Note: This article was published in German, and its translations into all other languages were created automatically
We received a message from Tim on our Facebook page. He walked the Camino del Norte and wrote about it on his blog and Instagram. We could use his publications to create a travelogue for this page.
No sooner said than done.
So here is Tim’s travel report.
The trail of the phoenix - what's that all about?
April 17, 2016
Another blog?
Yes, another blog!
This is due to the constant transformation. In this case, mine, which I would like to document here for myself and any interested parties.
The phoenix (“the reborn/the newborn son”) is a mythical bird that burns or dies at the end of its life cycle, only to rise again from its decaying body or from its ashes.
(Source: Wikipedia)
As a new life cycle is just around the corner for me, and because I have no idea what it will look like, I have decided to take a new path: the JAKOBSWEG, to be precise: the Camino del Norte – a path along the northern Spanish coast.
It will probably be like real life: An unknown path that brings new challenges, decisions, experiences and encounters every day.
Why does it have to be the Way of St. James?
- I haven’t read “Ich bin dann mal weg…” as a book, listened to it as an audio book or watched it as a movie.
- I’ve never hiked more than 10 km in one go…
- I’m not a micromillimeter religious believer, quite the opposite.
Yes, so… why now?
- I think I’ll become a Spain fan (I do have faith, just not in religion, as I mentioned at the beginning).
- I’m a fan of the sea and the sun!
- I am persistent!
- I want to get by for a few weeks with just the most important things: Harmony of mind and body
- I like a challenge and am open to change (reads like a bad cover letter…)
Why does something like this have to be recorded in a blog?
That’s a really good question…
If you go this way for yourself, then you can’t care whether the crazy internet notices, the blog gets a bomb search engine ranking, affiliate providers offer you countless millions of cents for just as many clicks, the thing goes viral like a cat video or some other crap that I’m actually trying to avoid….
- Maybe because I’m an IT specialist?
- Maybe because I want to send digital postcards to family and friends (in the sense of “debt to collect”?!)?
- Maybe because I’ll read the blog in a few years and smile about it
- Perhaps because you have become interested in pilgrimage and I can perhaps support you?
- Maybe because I want to show my sixth-grade German teacher that even with a grade 6 in linguistic-literary and intellectual-historical-cultural education, I’m capable of jumbling together a few clever-sounding words…
Who knows for sure?
As my old buddy Lao Tzu used to say: “The wise man does not speak, the speaker does not know”.
I’m excited to see what happens to me and to this blog.
The backpack...
April 24, 2016
…becomes a companion that should not be underestimated.
I opted for a 45-liter (plus 10) backpack, while my colleague weighs a whopping 8.9 kilograms all inclusive.
Adios companeros...
April 28, 2016
… and many greetings from Hamburg Airport. The feeling of wanderlust, curiosity and excitement is finally intensifying.
We are also looking forward to even better weather than it already is in good old Germany…
And gratitude: for the good wishes and words from my friends and family and for the opportunity to start a trip like this. Many people have said “Wow, that’s so brave”… But the timing is just perfect at the moment. So it would be cowardly not to take the journey NOW 
Hasta pronto de Irun!
Esta magnifico
April 28, 2016
… in the sense of “It’s a blast”
The approach to Irun airport gave me a foretaste of my first leg to San Sebastian along the 545-metre-high Jaizkibel, right by the sea.
Then the way to my accommodation, it was magical: salt on the lips, sunshine, great architecture (it certainly has a name, but I’ll stick to the description “great”), happy people on the beach promenade, in the tapas bars, in the small cozy alleys (exuberant, like the bacon in the pan…).
It felt so right!
And then came a hat-trick of premieres.
- First accommodation I booked via Airbnb (all muy bien with family connection)
- First accommodation I have ever booked in advance
- For the first time, I’ve begun to realize what I’ve gotten myself into here… I don’t speak this language (my extensive vocabulary of swear words and alcoholic beverages is only of limited help), I don’t have a particularly strong sense of direction thanks to years of dull navigation using technical aids, and it’s a hell of a long way….. (yes, I know, German teachers don’t like nested sentences)
But that’s how it is with punk rock: accept the challenge, keep your composure, master the challenge!
I’m looking forward to it!!!
¡Buenas noches!
Running...
April 29, 2016
…with me, as young people like to say.
I had a really good start!
My room mom named Maria Jesus (really now!) had prepared a nice breakfast for me and off we went.
Oehm… where to???
I thought, I just have to follow the yellow shell! Two women at the side of the road showed me the way to the shell, one to the left, the other to the right. After a short babble in what I thought was their imaginary language, they agreed on a direction. I asked at least six other people on the way to the shell for directions.
And there it was!!!
So I had found the entrance and from this point I walked the next 20 kilometers almost alone along the coast on fantastic hiking trails, a short water crossing with a small ferry – a dream, by the way: and of course the weather was fine…
Then I was invited by people I met at regular intervals to spend the night in their religious community. I declined with thanks.
As I came down the mountain to San Sebastian, I read a notice that the pilgrims’ hostels were already fully booked for this weekend.
Great… back to the Mormons? Nah, I’ll try out my tent!
But as I strolled through the colorful and noisy hustle and bustle of the city, a deluxe contrast to the last five hours, a Spanish-speaking backpacker saw me and showed me a pilgrim hostel.
There I actually got a bed and even an Internet PC without umlauts.
Good night!
38 years without pedicure...
May 1, 2016
… pay off.
Summary after 3 days / 60 kilometers -> My hobbit feet look the same as ever: rotten and calloused, but blister-free (I know that’s more information than you actually wanted…)
What else can I tell you?
It feels good! I don’t have to do anything and I can do everything (within my means).
Oh well, I have one more… a Dutchman, two Germans, a Canadian, a Japanese and two Italians meet on the Way of St. James…
What at first sounds like a bad joke turns into an interesting story about community, enjoying nature, good food & drink with a fireside evening, the end of which I don’t yet know…
But tomorrow is another day!
(I hope I sleep a few hours in a row this night – with the other 20 Peregrinos in one room)
You never walk alone...
May 3, 2016
…even if you want to.
Today was going to be a tough stage, 30 km and 2000 meters of elevation gain (up and down) and I wanted to rock it out on my own, so I was on the road with two new Italians.
The one, 27 years old, English-speaking, little sport – lots of partying, 13 kg rucksack with 65 kg body weight (normally you say 10% rucksack of own weight) and a pair of sneakers on his feet, respect!
The other, 64 years old, speaks only Italian, marathon athlete plus 175 km ultramarathon, molto respect!
The two got to know each other and have already spent two days on the road together.
Guess who we should leave behind halfway along the route at our own request and for the following reason, captured in the picture?
Well, and the other one dragged me along in mountain goat style for the 30 km and because it was so nice, another 5.
But we searched in vain for the hostel…
After countless inquiries with the Spanish population in Italian/Spanish/English/hand & foot, we were rewarded with top accommodation after another 4 km. We were also treated to fresh eggs and home-baked coconut macaroons from the locals. Then there was a delicious pilgrim’s menu (3 courses + grape juice for 8 EUR) and a hostel just for us alone!
You can’t imagine what that means!!! Sleeping in peace! Without snoring! Without waking up in the morning in a domino effect (one gets up, the next gets up, etc.)
Awesome!
Buenas noches e buona notte!
This goes to my German teacher
May 4, 2016
Hola, the wandering gives me so much time to think -past, present, future (boah, I know tenses…) – that I remember a school assignment.
It was: write a story in Alfred Döblin style – Berlin, Alexanderplatz. Good style, just the right thing, as my impressions were overwhelmed by the stark contrast between the Spanish jungle and the metropolis of Bilbao.
So: 6.40 am, the alarm clock rings… get up, although I was lucky enough to share the albergue (as the Spanish say) with only 2 others.
So I could have slept in for a long time.
But once again the 64-year-old Italian mountain goat had encouraged me to shoot over my distance and performance target.
It was sensational, 10 hours, almost wordless, just the two of us. And up another mountain, and up again, and down again, and up again… made some nice acquaintances in between, this time two Brazilians… Also met the Korean from the first day again…
Finally, Bilbao!
A metropolis of millions deluxe. A radical change of scenery…
Lamberto and I opted for the pilgrim’s luxury option, a hotel room with a single bed and hot (!) shower (not a matter of course in the albergue). Pure luxury!
Lying on the bed for an hour, motionless, happy and broken like a dog, back pain relieved, off to the shower, the warm one.
A quick visit to the Pinxto bar next door, in the middle of the old town. Dreamlike.
Off to bed.
No way: “Can you take a picture, please”. “Si, claro”
The picture shows 10 fucked up punk rockers from Brooklyn, “The Dictators” were just on tour in Europe.
I’ll just have another beer with them…
The band had to move on.
But now, back to the luxury bed. What am I hearing from the pub? “Twisted again” by Dag Nasty.
Awesome. Well, one more beer is fine… and as hospitable as a Spaniard is, he (in this case consisting of 2 women and a man) invited me to the next one.
Super cool, I was so exhausted… the situation and the fun round were then broken up by a totally unpleasant drunk.
Good night!
Wow, well-rested and above all: slept through!!!!
I had a standard Spanish breakfast consisting of cafe con leche, orange juice, toast with jam and croissant.
City exploration!
First goal: buy a Camelback (hydration bladder for my rucksack) and explore the city on foot.
Tour de cultura. Old town, narrow streets, museums, parks, river flair, cathedrals (plural!) Guggenheim exhibition, one impression follows the next.
Siesta in the restaurant, a message from the Italian who got lost due to foot wear “Meet in front of the cathedral – wait in the bar” this time with two other Peregrinos.
Another Italian (they are well represented here, at least in my area) and a Spanish woman.
Then walked on to the restaurant and met a German from the day before yesterday who had a Romanian in tow. The Romanian also knows me from stories… crazy.
Now I’m back at the hotel and looking forward to walking the Camino alone tomorrow.
Well, at least for the first few hours / kilometers. Because you can count on it, the paths of the Peregrinos will certainly cross a few more times until Santiago.
And that’s a good thing.
Because space and time gradually blend together (when was I where?) but the people definitely stay in my heart!
Music is acoustic LSD...
May 6, 2016
Today’s stage was so visually daunting that it was time for an acoustic program.
Yes, the music.
Now I know what I was missing. Each song triggered memories of situations and people in the most intense way. It made me pass the ugly industrial outskirts of Bilbao in no time at all, with elegant and majestic dance moves (I’m not sure if outsiders perceived it the same way though!?).
The stretch along the road was really tough, but of course I didn’t stay alone for long and I was accompanied by a pilgrim from Germany I had met last night, my first German pilgrimage.
And finally, the surroundings changed.
We arrived at today’s route highlight in Portugalete. To cross the river to Getxo, we had to let ourselves be carried across the water for 40 cents by the 160 m long suspension bridge with its 61 m high towers.
A few kilometers along the highway: peace, green inland and finally back at the beloved water!!!
The sleepy little village and its donation-based albergue were already waiting for me there.
And there they were again, the usual suspects from halfway around the world and other people I had never met before. But that was soon to change after a shared menu de Peregrino…
Delicious food, grape juice and interesting conversations and stories.
Buenas noches!
How a bad day turned into a good one...
May 8, 2016
It started really badly…. when I woke up in the morning. I’m someone who normally wakes up in a pissed-off mood.
This time it was different. I had slept for about an hour the whole night, with 20 Peregrinos in a tiny little room where the air was cutting and the acoustics were like a lion’s cage.
And no, earplugs didn’t help!!!
My fellow pilgrim sleeping in the bunk bed below me certainly had a dream that involved uneven rhythmic movements, so that I was almost seasick.
Well, actually a night as usual… but this time I couldn’t get any rest.
At around 6.20 a.m., the first one was in the mood to set off.
So: off we go. Pack up, have breakfast and off we go. It was raining! Even the unique and extraordinary spot on the green cliffs, which invited me to a relaxing round of QiGong, didn’t relax me.
Even the second breakfast and the clearing sky didn’t help.
It was only when I met my friend Don Peregrino Alternativo again that things started to look up (both in terms of my mood and the altitude profile). We had completed a really profound and funny stage.
And then we also stayed in a top accommodation where we (by chance?) met our two camino friends, in a monastery with the possibility of cooking!
Great! Salad, pasta, peppers, melon, bread and grape juice…
I was and am grateful.
Joy can be so simple!
Radio Camino
May 10, 2016
A special feature of the Camino is that people become (have become and will always be) a medium and a legend at the same time.
I got to know people and their stories who were previously unknown to me.
Others I already knew from stories told by other Peregrinos, until I really got to know them or still don’t know them today.
For example:
Do you know the Dutchman who speaks six languages and has been on the road for 3 months? (from Holland – so he’s already covered a good 2,000 kilometers)?
Or the young (and delicate) girl from Tyrol with a backpack weighing 20 kilos?
Or the Peregrino Alternativo with Italian leather shoes and a matching jacket and hairdryer in your luggage?
Or the Korean who fainted while running and was “woken up” by the following Peregrino?
Or the 64-year-old ultramarathon athlete?
Or the 70-year-old from Stuttgart with bybass and dementia?
Or the 18-year-old high school graduate?
Or the Italian who started somewhere in Poland, then walked to Rome, is currently walking towards Santiago de Compostela and then wants to go somewhere in Norway?
and and and …
Stay tuned for radio camino!
sleep, walk, eat, repeat...
May 12, 2016
It’s the same every day, just different. And I’m slowly finding my rhythm.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with the inner circle of “Peregrinos mañana”. It feels good and right every day. I don’t know where I’ll end up with whom in the evening, but I’m always in good hands.
Well, it was close today… it went something like this:
We arrived in Santander on Monday and the four of us stayed in a decadent hotel (Peregrino Alternativo style… €25 per person). After all, we wanted to start a party and not switch off the lights in the hostel at 10 p.m. (as is the law of the peregrino there).
Party on Monday: great idea.
But as is so often the case, things came to us automatically and in this case it was the best bar the city had to offer that day. Foosball, darts, Erasmus students and Cuba Libre, a neat mix.
We had a good time there and then went to the beach until 3.00 am.
The plan for mañana: surfing.
We slept royally until 7.00 am (Peregrino rhythm…)
And then: surfing without waves… hmmm.
All right, then we just lounged around on the beach until 12.00 noon.
But then the Camino called and we were in the mood to set off.
This time, however, the route was not to be along the always helpful yellow arrow (the Way of St. James is all equipped with this type of signpost, which is relatively foolproof), as we didn’t feel like walking through the dreary industrial area again, but simply along the coast.
“We’ll get there” we thought to ourselves… it was wonderful!!!
However, without orientation and over hill and dale along the steep coast. It got later and later and we took the direction of the Camino again.
Arriving at a city map, we realized that it was already 6 p.m. and we still had 10 km to go to the next hostel. “Could be close”, we thought to ourselves.
At that moment, a Spanish woman honked at us from behind in a friendly manner and asked where we were going.
When we answered, her index finger pointed first to her forehead and then to the back seat.
Meekly but infinitely grateful, we took our seats and were taken to our desired destination at what was for us rocket-like speed.
It wasn’t on her way, but she is a helpful Spanish woman…
When we arrived at the hostel, we got the last two free beds. We were completely exhausted and grateful!
A nice, cozy and clean hostel. What’s more, we met two pilgrims we knew and a couple of French people offered us home-cooked food.
It got even better when two older Spaniards were given a guitar by the hostel mother and sang a few Spanish folk songs at the top of their voices in the most classical style.
Wonderful!
Hiking is the most beautiful way to travel
May 14, 2016
I’m approaching a place and am curious to see what will be there.
I’m in this place and find out what’s there.
I move away from the place and think about what was there.
And all this at a speed that is otherwise unusual for me.
And then comes the next place…
And another and: I can be sure that the next place that comes my way will bring something new and good with it!
The idea that I could cover the distance that takes me about five weeks on foot in one day by car, train, bus or plane is a bit crazy!
But I have found out why I do it.
Because I can!!!
May 16, 2016
The vertebral gland and its child...
Here is a short addendum on the subject of “Hiking is the most beautiful way to travel”.
And there are two other fascinating aspects.
One is physical exercise.
The other is the amazing flow of thoughts.
The body’s own biochemistry is the link here.
This is because walking at a slightly faster heart rate not only strengthens the musculoskeletal system, but also trains the fat metabolism. What’s more, at some point, the tired head starts to release immense amounts of endorphins. If I’m walking on my own, I get some good thoughts and if I’m walking in pairs, I get some good thoughts too, only with a communicative exchange.
Great!!!
I have given up!
May 16, 2016
The morning wake-up dominoes start at around 6.00 a.m. – the first person to fiddle with their luggage wakes the others.
Then everyone has breakfast in their own style and at their own pace, a short farewell à la “buen camino” and then off we go.
Some run in groups, some alone – like me most of the time.
It takes about a bar or two (a common unit of time and distance on the Camino) and then I meet up with old acquaintances and/or new peregrinos and we have our first or second or third breakfast together.
Mostly consisting of cafe con leche e croissant.
Then continue in existing or new hiking formations.
A stop here at an impressive natural spectacle or a stop at the nearest bar, or perhaps a picnic.
I just let myself be guided by the Camino… “et kütt, wie et kütt” says the Rhinelander (although I haven’t met any of them here yet, not YET!).
However, I can be sure that I’ll bump into at least one friend again when I check in at the next albergue.
Everyone walks for their own reason, their own pace, their own distance, their own Camino. And it’s always a surprise (I don’t know who I’m going to meet) and a joy, because then we reflect on our shared and personal experiences of the day or write new stories.
So I gave up believing that I would walk the Camino alone and meet new people every day.
The direction of the Peregrinos is also clear: Santiago de Compostela.
So you can meet up there from time to time.
Only the destination varies, depending on the time people have available.
However, it is nice to have a familiar group of people around me with whom I can share interesting conversations, cook together, go out to eat or explore the surrounding area.
Today, for example, I wanted to run 10 kilometers further, but a beer, the group dynamic and really great accommodation (a small cottage with kitchen, bathroom, garden, laundry service and family connection with hospitable people) took the decision out of my hands.
There was a surprise menu consisting of the edible contents of the pilgrims’ rucksacks plus a bonus from the hostel mother.
Mañana is also another day.
I had known it!
May 17, 2016
In the morning after getting up: I’m sleeping in a tent tonight!
However, I had imagined it to be different. That’s just the way it is with expectations…
A great breakfast together in the idyllically self-sufficient six-person hostel: porridge with fresh fruit and coffee, then a quick shake and off you go.
Today it was finally “Camino solo”, which means: I’m setting off on my own.
It was a wonderful landscape that slowly passed me by and I had enough time for myself and nature.
After a few hours of hiking, I felt a little hungry and the beautiful little town of Ribadesella came in handy.
I sat down in a café and was ready for company again.
3, 2, 1…. part of my Caminocumpañeros Paul, Mark, Merle and Jessica sat next to me.
We ate and shared the route for a while.
I ran the last 18 kilometers with Jessica and Merle. And something went wrong (maybe it was the beautiful route along the coast), because suddenly it was 6 p.m., the hostel was still 5 kilometers away and there was only one free bed (Radio Camino had already informed us about the situation).
We had experienced a lot together that day and wanted to end the evening together, so after a few beers we decided to stand on the street with our thumbs outstretched.
Three cars later a nice Spanish woman gave us a lift (of course) – three smelly pilgrims with luggage in a packed small car, muchas muchas gracias!!!!
When we arrived at the hostel, one of the ladies took the free bed, the other a free couch and I was finally able to pitch my tent.
After all, I didn’t want to have lugged the 2 kilos (including air mattress) around with me for the last 400 km for nothing.
Stefan, Mark and Katharina were already waiting for us at the hostel and we ended the evening comfortably in a restaurant 2 km away. We ate our fill for 9 euros per person!
A feeling of joy, pleasure and gratitude spread!
A new stage...
May 21, 2016
Of course the Camino is different every day… the landscape, the hostels, the experiences, the people… but since today it is different.
The entire group of pilgrims that I had already grown fond of, who used to walk a day ahead or behind me or with me, but then somehow met up again at irregular intervals, has disbanded.
For reasons of plan change, plan pursuit or time pressure.
At the same time, I feel deeply grateful again that I have enough time to enjoy the journey at my own pace.
There will be new acquaintances for me, and I also appreciate being on my own. I’m realizing more and more what I miss: my family, friends and music!
Thanks to the extremely unattractive landscape of the stage, I was able to devote myself entirely to the music, unfortunately only from the can.
But it rocked like hell!
And in the meantime, I was able to think intensively about family and friends.
So the Camino did it again and ended the day on a very positive note.
Accommodation in a class of its own
May 23, 2016
40 km, Cordula’s clever pilgrim guide recommended… she’s crazy!
I decided not to make any plans and went on a pilgrimage into the day, maybe it would be 20 km or 25 km.
But the weather was perfect for running and the route was beautiful and varied through forests, small villages and along the coast. Cordula wrote that I had probably survived the big cities and that now there was only green countryside and blue coasts.
She was proved right.
It was getting later and later and the sunny weather invited me to camp in a special place: a small bay with a steep cliff. Excellent.
I had imagined it to be like this or something similar.
A pilgrimage legend!
May 24, 2016
Today, a small, wrinkled and friendly man welcomed me in an albergue.
He showed me the most important things: bed, washroom, drinks machine.
He himself slept outside in his tent and I decided to pitch my tent next to his. (A night without a snoring orchestra is really priceless!)
I pulled us two cold beers and he said his name was Antonio.
A cold beer tastes about 100 times better than usual after a long day of hiking in nature – it’s like youth hostel tea, you always ask yourself: why does it taste so good? The secret lies in the all-day exercise and the evening reward.
However… after a few minutes of communication mixed between English, Spanish, hand and foot, he presented me with a newspaper article from a German newspaper.
The article described his story.
José Antonio Garcia Calvo was the only one of 17 men to survive a shipwreck in 1998 and has been on the move ever since.
He already had a fantastic 106,000 km under his belt (20,000 km of which he covered by bike).
So he has already made more than two pilgrimages around the world, through Nepal, South America and Europe…. incredible!!!
When he ran to Rome, he had a conversation with the Pope and in Tibet he stayed with the Dalai Lama for five days…
Wow!
And he is currently working as a hostel warden for three weeks.
After that, of course, he will go on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, then to his home town of Cadiz and then he doesn’t yet know where his pilgrimage will take him. (Let’s see what mañana brings).
A very special encounter!
When he wished me a “Buen Camino”, I got goose bumps.
The first bubble!
May 26, 2016
After getting a good night’s sleep and packing up my tent and my seven things, I had an incredible desire to hike.
All I needed was food.
But it didn’t take long for a bar to come to me for breakfast and shortly afterwards a supermercado, all reserves replenished and off we go.
After a few kilometers, I came to a crossroads with two signposts. I decided to take one of them.
And then it was uphill for the next two hours (sometimes downhill, but mostly uphill).
Then I realized that this was the 800 meter high mountain that I wanted to bypass on the recommendation of the pilgrim guide… well:
Always forwards, never backwards.
But this effort felt good and I could be sure that nobody would bother me here.
When I got back to the coast, I met a demotivated pilgrim looking for an albergue. The nearest one was about 10 km away and we dragged each other there.
There I also met up again with well-known and much-loved pilgrims who I was sure I wouldn’t meet again.
What a pleasure.
There were also two surprises: I had hiked 44 km that day and finally, after about 600 km, I had a blister under my cornea!!! (“Fascinating” as my old buddy Mr. Spok would have commented on this curiosity).
This day was celebrated extensively with a pilgrim’s menu and good conversation.
A brief farewell to the coast
May 27, 2016
Oops, only 200 km to Santiago de Compostela…
Distances that I cover on foot are put into perspective. I have now hiked through the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias. The routes were mainly characterized by beautiful coastal paths and now the last stages are coming up.
Hasta luego, dear coast, we’ll see you again in Muxia and Finisterre.
Now it’s off through the interior of Galicia.
And lo and behold, it’s beautiful here too!
The Camino through Galicia is characterized by beautiful scenery and little infrastructure in terms of bars and supermarkets.
An advantage is a disadvantage – and vice versa.
I had a special encounter this morning. Getting up, packing, breakfast in the café – no way… it was still too early. Well, not then.
I set off without a caffeinated jump-start.
10 km with a permanent incline through the mountains. It was breathtaking, both the climb and the natural spectacle.
The village I left behind was covered in mist, dew dripped from the leaves, the sun came out, birds chirped, crickets chirped, the stream rushed.
And suddenly there was a sign in front of me saying “Breakfast donativo” (which means: get breakfast and pay what you want).
A woman warmly invited me into her garden and brought me a breakfast of coffee, toast, homemade jam and cake.
Within a few minutes I felt at home. She spoke very good English, showed me around her house and I helped her with the washing up.
She came to the Camino three years ago to slow down.
She then decided to buy and renovate this idyllic little house. She is a painter and accommodates pilgrims on a donation basis.
I could have spent the whole day there, but after two hours the Camino called me.
I sat down briefly in the garden and enjoyed the moment.
Then we said goodbye with a warm hug, she rang the bell above the front door three times and wished me a “Buen Camino”.
Buen Kamino
May 29, 2016
That was a shitty day!
Hangover deluxe (thanks to a great evening before with a joint cooking ceremony & vino tinto de la casa for 1.05 eur a bottle until 2.30am – I realized that my liver was growing in proportion to my leg muscles), rain, rain, rain, no money, no ATM, no more food, no more water and my right ankle made me feel every step.
The beautiful forest landscape with its flooded and soft mossy paths didn’t help.
The stage was “only” 24 km long. But under these conditions, it felt like 42 km…
So, enough of the crying. I just wanted to document the fact that the Way of St. James doesn’t mean strawberry cake every day.
BUT: at the end of the day, of course, everything was fine again:
Gratitude and satisfaction spread – small, private hostel, 10 beds, of which only four were occupied by well-known and nice pilgrims, I was lent some money by a pilgrim, there was a super meal with homemade cheese, drinks and a proper fireplace, so to speak a buen Kamino 😉
The end is near!
May 30, 2016
The number of kilometers on the signposts gets smaller and the first road sign to Santiago appears.
I have the feeling that in the pilgrims’ community around me, the urge to complete the journey is growing.
There is a certain collective excitement in the air.
I myself am also very much drawn to Santiago – I want to get there, but I don’t really want to, because then it would be over, or rather it would only be 100 km to the end of the European world, to Muxia and Finesterre.
My shoes squeak with every step and I’ve already stuffed my socks twice.
It’s no longer a pilgrimage for me, it’s about running kilometers.
The beautiful green landscape has an inflationary effect on me – after all, there is no coast and no sea here.
And the high and constant rainfall minimizes the romance of the pilgrimage.
I’m also curious to see what it will be like when I meet hundreds of other pilgrims from the Camino Frances, Camino Primitivo and Camino Plata in Arzua (it’s still about 50 km from there).
And, of course, what awaits me in the pilgrim capital before the Lord. Party? Pilgrimage finale? Thousands of pilgrims? Pilgrimage commerce?
I’ll be surprised…
Maybe it will just be like a big festival without any good music.
Well, the Camino will sort it out.
One Beer - one stamp
May 30, 2016
100 km before Santiago, pilgrims who wish to receive a certificate / Compostella need two stamps per day in their credentials.
These stamps are available in a hostel or bar.
As we encountered thousands of pilgrims on the various Camino de Santiago routes today and it was like a fairground, we decided to pick up a stamp and a beer at each bar.
However, we had underestimated that this route offered every commercial comfort for the pilgrims.
We covered the 25 km route in a whopping 10 hours and enjoyed the pilgrimage in our own special and spiritual way.
We marveled at some of the statements made by pilgrims about other pilgrims as they passed us by, such as “they’re not really pilgrims” or “they have their luggage brought behind them by bus” or “Pah, they’ve only walked 100 km”.
Verdict or no verdict, I realized once again:
Everyone walks their own Camino!
Arrived?
June 2, 2016
It was a strange feeling.
The kilometers melted away, the tourism didn’t seem to stop, on the contrary: there were always more pilgrims… where did they all come from?
I have already walked 800 km and spent the last few days in mañana style (a special philosophy that developed along the way: today is walking and tomorrow? Tomorrow is mañana!)
Sometimes I spent hours or days along the hiking trails completely alone, sometimes accompanied by individual pilgrims, sometimes by several pilgrims that I chose or they chose me (or the Camino?).
But in the meantime I had to pick my way through the crowds of pilgrims.
I finally reached this Santiago de Compostela, stood in the cathedral square and it was… awful.
Commerce, commerce, commerce – well, the Way of St. James is also a business model.
And this liberating and sublime feeling I had heard about did not materialize.
It was only when I was sitting in my albergue and wrote to my family that I had arrived in Santiago that I was overcome by an overwhelming and indescribable feeling.
This city was by no means my destination, it was the way there.
And I wanted to move on, to Finesterre, but not to burn my things there (as was the tradition of many pilgrims before me) and not to smoke my socks, but to hit the beaches and ride a few waves with my friend “Peregrino Alternativo”.
But before that, I celebrated this wonderful time, my personal insights and the good conversations with my fellow pilgrims.
First with a handful of people in a sunny spot in the beautiful old town, then with an ever-growing group of pilgrims with whom I had shared the path myself or someone else.
I was happy for and about everyone who was with us.
There was a special energy and magic of contentment and community in the air.
I could have spent another week like this, but the Camino to Finesterre was calling…
Arrived!
June 3, 2016
I left the hostel at the usual ungodly time and joined the queue of pilgrims waiting to receive the Compostella, while I thought about today’s what, how and where.
I wanted to go to Finesterre, to the end of the world… to where every pilgrim must have been to experience the spectacular sunset on the west coast.
But first I had to find a bar with cafe con leche, croissant and WIFI.
Ok, breakfast was in front of me, where was I going? And why?
Finesterre is certainly as crowded as Santiago and I was already robbed of my pilgrimage romance 50 km ago by 1001 pilgrims per. It’s been a while since I had any expectations about experiences or a place…
And suddenly the idea of spending the next few days with my wonderful wife in a cottage by the sea became more and more intense. I didn’t actually want to visit her for a few days, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind…
The thought was followed by the change, followed by the click to book the flight, followed by the departure.
I saddled the chickens and got on the train, which sped to the airport at an unusually high speed.
A few hours later, I had covered hundreds of kilometers and had finally arrived in my Santiago!
Atheist remains atheist!
June 4, 2016
There are all kinds of monumental monuments and places of worship to marvel at on the Camino.
They are really impressive and there is so much centuries-old tradition, craftsmanship and experience in the buildings.
However, I am also confronted with the history and ideology of religion (regardless of what form it takes) and, to my taste, too much blood drips from the joints of these monuments.
Everyone should be allowed to find their own faith and one thing is clear to me:
I believe in love, everything else comes naturally!
Thank you...
June 6, 2016
…for this unforgettable and unique experience.
My health, especially my feet.
To my family and friends!
To my fellow peregrinos: Christiano, Mattheo, Lamberto, Stefan, Magic Merle, Olga, Bert, Paul, Giselle, Jessica, Marco, Wilfried, Yoshi, Bo, Simon, Kathrin, Katharina, Mark, Astrid, Eva, Mira, Dennis, Marc, Sebastian, Wolfgang, Antonio, Barbara, Achim, Christian, Nina, Philipp, Bego, Paul, Kurt, Nadine, Olli, Alexandra, Jenny, Basti, Harry, Janne, Rainer.
To the hostel fathers and mothers and all the helpful Spaniards.
Mucias Gracias!
