I was just putting the final touches to part of our Camino talk (which is on the 11th of September) and came across this verse. It is actually taken from a YouTube video, made by Andrew Suzuki…the same man who has created the brilliant “Don’t Stop Walking” and “Beyond the Way” series.

I thought I’d write it out for you..

The journey makes you a pilgrim, because the way to Santiago is not only a track to be walked nor a test to reach any reward.
El Camino de Santiago is a parable and a reality at once, because it is done both within and outside a specific time that it takes to walk each stage.
The Camino makes you simpler, because the lighter the pack, the less strain on your back and more you will experience how little you need to be alive.
The Camino makes you brother or sister, what ever you have you must be ready to share because even if you started out on your own, you will meet companions
The Camino breeds about community, community that greets the other, that takes interest in the other, and that talks and shares with the other.
The Camino calls you to contemplate, to be amazed, to welcome, to interiorise, to stop, to be quiet, to listen to, to admire, to bless nature, our companions on the journey, our own selves, God.

If you want to see the video, click here.

I’ve been asked to go into this in brief in the Camino talk next week so I think it’s an ideal time to post about it. The majority of people have found out about Santiago and it’s many Ways from the amazing Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez’s film, ‘The Way’. Others may have read about it in travel magazines or books, most notably, The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho. However, I found out about it purely by accident.
I have the great organisation, Aware, to thank for in this case. Because if it was not for them, I would not have this addiction and urge to go back to Spain each year. In the middle of 2010, I was handed a hastily put-together leaflet telling me about their plans to “Walk the Camino”. At the time, Aware was my chosen charity and I have fund raised a number of times for them. Anyway, I read through the leaflet but put it to one side once I had finished, not giving it a second thought. It just wasn’t for me but I promised that I would advertise it where I could. A number of weeks later, I saw the leaflet and thought..”well, let’s see what’s involved first?”, and wrote an email to the organisers. Within a few days, I received a information pack giving me a little bit of information about the Camino, the plan, what to bring, costs and what was required to fundraise!
At that stage, my two feet had taken their first steps, so to speak. I had started walking longer distances and had started to fund raise for this great charity. I will never forget the Table Quiz night in a packed pub in Dublin when I raised the vast majority of funds. However, while things were starting to fit into place, little did I know what to expect when I arrived there. I had done very little in preparation for the actual Camino, spending more time on fundraising.
June 3rd 2011 – All 8 of us boarded our flight for Santiago de Compostela. It was my 1st time in Spain with 0% Spanish. We were carrying suitcases, save for one guy with a backpack. On arriving in Santiago, we met our guide, and zipped across to Sarria, some 110km westwards. He got to know us all and gave us details of our next day’s walk. We were of all ages, from all over Ireland, with various abilities. I was pretty sure I could walk 20km the next day, but for 5 or 6 days in a row..time would tell. We checked into our nice hotel on arriving in Sarria and had some dinner. The one thing I remember is desperately wanting to stick with one of my fellow walkers as I had no spanish. I felt totally lost otherwise.
The following day, we left our hotel with nothing but a day-pack, a packed lunch and some water. Within a few kms we were greeted by a whole host of people walking in the same direction..whoa!..”is it normally this crazy?” I thought to myself. I also noticed folks carrying large rucksacks. “Is this normal?”, I thought again. I’m not sure I would be able to do that, and not at the pace they were going at. I met people from the world over, quite a lot were willing to stop and chat and tell you about their first day. I learnt my first few words of Spanish also..”de donde eres?”..”where are you from? You either get a look of bemusement, which means the person in question is not Spanish, or a conversation will begin! That day I was introduced to the Camino, and I was delighted to arrive in Portmarin some 22km later. The following days were tough, I won’t lie. I suffered. But, I enjoyed my times with my walking buddies. I loved the Spanish way of life and culture and when I arrived in Santiago, I celebrated, took it all in and left. I didn’t think I would come back. For me, I had “Walked the Camino”.

It wasn’t until September of 2011, when I started looking over photographs, did I reconsider going back to Spain and walk another section. This time I wanted to walk a different Camino, I wanted to walk my Camino. I emailed Garry, the guide from the previous trip, and he sent me on great information on packing lists, albergues and great information on how to get to Leon, my starting point. At this time, The Way had just been released and there was a great increase in interest. I set off in May 2012 and I guess the rest is history. I connected with the spirit of the Camino this time, no matter how much pain I feel. It’s a great chance to strip away the layers of materials that you have in everyday life, so all you’re left with is happiness. I just wish I could walk a full Camino, but hey! ho!..that’s for another post!! 🙂

In many ways, my Caminos from 2012 to May 2015 have been different to 2011, but I will always be thankful for that hastily put-together leaflet given to me in 2010.

So how did you hear about the Camino de Santiago?

Hola y un saludo a todos!!

I have been asked a number of times by people who wish to walk the Camino if they need to learn or understand the Spanish language beforehand. Hopefully, this post will lend a hand. On my first trip in 2011, the only knowledge of the language I had was from back in secondary school. I could barely say hello and goodbye, let alone ask for the time or ask for directions. So when I was in Spain, I felt I was missing out on something. One of the guys I was walking with was a language teacher and I was reliant on her when I was out and about. So when I came back from that Camino, I promised myself I would start to learn the language.

Now compared to any other language, Spanish is relatively easy. It is one of the most widely spoken languages also; most of South America speak it and you will almost certainly find someone in the States who knows a word or two. I wanted to learn it for the Camino however, not to travel to those countries. That said, you can get by without knowing a word. The Camino is like a microcosm of the world in general. People from all countries do their best to communicate in their own languages, and it’s often difficult to understand each other. Most people choose to speak in “simple English” and if you are walking for 30 days, you “could” return home with your friends and family finding it hard to understand you!!

So at the start of 2012, I signed up to do an evening course in basic Spanish. It is one option available to you should you wish to delve in. I got to learn the simple stuff, without learning grammar, verbs or getting into conversations. I was fairly happy at the end of the ten weeks so I signed up for the conversational level Spanish. Now I found this a little tougher. The whole premise of this course was to immerse you in the language. No English was allowed and we were kind of made to make mistakes in Spanish no matter how bad they were. It was tough going but I came out with alot more knowledge than I had.

Fast forward to now…I can understand a Spanish conversation and can speak but at a slow enough speed. I am delighted I made the decision to learn. It is sad that most people in Ireland only speak one language, but if you go to Spain, they speak three or Holland, they speak four.

There are plenty of resources out there available to you should you wish to learn from scratch and here are just a few:

1. SpanishforCamino.com – María Seco breaks down Spanish vocab and phrases with the pilgrim in mind. She lives in Pontevedra on the Camino Portugués.
2. Duolingo.com – You can sign up for free and learn from scratch. The userface is very attractive and there are great incentives that make you come back each day. I’m currently topping up my Spanish there, whilst re-learning Irish.
3. Lightspeed Spanish – Another fabulous website that offers tutorials for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced speakers. Gordon and Cynthia provide podcasts and YouTube videos and last year published a book which I have bought “Victor’s Adventures in Spain”.
4. Coffee Break Spanish – Another site that provides podcasts. I found this very helpful but don’t let their Scottish accents put you off 🙂
5. Mi Vida Loca – Not so much geared to those walking the Camino but a great place to start out if you want to learn Spanish. “My crazy life” is an online drama that includes you. It is fully interactive and gives you great vocabulary. I still go back to it to refresh.
6. Camino Lingo – I don’t own this book, but it has been recommended on the Camino Forum. A basic, all-you-need book providing vocabulary to use while on the Camino.

There are also many many websites that send you daily emails with vocab and phrases. They certainly help.

But with regards to the Camino, Spanish is not essential but it helps to know the basics. I certainly get a great thrill speaking to locals and I try my best to speak as much of the language as I can. It is worth pointing out, that if you are interested in volunteering as a hospitalero, you need to have a good level of Spanish. Maybe, in my 60s I will reach that level 🙂

Buen Camino, peregrinos y buena suerte!

Nothing like good news to brighten up a dreary Tuesday morning. Just after 10am this morning, I received a tweet from @blogawardsireland saying that I had been nominated for an Irish Blog Award. It went on to say that I would receive an email with the next steps in the coming week. Being quite honest, this is a huge deal to me and not entirely sure what happens now. You can find more details on www.blogawardsireland.com with details of each of the categories. I can only assume I will be placed in the Travel category…not bad for someone who takes leaves these shores once a year! If you have some time, you can even offer to judge some of the entrants. I’m not expecting anything, to be honest, but if anything, it gives the motivation to put more effort into this blog. I have a few more ideas also that I will expand on later.

More to follow.

There are literally hundreds of videos on YouTube about the Camino de Santiago, from the very well made to the hastily put together. Each and everyone of them tells their own story. I think YouTube is a great source for information for those reading up on the Camino, as well as blogs and forums. So I would encourage any future pilgrim with a few hours to spare to spend time there.

That being said, I would recommend the below set of videos. Andrew Suzuki has recently walked from St Jean Pied de Port to Finistere and he has put together a very slick set of clips with some great advice. He has described this series as a “users guide to the Camino de Santiago”. I think he has managed to fit everything in, including the blisters 🙂 There are also some great pieces of advice from people he walked with. The series is also an extension to his own documentary “Beyond The Way” and if you are Facebook-inclined, you can find out more about it here.