

[Likewhatever]

My first thought is have you been hiking for days or for weeks? There is certainly a period of adjusting to the reality of day to day hardship, and communication difficulties. We didn't meet an English speaker for about 2 weeks, and our Spanish was such that we could talk to children only. By the end of the trip our best friend was a Brazilian woman who spoke neither Spanish or English, and we would have to use 3rd parties to catch up. I hope you will give it another chance, with maybe lowered expectations of fun, but the sure knowledge that you are on a grand adventure you will remember for the rest of your life.

Thanks Timecheck, but as for Communication Difficulties, I wouldn't have many. I speak English, French and German with ease and also have a good working knowledge of Spanish and Italian. I'm hugely into languages and also trying to learn Portuguese, Dutch and Polish at the moment.
Yes, I was walking only for a few days. The blisters on my soles and toes got so bad that I couldn't proceed. I am on an antibiotic now for a foot infection and also an infected nettle rash.
Yes, I'll probably give it another chance, as I enjoy walking in the countryside and being at one with nature. However, I simply wanted to balance the reporting of a palsy-walsy community spirit by some others, that isn't really there in my own opinion. No harm in that but just want to give a realistic picture to others who haven't yet done it.
I found many Galicians apathetic, indifferent or even rude, but that still won't deter me. One exception to this was the staff at the centro m?dico in Palas de Rei, who was utterly professional, welcoming and friendly. It was great to recieve health treatment that was also free of charge.

[Likewhatever]

I hope your feet are better soon.

I had the same experience with my feet the first time I walked tha Camino. I had walked around Paris for a day in my sandals and started the next day from St Jean with blisters.

I found only a few people from the UK or Ireland when I walked. Most of the people I walked with were not UK - but I found many who spoke english, and often in groups that consisted of many the language used was english.

I rarely spoke to any spanish people - my spanish and there english...

Good to get a different view on it all.

I didn't mind, per se, that there weren't British or Irish people on the Camino. I am very happy to integrate with other European nationalities and further afield obviously, but the reality is that the reverse isn't always true (in my experience on the camino). I found many groups wanted to stay on their own and I didn't find many of the pilgrims very open. That's fair enough but I had just developed inaccurate expectations from the impression some other people had given on the internet.

[redrat]

Being there this spring time, I did notice that it was mainly older pelegrinos walking during this time of the year and I was fore warned about walking during summer as it fills up quickly with locals.
After being in Spain for a month a half I did encounter unfriendly miserable people but don't let them get to you, you are better than them. Change your frame of mind and you will see it in new ways.

hope that your feet get better.

[geraldkelly]

I'm not really surprised you had a negative impression of the Camino from having walked a few days of it in summer in Galicia.

Galicia is my least favourite part of the Camino. Too crowded, too rainy, too much Camino rip-off. As for rudeness, while most of them are fine, I've met Galicians working in bars, etc. who are world-class, over-the-top rude. Something I've never seen anywhere else in Spain.

Also, by that stage pilgrims are divided into two main categories: 1. The people walking the last 100km with family and friends and who keep to themselves. 2. People who've been walking for weeks and who already know a lot of other walkers and have a strong sense of group identity with them.

So, don't let this experience get you down. We've all had bad experiences on the Camino. But they're generally outnumbered by the positive experiences. Next time, walk an earlier stage and see how it goes.

Gerald

[redrat]

I'm not really surprised you had a negative impression of the Camino from having walked a few days of it in summer in Galicia.

Galicia is my least favourite part of the Camino. Too crowded, too rainy, too much Camino rip-off. As for rudeness, while most of them are fine, I've met Galicians working in bars, etc. who are world-class, over-the-top rude. Something I've never seen anywhere else in Spain.

Also, by that stage pilgrims are divided into two main categories: 1. The people walking the last 100km with family and friends and who keep to themselves. 2. People who've been walking for weeks and who already know a lot of other walkers and have a strong sense of group identity with them.

So, don't let this experience get you down. We've all had bad experiences on the Camino. But they're generally outnumbered by the positive experiences. Next time, walk an earlier stage and see how it goes.

Gerald

Gerald
I've just read and downloaded the guide, thank you for the link.

Marcel

[Covey]

I returned last night from the Camino Frances which was my fourth Camino starting from St Jean, and I am afraid I have to echo many of the sentiments from Redrat!

This year was expensive, the food generally expensive and awful, the number of rip-offs experienced by walkers vastly increased over previous years. I came across many instances where pilgrims were being charged more in bars than locals, and the general costs had been increased. Many bars were charging ?11 for a pilgrim menu which frankly I would not feed to my dog. Last year the average cost of the pilgrim menu was ?9.

Spain currently has an official unemployment rate of 26% and the real rate is even higher, and the one constant in northern Spain is the pilgrims walking the Camino Frances, so we tend to be the target to make money.

In Zubiri we were told that the main albergue (owned by the Church) in Pamplona was being closed to Pilgrims the following day for three weeks so they could charge tourists attending the Bull Running ?30 a night instead of the ?6 they got for a pilgrim. This caused a lot of difficulties as there were a lot of pilgrims and not enough beds to go around.

Starting in St Jean on 3rd July there were about 60% Germans and I did not meet another Brit for the first two weeks.

One new trick they have started to use along the trail concerns the pilgrim menu. When you order the Postre (sweet course) they tell you that there is fruit, ice cream or Tarta Santiago (almond tart) Most go for the tarta cos it sounds good only to discover that they charge an extra ?2.5/3.0 for the tarta because it is not actually on the pilgrim menu but an extra! Most pilgrims Spanish ain't good enough to complain so you pay up. The bar owners could not care less because 99% never come back, and they certainly could not care less about recommendations!!

The cost of Coke is an interesting example of charging. The supermarket cost of a can of Coke is around ?0.55. Last year the vending machines along the Way were charging on average ?1. This year it is ?1.5. The bars are now charging ?2.5/2.75 and in one place it was ?3. A coffee stop with a cup of coffee and a slice of tortilla is now ?5.

I did a post some time ago about how much money you need per day. I suggested a budget of ?30 a day to cover everything. Some posts said they were aiming to spend only ?15/20 a day. You need the ?30 a day as being a pilgrim is becoming ever more expensive!.

Take you own Vaseline with you. Some Pharmacies are charging up to ?4 for a tiny tube!!

[Leslie]

Covey it is good to have you back, but I am disappointed to hear your news. Reading what you had to say I can only imagine things getting worse over the next year or so, as the Camino Frances is going to be so busy next year.

I have been thinking about cycling this route next May, I don't have the space to take a whole month at present, but I think I might start researching the Via de la Plata - and from what I read this route is becoming a little more popular and better for people like me who quite like a lot of space.

As I said, good to have you back.

[redrat]

Covey
I did witness double pricing to people in front of me in numerous places and as soon as I ask them in Castellano the price dropped, I was not proud to see that. This time I am going back with immersion water heater and pots to cook as much as I can, I will keep records of how much money I use and will post that info once I come back, maybe that will help others.
Oh and it helps a bit to speak the language.

Marcel

[Covey]

I met a couple of pilgrims who gave up walking the Camino del Norte because there was nobody else on the trail. They said they were the only people in the albergues in the evenings!

My favorite part is the Meseta and this year it did not disappoint!! It was super as always, although so many do not try it because some of the guides describe it as the Spanish version of Death Valley in the USA. I love the wide rolling vistas and it is quieter because so many miss it out.

I too have wondered about cycling one year just to try it. I met a German guy at Rabanal who was cycling and he rolled in at 7pm having left Leon at lunchtime!!! Leon to Rabanal is usually 3 days walk!!

Some of the cycles they use are really hi-tec with front and rear suspension and disc brakes, but come with a price tag of over ?2000. There was a German lady and her 14 year old daughter and they both had wicker baskets on the front on their every day bikes which looked nice. Met another cyclist who said he was getting an average of 3 - 4 punctures a day which would prove somewhat tedious!

Anyway, it is nice to be back after 6 weeks!

[geraldkelly]

Good to have you back Covey! Sorry but not surprised by what you have to say.

Leslie, I definitely recommend the Via de la Plata if you want open spaces and solitude. You will encounter some pretty rotten food along the way too but also some amazing good stuff. I think it's a good one to cycle because it's mostly pretty flat until you get up north.

[Covey]

One of the most irritating happenings is where you arrive in a town and find an albergue closed because it is being used for some church function. Apart from the Church making a lot of money by closing the main Pamplona albergue to pilgrims so they could let the beds to tourists, this happened again at Carrion de las Condes.

The Church had closed the main albergue for the weekend so they could host a children's festival. The pilgrims had no warning of the closure which meant that some 50+ pilgrims had to find a bed in hotels and pensions which cost them ?30 for the night instead of ?5. Passing through Carrion was not an option because it is 16kms (without water or rest stops available) to the next albergue, and neither was going backwards an option because the previous albergue was already full.

It would be helpful if the authorities or the Church could warn the earlier albergues of a closure so we could plan accordingly.

Pilgrims spend hours reading their guide books and working out where is best to stay, but all the planning means nothing if the albergue you are aiming for is not open.

[Leslie]

@covey - I love the Mesita, my fav part of the whole route

@gerald - I have started training. I think cycling needs training and i can do with getting away from this computer a bit more often...

[tony graham]

I had the opposite experience to you and I feel sorry for you and your feet problems.I had no feet problems and I walked in bare feet and sandals,I had no problems either with communicating with people be them German French Italian Spanish Polish and so on,its called being friendly!!!oh and by the way I am one of your older walkers (65),do the walk again my friend and be a little more positive,take care....

[Covey]

As another "over 60" walker I sometimes think that many pilgrims have unreasonable expectations of what they will find along the trail.

Some waft along in a cloud of religious fervor and frankly nothing will dent their enjoyment of life on the trail.

Some will try and compare the life of a pilgrim to their normal holiday pattern, and they stand a very good chance of not enjoying life along the Way.

The youngsters take poor food and sleeping on the floor in their stride, and the older generation (ours!) are wise enough to avoid being uncomfortable and generally have the money to mitigate the worst the trail can throw at you.

The Camino is unique, and for those who walk it once, is a unique experience, and the ups and downs of life on the trail is all part of the experience.

For those of us who have walked it before, it is hard not to compare one year with another, and over 5 trips you tend to see a pattern evolving.

As more and more pilgrims walk the Camino, it is hardly surprising that commercialism rears its head and the opportunity for making more money from passing pilgrims is greater.

The major cities such as Pamplona, Burgos and Leon welcomed pilgrims in the past, but now are major tourist cities in their own right, and pilgrims are way down the increasingly expensive food chain. Santiago is a classic example of how the destination for the pilgrim over the centuries has changed in to a modern tourist destination where pilgrims are but a side show.

[toledo]

I walked from St Jean to Leon in May 2008 and had to come home due to blisters on my toes and feet. The damage to one toe scared me, almost all of the skin came off it. I had walked for 17 days.
I partly enjoyed the Camino and had no complaints about the other Pilgrims. I counted six Brits, lots of Germans and scatterings of other nationalities and found everyone very friendly. My dislikes were the amount of walking you have to do on the road or pavements. I have done other long distant walks and rarely had to walk on the road. The two or three days before Leon were particularly bad.
I set myself a challenge and probably walked too much or rather too fast but was determined to walk all the way. I was dismayed to see the amount of people who "bussed" it; but I suppose it was their Camino and they were doing it their own way.The other negative thing was that after a hard day walking you might arrive to find the albergues full up and have to spend on hotels or sleep on the floor of a house as I did one night.
I hope to go back and complete the walk some day, maybe next year.

John

[Leslie]

Hi John,

sorry to hear about the blisters, it is something that I had an awful problem with the first time I walked.

I blame a few things for that:
my boots were not good, I dumped them and bought new walking shoes which helped
I tried to walk too much and too fast
I was carrying too much at the start of the way

I met my other half on the Camino 4 years ago and we were talking about it recently. I was commenting to her that I was not a very happy pilgrim - she agreed - grumpy she would say. (My closest friend, the same one who introduced me to the Camino, died while I was walking it the last time - so I am sure this affected my mood quite a bit.)

It is kinds strange, I am not really sure how much of the Camino I liked on a day to day basis - but the whole experience was great.

[BenedettoCAN]

Thanks for this. It's good to hear an honest account of someone's journey. I can understand more now the challenge and the hardships a pilgrim must face. I hate the aspect that some bar owners etc would take advantage of people so thanks for that heads up. I gathered proper footwear is a must and the advice on that matter was very helpful.

[ken huocj]

now that i am back at home
still trying to adjust to a very different daily regime.

SJPP to Santiago de Compsotella, Finisterre and finally Muxia.
38 days of walking with minimal mishaps.
Being an Anglophone with no Spanish, French nor Italian,
i nevertheless managed to enjoy the goodwill and welfare of many others.

The Camino is not only about the C de Santiago,
it is a journey that we decide to undertake with fixed facilities of convenience en route, fellow Peregrinos each have their own reason for being there, and each takes back different experiences.

The cameraderie, food, chats and many places of ineterst shall remain with me for many more years, and there is every possibility that i will be back, to encounter young and old, novices and veterans

[Villagejonesy]

Heh--I started reading Covey's accounts of getting rooked by the unscrupulous, and then my eyes glanced down to read him saying "bring your own Vaseline with you"--then I realized he really did mean you should bring your own Vaseline! Literally instead of figuratively.

I had a few bad experiences with locals (notably in El Acebo, where we first went into the bar/albergue, thinking it was the official, and the JERKS who ran that place, let me tell you... also, in the day or two before that, there were restaurateurs who were trying to rip people off, basically--I said to my friend, "if this pilgrimage has any religious aspect, then didn't Jesus say 'if you love me, feed my sheep,' not 'fleece my sheep'?). Also, some places where the locals were just stone-faced and cold. But I have to say, for the most part, I had just as many experiences of the Spaniards as warmly encouraging and helpful. Quite often, dozens of times in fact, they'd see me looking for the arrows for a few seconds, and just yell out the directions to me, without being asked. They often gave me friendly smiles and "Buen Camino"s. I think that, on the whole, they really were aces, very gentlemanly, as often as some others may have been rude or ripoffs. I think more of the local Spaniards were encouraging and helpful than not.

As far as the Caminantes themselves, and the "palsy-walsy" atmosphere Whatever mentions, I certainly DID find that cameraderie. Not with everyone, of course, and with one or two people, it did seem that at the very end, they wrapped it up with "OK, that's enough of this cameraderie $h@#$, let's get back to being cold and standoffish to people, like normal." But I'm telling you, I was positively astounded by the way that people would reach out to help one another. It humbled me.

To some extent, I'm sure, you get back out what you put in, and some people just don't get on with people. For others, even those who do get on with people normally, it was just a crap time. What can you do, the Camino was good for others, but it wasn't their cup of tea. For some, it will be like that, unfriendly and unsatisfying, but I would contest Whatever if she implied that it MUST be like that. I met amazing people, deep people, and less deep but friendly and cheerful people, all along the way. So I won't discount Whatever's statement if she is saying that "it's NOT ALWAYS like that," but if she's saying "it's ALWAYS NOT like that," then obviously that's wrong. It is like that, sometimes--I've seen it firsthand. I'll never forget it.

[NikosP]

Sorry to say this but it may be just you - I did the Camino de Santiago a few months ago and had the exact opposite experience from you. The most amazing experience and the people were extremely friendly - I have met people from Australia, USA, China and from throughout Europe. The majority of Spanish people only do the last 100km because that is the minimum once requires in order to qualify for the certificate.

What I find strange is that you seem disappointed that you haven't met many British - is that why you went there? I am Greek and met a lot of British people there so I have a feeling that these types of walks are not for people like you