Hi Rob, we leave from Brisbane tomorrow and start from SJPDP next Thursday ( along with, I suspect, a very large number of Pilgrims). I just want to take this opportunity to thank you. Six months ago we booked our trip and a googled on RUclips for some clues as to how to plan for it. Your " What I pack" came up and I've watched every one if your RUclipss since. They have been so helpful and great to watch. Your contribution to my planning is greatly appreciated, as are the answers to questions I've asked you, to which you have always replied. On the eve of our departure we've just watched The Way for about the tenth time.
loved a comment on a camino FB page."I've tried sleeping at home in a sleeping bag liner; taking lukewarm showers; putting vaseline on my feet; wearing damp clothes and sniffing my trail shoes. 😁😕☹ The only thing which works is booking my travel for my next Camino." lol
Thanks for posting this. I started my camino this past week from Oviedo, and just when I had walked 40 minutes, I arrived to a bridge that was VERY slippery (dangerously slippery, it had rained the previous night), and even though i realised about this, i slipped, twisted my knee the wrong way, and couldn't keep walking. A neighbour helped me stand up and sit down in a nearby bench, and while I was there, 5 or 6 other pilgrims slipped too, so it's not like I was the clumsy one, the bridge just wasn't safe when wet. It's been hard to get over the fact that i won't be able to walk it for various reasons, but the main one is that something that was out of my control took my so-waited camino, I was really looking forward to it, for the past 10 months i had been preparing everything, during the last two weeks I had been going into the mindset that i was going to be away from home walking 25km a day, I have been journaling all year and I wanted to have this period of time to journal a bit more intensely and profoundly... I know it's not exactly the same topic, but I feel like I'm kind of feeling that camino blue in some way, even though I only walked 40 minutes and didn't quite get the experience of it. I know it's kind of long lol sorry, I needed to tell someone how I was feeling and as you said, people at home might get kind of bored.
So sorry to hear of your injury. Are you able to rest and recover? Or do you need to head home? The local Health Centers in Spain are great. Either way, the Camino will wait for you 🙂
@@robscamino the doctor said I'll recover with not much complications but I have to rest for at least two weeks until I'll be able to walk normally again, and I had planned this quite tightly with my calendar, so I'm afraid I won't join the camino again, at least not this year. But as you said, the camino will be there next year, or the next one :)
Rob. This video on Post-camino blues was more helpful than you could imagine. So many things that I've had to deal with after returning from my camino. It helps to know that others have faced the same or similar issues. I have been following your channel for a while. In May through July 2022, I hiked the Camino Frances and then traveled on to Finisterre and Muxia. I loved both of those villages. The each helped me to start processing everything that happened on my first camino. I came home after that and was lost. I basically hibernated as I called it. I hardly left my home for several months. I had the same experience where I didn't want to talk about the camino because I could tell that people back home didn't begin to understand what the experience had been like for me. So, I kept to myself. Probably not the best thing but I found that I also didn't want to be near crowds or noise after all of the peace of my camino. I decided to do the Caminho Portugués this summer. I started in Lisbon, thinking that not many people start there so I would be experiencing something that not many others had experienced. What I found was that I didn't really start enjoying that camino until I arrived at Tomar. Visiting the Knight's Templar Castle was such an incredible experience that I actually decided to stay in Tomar several days. Also, I really enjoyed Coimbra. It is a lively university town with beautiful sights. Porto was where I would recommend people start if they are doing a Caminho Portugués because from Porto onward the views are really special walking along the ocean and empty landscapes. I came home in late June and again felt the need to be in hibernation, only more so this time. I didn't return to work and I spent most of my time home alone. Again, being around crowds and noise seemed to bother me quite easily. So about 10 days ago I decided to return for another camino. So I fly over to Spain in early September. This time I will only have 35 days total for the trip because of a commitment I have in mid October, so I will figure out a camino that I can walk in 30 days or less. I'm thinking about Primitivo. The Primitivo will be a challenge, so I will continue researching. Either way, I have my ticket for September 4th returning on October 10th. One of your comments below from a viewer @perigrino_66 stated the best way to get over the post-camino blues is to plan the next one. I agree 100%. Just knowing that I will be back on a trail again soon is always helping my mood. I just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of value in what you contribute by having the RobsCamino RUclips channel. My first camino, I had no blisters thanks to viewing your video on that topic. My 2nd camino earlier this year, again no blisters. So thanks for all that you do. It's appreciated.
Another wonderful video, Rob! I finished my second Camino at the end of June and felt invigorated to start my "new second half of life" afterwards. That wouldn't have happened without doing the Camino so I didn't have any Camino Blues... this time at least. This Camino for me was a fight, every single day, to just keep walking. I somewhere knew that I was fighting my own self-doubt, fear and shame, but that didn't make it any easier. It was like trying to carry fighting dogs in my backpack! But by the end, those things had become companions and my sense of belonging had come alive. And is still alive to this day. I also walked alone for almost 60 days and I, too, have that sense of belonging to myself, belonging to the world that I can rest in with a lot of ease. By the end, I knew that I had gotten what I needed from the Camino so I felt at peace in leaving. In fact, on the bus ride back to Santiago from Mucía, whenever I saw a yellow arrow, I had an overwhelming sense of relief that I didn't have to follow it! I have no idea why I'm sharing to much here... I never share stuff online like this... I guess it's because I know you understand. Anyway, thanks for another wonderful video.
I totally get that. My last day into Muxia after 60 days on the path, I knew I was 'done'. I was ready to go home contented. So glad it went so well for you 🙂
An echo of my own feelings. Twice I have arrived in Santiago to feel crushed by the finality of arrival, the departure from new-found friends and the prospect of being back on home routine. I wanted to 'never walk again'. But I returned, and will return again. It was easier the second time, I was prepared. For my next Camino I have pencilled in four days on a beach to 'come down'.
I think if you have the time, some 're-entry' before getting back to your normal life can help. Last year I had 3 days with my sister on her farm in France. Just sat around, walked to the village for coffee.......
Immense Gratitude Rob for all your RUclips videos. Why is it I get so emotionally happy when I think about walking the Camino. ? I have only decided to do the pilgrimage a few weeks ago and found your videos. I am a fellow Aussie and love all the information you are sharing ! I watch one or two of your videos per day. I get butterflies 🦋 of excitement when I watch them. 🙏🌠 Like you I love my own company and also interacting with people😊. I was wondering if you have done a video on how to get to France 🇫🇷 from Australia. Eg flights, itinerary, ticket prices etc. What airlines have you flown with or do you always fly with a specific airline ? Keep loving and enjoying life. Thank you again for keeping the Camino alive and sharing it with us. ❤
For finding flights etc, a useful first place to look is rome2rio the specific airlines and routes i fly tend to be dictated by where I might be travelling before and after the Camino. This year I flew Sydney-dubai-madrid. As i was walking the via de la plata. If walking the camino frances or any camino route, it will depend on where you are starting of course.
Rob listening to this video was like hearing my own thoughts. My walking buddy and I also have amazing partners who are happy for us to follow our dreams and walk Caminos. Our 3rd Camino will start April 2024 on the Camino Portuguese (and hopefully Finesterre and Muxia) if time and no injuries allow. I love the simplicity of walk, eat (cafe con leche) sleep, repeat, meeting people from all over the world who have the same passion, and especially how I felt at the end of my last one: fit, relaxed and wanting a more simplistic life. Now I have retired, I have achieved the simplistic life and happily planning our next Camino. Your tip about not going into too much detail of your walk with others who have not walked a Camino is spot on. Just watch their eyes and when they start to glaze over, its time to change the subject 😀Thank you for your channel, its great, especially listening to a relaxed Aussie voice. I'm from Queensland, cheers Wendy
Glad it resonated with you Wendy. I think for those who are thinking of their first Camino in particular, and who really want to experience all that the Camino can give them, they need to appreciate that they may need to let go and 'give' themselves to the Camino. No over planning, no over thinking, no expectations. And in doing so they may enter an 'inner' emotional journey they never expected to find. For me at least, the physical aspect of the Camino is merely the 'stage' on which we play out the emotional and spiritual journey, if we let it........and that is where the Magic happens 😉
Thanks Rob. In adult education we talk about values clarification activities. The Camino is an opportunity for that. However, part of the outcome of these VCs is a resultant cognitive dissonance, the realisation that my behaviour (the way I’m living) is misaligned with those values. This is important because, on the whole, behaviour tends to shift towards the value, rather than the value changing to suit the behaviour. This can be the discomfort people feel when they immerse themselves in their old “misaligned” life post Camino. This is generally worth the struggle. In my case, I’m a devout Roman Catholic and I’ve walked two Caminos, the French and the Portuguese. I walked them as a penance and seeking a plenary indulgence. It’s important to walk at least 40 days. It’s no surprise that “40 days” is a recurrent theme in the Bible. However, for my purposes it was important to “un plug” as you say. So I turn my phone OFF almost entirely, and put it in the bottom of my pack so as to avoid the temptation of “plugging in”. I do however take a small digital camera and take pictures of important moments. Everybody walks their own Camino, but walking with a sense of openness, gratitude and faith is something I recommend. For example, I don’t book accommodation, it’s a mental exercise of letting go of the control I exert in my daily life. So my Caminos have been totally satisfying. But I am hooked and planning to walk the Norte next year. My goal is to walk one for each of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here’s hoping this note helps some of the minority that go on pilgrimage for spiritual reasons, but afraid to ask. ✌️❤️🙏✌️
I walked my first full Camino…from SJPP 8 years ago. The day I finished my first thoughts were…I want to go again! So two years later I did, and now 8 years later, at age 77 I will walk again ( on 16 September from Sarria) as my farewell walk.the Camino blues never leave you, but for me the limit is near. (Mind you…Kilimanjaro looks nice!)
I think you raise a great point that people who haven't done a Camino just don't get it. You can explain the feeling of being there, but until they've actually experienced it, it will fall on deaf ears. I find with a lot of pilgrims, creating content around their experience can be a great way to relive and remember the experience, just as you've said
Really enjoyed this video Rob, I have experienced all the feelings and emotions of Camino blues over time, Thanks for the tips. I am now retired, and parts of most days includes reading the Forum, watching Camino Vlogs etc And dreaming of the next Camino of course, there is a connection and a yearning that for me never goes away. Appreciate your “work” on these videos, cheers
Great video Rob. Definitely look around me and don't feel attached to the things and items like I have been. Would trade most things I own to get back out on the camino. Keep up the good work, really find.your videos helpful. Buen Camino!
Hi Rob, your Camino channel has been entertaining and quite useful as I plan my first Camino. What I find most intriguing about the channel is, as you stated, a bit of therapy, for different stages of Camino world, but for me, hearing and watching your videos is soothing and inspiring , it really is a form of therapy for me. Thank you for keeping the dream going, hope to run into you one day on the “path.”
Thank you Rob . I find all your information you give is so helpful .i have doubts at times .and i know i am so out of my comfort zone .am walking camino frances in May 25 .counting the months down .i keep busy with training in the peak district and its going well .i have etches feet as i say .this will be my first camino .please keep all the information coming i have learnt such a lot buen camino
Soooo recognizable. All those decisions. But I can easily go back to that feeling when I step on a train and go for an A to B walk for a day on my own.
Sorry Rob i didn't finish my comment what I got from the comino when i finished i wanted and hoped that id be as good as person when i got home as i was on the comino the camino brings out the goodness and kindness in everyone if you're rich or poor you are all the same on the comino i know it sounds mushy but I think it's true but it's still a challenge to be like that when you get back to everyday life but I will try your comino friend lionel
I was kind of thinking a similar thing today. And I think one of the things that makes the Camino so cool, is the people we meet. It's like we are all on the same 'journey' and maybe seeking the same things. I can honestly say I haven't really met anyone I didn't like on the Camino. Well OK, two! Not bad in 3,000 kms It's almost like being part of a different World where everyone is just.........nice. I'm often reminded of a quote at the end of Hank Lukarts Film "The Camino is God's Dream for how people should be when they are with each other" If you haven't seen it, watch it! ruclips.net/video/mvElrX--hN4/видео.html
Hope you’ll do an in depth video on your VDLP Camino Rob….your insights are always excellent and it would help many of us contemplating a similar journey…thx!
@@magicalpilgrim If you go to the 2023 Blog link, it lists the 3-4 separate Caminos 'stages' I walked this year. VdlP, Frances, Invierno, Fisterra. That way you can just look at what interests you or the whole journey. robscamino.com/blog/
Thanks again for posting this Rob. The post blues is very much a thing. Depending on the person it may actually get worse as time passes. My last trip to the Camino was spring of 2022 and now I'm finding it hard to concentrate in work, I'm getting snappy with people. I just miss that head space and having the space to decompress from work and life. I obviously enjoy my time when I'm there but the emotions are stronger when I come home
Sorry to hear that. Do you think it might be the case that we see a glimpse of how simple and calm life can really be........and when we get home, we want that life to remain, but somehow we can't? If that makes sense. I sometimes think the #1 lesson from a Camino, is how to live our lives in a happier way. But the big challenge is then working out how to do that.... It's a work in progress for me too 🙂
@@robscamino My own feelings on it are that when we go on Camino we get a look at how totally uncomplicated life can actually be. If it doesn't fit in your back pack, you don't need it. Yes, your carrying a burden on your back but your mind is completely unburdened. That's very liberating and it's that feeling of liberation we miss and come home to all the stresses living life today brings with it.
Hello there. I have enjoyed all of your content and really appreciate the topics. I am in the initial stages of planning a Camino for 2025. Do you think you’re done or might you do the France one again?
I love the Frances route, but i have walked it three times. I might walk parts of it again where it crosses another route? But there are so many other routes to explore...
I have them.... Like I cannot wait to go to the power of simplicity next year's Camino... And I was prepared because you shared about this before and I found so helpful to have this awareness. My first Camino, which I did alone, was so powerful that it is inevitable to have this experience of longing....
Just finished my first camino Frances June 25. Been home for two months and i'am already trying to plan my next one, maybe the Portuguese Camino. Yes, it has seemed like a dream for me. Even as i'am writing this comment i'am thinking did I really walk 800 km and meet people from all over the world. It's like I have to walk the Camino Frances twice for it to sink in. It seems like the first one was just a blur, I can't even remember walking certain stages. I walked it solo, but seemed like I was always walking with someone at some point point during the day. I'am a chef so I have a very hectic day everyday at work and absolutely loved the simplicity of just walking and the toughest decision is when to stop at a bar. Have also read many of your comments on the Camino de Santiago forum as I was planning my first Camino. As you say, the forum can get a little over whelming but I loved the wealth of information on the forum. The last thing is I've always gone on trips with at least one other person. Doing this solo gave me great satisfaction knowing I could accomplish something like this on my own at 64 years old.
Thanks for this one. When I see a new video from you which is close to 30 minutes I cast it to the TV, grab a Tim Tam, a cuppa, sit back and enjoy. I walked my only camino in 2018 from St Jean to Santiago with a week of in the middle because of a knee injury. I can't wait to get back, I think about the Camino nearly every day. A bit like you , I am happy with my own company but like to socialise at the end of the day .
“Decision Fatigue” of modern life is a real thing. In discussing our trip with my spouse, he kept coming up with options😑… and I got more and more irritated. We finally figured out that in my mind it was all very simple. You travel to St Jean and walk to Santiago…And that’s the plan. Life today has so many questions, decisions, and demands that I’m exhausted. I’m really looking forward to our trip next spring. Thank you so much Rob, for this topic and all the other videos, I feel really prepared for whatever happens because of all that you have shared. 🇪🇸🥾🥾
Yes. 'Decision Fatigue'. I like that. My 'other half' is a bit like that. LOL I just want to walk. "Where will we eat"? WE'll eat at a place that is open, when we are hungry!
Great advice about giving yourself time after the Camino to deal with the sudden "clutter of decisions" that seem to confront you in your everyday life and to process what you learned about yourself. You may have discovered new priorities while walking and may need to see what changes you want to make in your everyday life. My Camino experience led me to really simplify my life and focus on the things I really value.
Worked out great, except that the shoe lining started to come apart at about 6oo kms. Duct tape kept them together though! I bought three more pairs on sale for future use! 🙂
Thanks Rob a great blog now just a thought iv been very lucky to have walked 12, cominos some repeats because we enjoyed them so much i have asked myself what i got out
Rob--beautiful and so heartfelt and personal! Reminds me of my Peace Corps service. We were told that when we returned, a lot of people would only want to hear the "cocktail party version" of our two-year experience. They just want to know that we had a meaningful experience, and not continual details. But other returned Peace Corps volunteers were always willing to share and hear what we all went through in our service countries. That experience in Ecuador changed the whole trajectory of my life--and I am hoping that my Camino has its own as yet unknown impact on my life and how I see it and live it.
Hola Peter, I’m a fellow RPCV- Honduras 84-87. Post service depression is a real thing. In fact, I suffer post _____depression on whatever meaningful adventure I’ve ever been on. Whenever you can escape the norm and form bonds with likeminded people it’s almost inevitable upon return to feel something.
Thank you for the video. For me, it is letting go of the simplicity. But I also miss having the same purpose/goal as everybody around me. We are all going to the same place even if our way of doing it differs. When we are pilgrims, every day is clear, even if it is not planned. I like to have everything I need on my back, so I can do anything I want in any moment. So few decisions and such a clear path every day. I don't really keep notes. I hardly take photos. But when my father passed a few years back, I found all the postcards I sent my parents on my first Camino 22 years ago. It is unlikely that I will be able to walk again. But on RUclips, I can experience some. For many of us, I don't think the Camino ever leaves us. Thank you, and Buen Camino.
I experienced the joy of the simplicity of Camino. Since my first Camino I have reduced my wardrobe by half and buy very little. I have also gotten into the Stoics which seems complimentary. An unexpected effect has been to widen the gap between my wife and I. Just this week I saw her in a new pair of sandals, it went like this… are those new? Yes, they were on sale so I brought two pairs. Vs. Out shopping, That’s a nice jacket, you should get that. Me: I’ve got a jacket. My favourite Stoic quote is; We suffer most in anticipation. Drives her crazy.
LOL. Yes I totally get that. I only buy stuff I need now. 🙂 That gap thing is a concern though. Has your wife walked a Camino? We've done two together, so at least she kind of 'gets' me. 🙂
@@robscamino. Well, my wife has just had a special birthday (The Big 70) and we are walking from Tui next month. But….. I always walk alone carrying my pack and don’t book ahead staying mostly in albergues. My wife wants luggage and hotels and has already booked the Parador in SdC. 😮. It’s going to be very different for both of us and I hope it works out. P.S. I have downloaded FindPenguines on your suggestion. I used to use Facebook but got fed up with it so I thought I would give this a go.
Been there, done that. Pat won't do Albergues and wants nice food and nice accomodation all the way. Though she does carry a pack. Small one. The heavy stuff is in mine 😳
Rob thank you so much for all the wonderful and helpful videos. I am planning my first camino sometime next year's spring. I have been training daily as you advised and I am feeling increasingly stronger and ready for it. I keep in mind so many of your tips and probably will watch many of your videos again the weeks before my departure. This one particularly hit me as important, because in a way I am looking forward to what you got. Thanks again.
Just don't go with any expectations! Be thankful for every day you complete, and for those you meet along the way. Often it seems like they were 'placed' in your path for some reason........
Lovely post as always Rob. It'll be a year next week since I began my "only 100km" from Sarria. Changed me back to a me who I used to be. I look forward every Tuesday to your posts...they drop for me about 7am here in Ireland and I listen on my drive to the office. I often re-read my blog to remind myself of how great an experience it was. Important that you should know how important these videos are to us as we continue our pilgrimage
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Hi Rob, I find the best thing to help me with my post camino blues is planning my next one 😊
Without a doubt! I'm usually planning the next one before I finish the current one!
😂😂😂
Hi Rob, we leave from Brisbane tomorrow and start from SJPDP next Thursday ( along with, I suspect, a very large number of Pilgrims). I just want to take this opportunity to thank you. Six months ago we booked our trip and a googled on RUclips for some clues as to how to plan for it. Your " What I pack" came up and I've watched every one if your RUclipss since. They have been so helpful and great to watch. Your contribution to my planning is greatly appreciated, as are the answers to questions I've asked you, to which you have always replied.
On the eve of our departure we've just watched The Way for about the tenth time.
You are going to have such an amazing time! Walk with an open heart and an open mind. Buen Camino....
Rob, at Villafranco at that alburgue that is behind the hotel today You recommended it in one of your RUclipss. Just wonderful!!
Did my last walk almost a year ago and feeling like going again 😂 Maybe next April ❤️
Sounds like it's calling you back !
Thanks Rob!
I finished in June of this year.
I thrilling experience, but still trying to adjust and figure out what it still means.
Great experience!
It takes time and often required more than one course of treatment! 🙂
loved a comment on a camino FB page."I've tried sleeping at home in a sleeping bag liner; taking lukewarm showers; putting vaseline on my feet; wearing damp clothes and sniffing my trail shoes. 😁😕☹
The only thing which works is booking my travel for my next Camino." lol
Love it!
Thanks for posting this. I started my camino this past week from Oviedo, and just when I had walked 40 minutes, I arrived to a bridge that was VERY slippery (dangerously slippery, it had rained the previous night), and even though i realised about this, i slipped, twisted my knee the wrong way, and couldn't keep walking. A neighbour helped me stand up and sit down in a nearby bench, and while I was there, 5 or 6 other pilgrims slipped too, so it's not like I was the clumsy one, the bridge just wasn't safe when wet. It's been hard to get over the fact that i won't be able to walk it for various reasons, but the main one is that something that was out of my control took my so-waited camino, I was really looking forward to it, for the past 10 months i had been preparing everything, during the last two weeks I had been going into the mindset that i was going to be away from home walking 25km a day, I have been journaling all year and I wanted to have this period of time to journal a bit more intensely and profoundly... I know it's not exactly the same topic, but I feel like I'm kind of feeling that camino blue in some way, even though I only walked 40 minutes and didn't quite get the experience of it. I know it's kind of long lol sorry, I needed to tell someone how I was feeling and as you said, people at home might get kind of bored.
So sorry to hear of your injury. Are you able to rest and recover? Or do you need to head home? The local Health Centers in Spain are great. Either way, the Camino will wait for you 🙂
@@robscamino the doctor said I'll recover with not much complications but I have to rest for at least two weeks until I'll be able to walk normally again, and I had planned this quite tightly with my calendar, so I'm afraid I won't join the camino again, at least not this year. But as you said, the camino will be there next year, or the next one :)
May your next Camino be all you hope for 🙂
@@robscamino thank you, for the help you offer with this channel, and for always answering our questions and worries 😊
@@sara7834 Can't help it, I love to talk about the Camino 🙂
Rob. This video on Post-camino blues was more helpful than you could imagine. So many things that I've had to deal with after returning from my camino. It helps to know that others have faced the same or similar issues. I have been following your channel for a while. In May through July 2022, I hiked the Camino Frances and then traveled on to Finisterre and Muxia. I loved both of those villages. The each helped me to start processing everything that happened on my first camino. I came home after that and was lost. I basically hibernated as I called it. I hardly left my home for several months. I had the same experience where I didn't want to talk about the camino because I could tell that people back home didn't begin to understand what the experience had been like for me. So, I kept to myself. Probably not the best thing but I found that I also didn't want to be near crowds or noise after all of the peace of my camino. I decided to do the Caminho Portugués this summer. I started in Lisbon, thinking that not many people start there so I would be experiencing something that not many others had experienced. What I found was that I didn't really start enjoying that camino until I arrived at Tomar. Visiting the Knight's Templar Castle was such an incredible experience that I actually decided to stay in Tomar several days. Also, I really enjoyed Coimbra. It is a lively university town with beautiful sights. Porto was where I would recommend people start if they are doing a Caminho Portugués because from Porto onward the views are really special walking along the ocean and empty landscapes. I came home in late June and again felt the need to be in hibernation, only more so this time. I didn't return to work and I spent most of my time home alone. Again, being around crowds and noise seemed to bother me quite easily. So about 10 days ago I decided to return for another camino. So I fly over to Spain in early September. This time I will only have 35 days total for the trip because of a commitment I have in mid October, so I will figure out a camino that I can walk in 30 days or less. I'm thinking about Primitivo. The Primitivo will be a challenge, so I will continue researching. Either way, I have my ticket for September 4th returning on October 10th. One of your comments below from a viewer @perigrino_66 stated the best way to get over the post-camino blues is to plan the next one. I agree 100%. Just knowing that I will be back on a trail again soon is always helping my mood. I just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of value in what you contribute by having the RobsCamino RUclips channel. My first camino, I had no blisters thanks to viewing your video on that topic. My 2nd camino earlier this year, again no blisters. So thanks for all that you do. It's appreciated.
Best wishes for another great Camino Rick. And may the transition back home get easier for you.
Another wonderful video, Rob! I finished my second Camino at the end of June and felt invigorated to start my "new second half of life" afterwards. That wouldn't have happened without doing the Camino so I didn't have any Camino Blues... this time at least. This Camino for me was a fight, every single day, to just keep walking. I somewhere knew that I was fighting my own self-doubt, fear and shame, but that didn't make it any easier. It was like trying to carry fighting dogs in my backpack! But by the end, those things had become companions and my sense of belonging had come alive. And is still alive to this day. I also walked alone for almost 60 days and I, too, have that sense of belonging to myself, belonging to the world that I can rest in with a lot of ease. By the end, I knew that I had gotten what I needed from the Camino so I felt at peace in leaving. In fact, on the bus ride back to Santiago from Mucía, whenever I saw a yellow arrow, I had an overwhelming sense of relief that I didn't have to follow it! I have no idea why I'm sharing to much here... I never share stuff online like this... I guess it's because I know you understand. Anyway, thanks for another wonderful video.
I totally get that. My last day into Muxia after 60 days on the path, I knew I was 'done'. I was ready to go home contented. So glad it went so well for you 🙂
An echo of my own feelings. Twice I have arrived in Santiago to feel crushed by the finality of arrival, the departure from new-found friends and the prospect of being back on home routine. I wanted to 'never walk again'. But I returned, and will return again. It was easier the second time, I was prepared. For my next Camino I have pencilled in four days on a beach to 'come down'.
I think if you have the time, some 're-entry' before getting back to your normal life can help. Last year I had 3 days with my sister on her farm in France. Just sat around, walked to the village for coffee.......
Immense Gratitude Rob for all your RUclips videos.
Why is it I get so emotionally happy when I think about walking the Camino. ?
I have only decided to do the pilgrimage a few weeks ago and found your videos.
I am a fellow Aussie and love all the information you are sharing ! I watch one or two of your videos per day. I get butterflies 🦋 of excitement when I watch them. 🙏🌠
Like you I love my own company and also interacting with people😊.
I was wondering if you have done a video on how to get to France 🇫🇷 from Australia. Eg flights, itinerary, ticket prices etc.
What airlines have you flown with or do you always fly with a specific airline ?
Keep loving and enjoying life.
Thank you again for keeping the Camino alive and sharing it with us.
❤
I do have a video on getting to the camino. ruclips.net/video/PYFU92LEXW8/видео.html
For finding flights etc, a useful first place to look is rome2rio the specific airlines and routes i fly tend to be dictated by where I might be travelling before and after the Camino. This year I flew Sydney-dubai-madrid. As i was walking the via de la plata. If walking the camino frances or any camino route, it will depend on where you are starting of course.
Rob listening to this video was like hearing my own thoughts. My walking buddy and I also have amazing partners who are happy for us to follow our dreams and walk Caminos. Our 3rd Camino will start April 2024 on the Camino Portuguese (and hopefully Finesterre and Muxia) if time and no injuries allow. I love the simplicity of walk, eat (cafe con leche) sleep, repeat, meeting people from all over the world who have the same passion, and especially how I felt at the end of my last one: fit, relaxed and wanting a more simplistic life. Now I have retired, I have achieved the simplistic life and happily planning our next Camino. Your tip about not going into too much detail of your walk with others who have not walked a Camino is spot on. Just watch their eyes and when they start to glaze over, its time to change the subject 😀Thank you for your channel, its great, especially listening to a relaxed Aussie voice. I'm from Queensland, cheers Wendy
Glad it resonated with you Wendy. I think for those who are thinking of their first Camino in particular, and who really want to experience all that the Camino can give them, they need to appreciate that they may need to let go and 'give' themselves to the Camino. No over planning, no over thinking, no expectations. And in doing so they may enter an 'inner' emotional journey they never expected to find. For me at least, the physical aspect of the Camino is merely the 'stage' on which we play out the emotional and spiritual journey, if we let it........and that is where the Magic happens 😉
Thanks Rob. In adult education we talk about values clarification activities. The Camino is an opportunity for that. However, part of the outcome of these VCs is a resultant cognitive dissonance, the realisation that my behaviour (the way I’m living) is misaligned with those values. This is important because, on the whole, behaviour tends to shift towards the value, rather than the value changing to suit the behaviour. This can be the discomfort people feel when they immerse themselves in their old “misaligned” life post Camino. This is generally worth the struggle. In my case, I’m a devout Roman Catholic and I’ve walked two Caminos, the French and the Portuguese. I walked them as a penance and seeking a plenary indulgence. It’s important to walk at least 40 days. It’s no surprise that “40 days” is a recurrent theme in the Bible. However, for my purposes it was important to “un plug” as you say. So I turn my phone OFF almost entirely, and put it in the bottom of my pack so as to avoid the temptation of “plugging in”. I do however take a small digital camera and take pictures of important moments. Everybody walks their own Camino, but walking with a sense of openness, gratitude and faith is something I recommend. For example, I don’t book accommodation, it’s a mental exercise of letting go of the control I exert in my daily life. So my Caminos have been totally satisfying. But I am hooked and planning to walk the Norte next year. My goal is to walk one for each of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here’s hoping this note helps some of the minority that go on pilgrimage for spiritual reasons, but afraid to ask. ✌️❤️🙏✌️
I think we all walk for a multitude of reasons. 😉
I walked my first full Camino…from SJPP 8 years ago. The day I finished my first thoughts were…I want to go again! So two years later I did, and now 8 years later, at age 77 I will walk again ( on 16 September from Sarria) as my farewell walk.the Camino blues never leave you, but for me the limit is near.
(Mind you…Kilimanjaro looks nice!)
Have an amazing next Camino 🙂
I think you raise a great point that people who haven't done a Camino just don't get it. You can explain the feeling of being there, but until they've actually experienced it, it will fall on deaf ears. I find with a lot of pilgrims, creating content around their experience can be a great way to relive and remember the experience, just as you've said
Yep, That's why I make videos. If I can't be there, at least I can talk about it. 🙂
Really enjoyed this video Rob, I have experienced all the feelings and emotions of Camino blues over time,
Thanks for the tips. I am now retired, and parts of most days includes reading the Forum, watching Camino Vlogs etc
And dreaming of the next Camino of course, there is a connection and a yearning that for me never goes away.
Appreciate your “work” on these videos, cheers
It can have a profound effect can't it? We can feel lost a bit. But thankfully there are Pilgrim 'communities' that we can tap into. 😉
Great video Rob. Definitely look around me and don't feel attached to the things and items like I have been. Would trade most things I own to get back out on the camino. Keep up the good work, really find.your videos helpful. Buen Camino!
Already planning the next one. A section of Le Puy with Pat my wife.
Hi Rob, your Camino channel has been entertaining and quite useful as I plan my first Camino. What I find most intriguing about the channel is, as you stated, a bit of therapy, for different stages of Camino world, but for me, hearing and watching your videos is soothing and inspiring , it really is a form of therapy for me. Thank you for keeping the dream going, hope to run into you one day on the “path.”
Glad it's been useful Greg. And Buen Camino. I met a few subscribers on the path this year. Always fun to meet 'friends' along the way.
Thank you Rob . I find all your information you give is so helpful .i have doubts at times .and i know i am so out of my comfort zone .am walking camino frances in May 25 .counting the months down .i keep busy with training in the peak district and its going well .i have etches feet as i say .this will be my first camino .please keep all the information coming i have learnt such a lot buen camino
Glad you find the videos useful.
To me the journey itself, rather than the destination, would be the big thing.
100%. That's why I go slow and enjoy every day. It's over all too fast.
im having the Post Camino Blue s bad i mess it so much.. Its on my mine all the time.. So im planning another Camino.for 24
Sounds like a good idea...
Soooo recognizable. All those decisions. But I can easily go back to that feeling when I step on a train and go for an A to B walk for a day on my own.
Nice......
Thanks Rob. I agree, you cannot take any work onto the Camino, it will ruin both! Buen Camino!
Very hard to I think
I definitely have it, finished 4 weeks ago and have planned to go back next May.
Seems to be the only cure! 🙂
Sorry Rob i didn't finish my comment what I got from the comino when i finished i wanted and hoped that id be as good as person when i got home as i was on the comino the camino brings out the goodness and kindness in everyone if you're rich or poor you are all the same on the comino i know it sounds mushy but I think it's true but it's still a challenge to be like that when you get back to everyday life but I will try your comino friend lionel
I was kind of thinking a similar thing today. And I think one of the things that makes the Camino so cool, is the people we meet. It's like we are all on the same 'journey' and maybe seeking the same things. I can honestly say I haven't really met anyone I didn't like on the Camino. Well OK, two! Not bad in 3,000 kms It's almost like being part of a different World where everyone is just.........nice. I'm often reminded of a quote at the end of Hank Lukarts Film "The Camino is God's Dream for how people should be when they are with each other" If you haven't seen it, watch it! ruclips.net/video/mvElrX--hN4/видео.html
I loved to watch this video! Thank you for sharing these personal insights!
Glad you enjoyed it! As always just my own thoughts about it. Your mileage may vary 😉
@@robscamino of course, yes. I came back a couple of days ago from the Via Podiensis. I walked for 3 weeks. So I will experience it for myself 😌.
Hope you’ll do an in depth video on your VDLP Camino Rob….your insights are always excellent and it would help many of us contemplating a similar journey…thx!
There is one coming up. Though there are already daily VDLP videos on my Blog here: robscamino.com/day-1-seville-to-santiponce-videos/
@@robscamino fantastic! Never read these before, will start now….thx my friend, Buen Camino
@@magicalpilgrim If you go to the 2023 Blog link, it lists the 3-4 separate Caminos 'stages' I walked this year. VdlP, Frances, Invierno, Fisterra. That way you can just look at what interests you or the whole journey. robscamino.com/blog/
Thanks again for posting this Rob. The post blues is very much a thing. Depending on the person it may actually get worse as time passes. My last trip to the Camino was spring of 2022 and now I'm finding it hard to concentrate in work, I'm getting snappy with people. I just miss that head space and having the space to decompress from work and life. I obviously enjoy my time when I'm there but the emotions are stronger when I come home
Sorry to hear that. Do you think it might be the case that we see a glimpse of how simple and calm life can really be........and when we get home, we want that life to remain, but somehow we can't? If that makes sense. I sometimes think the #1 lesson from a Camino, is how to live our lives in a happier way. But the big challenge is then working out how to do that.... It's a work in progress for me too 🙂
@@robscamino My own feelings on it are that when we go on Camino we get a look at how totally uncomplicated life can actually be. If it doesn't fit in your back pack, you don't need it. Yes, your carrying a burden on your back but your mind is completely unburdened. That's very liberating and it's that feeling of liberation we miss and come home to all the stresses living life today brings with it.
Totally agree. 🙂
Hello there. I have enjoyed all of your content and really appreciate the topics. I am in the initial stages of planning a Camino for 2025. Do you think you’re done or might you do the France one again?
I love the Frances route, but i have walked it three times. I might walk parts of it again where it crosses another route? But there are so many other routes to explore...
I have them.... Like I cannot wait to go to the power of simplicity next year's Camino... And I was prepared because you shared about this before and I found so helpful to have this awareness. My first Camino, which I did alone, was so powerful that it is inevitable to have this experience of longing....
Maybe we just learn to cope with it .........
Just finished my first camino Frances June 25. Been home for two months and i'am already trying to plan my next one, maybe the Portuguese Camino. Yes, it has seemed like a dream for me. Even as i'am writing this comment i'am thinking did I really walk 800 km and meet people from all over the world. It's like I have to walk the Camino Frances twice for it to sink in. It seems like the first one was just a blur, I can't even remember walking certain stages. I walked it solo, but seemed like I was always walking with someone at some point point during the day. I'am a chef so I have a very hectic day everyday at work and absolutely loved the simplicity of just walking and the toughest decision is when to stop at a bar. Have also read many of your comments on the Camino de Santiago forum as I was planning my first Camino. As you say, the forum can get a little over whelming but I loved the wealth of information on the forum. The last thing is I've always gone on trips with at least one other person. Doing this solo gave me great satisfaction knowing I could accomplish something like this on my own at 64 years old.
Buen Camino for your next one........and the one after that 🙂
Thanks for this one. When I see a new video from you which is close to 30 minutes I cast it to the TV, grab a Tim Tam, a cuppa, sit back and enjoy.
I walked my only camino in 2018 from St Jean to Santiago with a week of in the middle because of a knee injury.
I can't wait to get back, I think about the Camino nearly every day. A bit like you , I am happy with my own company but like to socialise at the end of the day .
May your next Camino be a joyful one 🙂
“Decision Fatigue” of modern life is a real thing. In discussing our trip with my spouse, he kept coming up with options😑… and I got more and more irritated. We finally figured out that in my mind it was all very simple. You travel to St Jean and walk to Santiago…And that’s the plan. Life today has so many questions, decisions, and demands that I’m exhausted. I’m really looking forward to our trip next spring. Thank you so much Rob, for this topic and all the other videos, I feel really prepared for whatever happens because of all that you have shared. 🇪🇸🥾🥾
Yes. 'Decision Fatigue'. I like that. My 'other half' is a bit like that. LOL I just want to walk. "Where will we eat"? WE'll eat at a place that is open, when we are hungry!
Great advice about giving yourself time after the Camino to deal with the sudden "clutter of decisions" that seem to confront you in your everyday life and to process what you learned about yourself. You may have discovered new priorities while walking and may need to see what changes you want to make in your everyday life. My Camino experience led me to really simplify my life and focus on the things I really value.
Yes I think we all get led down that path to some degree. 😉
Interesting. Thank you for sharing Rob.
How did your shoes and inserts work out for you?
Worked out great, except that the shoe lining started to come apart at about 6oo kms. Duct tape kept them together though! I bought three more pairs on sale for future use! 🙂
Just got home from the Camino del Norte. Reengaging with the normal world has been a challenge.
Yes, it can be a challenge! But I think we are usually changed for the better. Maybe we have to approach our 'normal' World in a different way?
Thanks Rob a great blog now just a thought iv been very lucky to have walked 12, cominos some repeats because we enjoyed them so much i have asked myself what i got out
And........what do you think you got from them? 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. All the best and very dear greetings from Austria.
Thanks for watching! It's time for a Vino Tinto here! A bit of that with some tapas is good for curing the Camino Blues 🙂
Rob--beautiful and so heartfelt and personal! Reminds me of my Peace Corps service. We were told that when we returned, a lot of people would only want to hear the "cocktail party version" of our two-year experience. They just want to know that we had a meaningful experience, and not continual details. But other returned Peace Corps volunteers were always willing to share and hear what we all went through in our service countries. That experience in Ecuador changed the whole trajectory of my life--and I am hoping that my Camino has its own as yet unknown impact on my life and how I see it and live it.
I'm sure you have an amazing experience on the Camino 🙂
Hola Peter, I’m a fellow RPCV- Honduras 84-87. Post service depression is a real thing. In fact, I suffer post _____depression on whatever meaningful adventure I’ve ever been on. Whenever you can escape the norm and form bonds with likeminded people it’s almost inevitable upon return to feel something.
Thank you for the video.
For me, it is letting go of the simplicity. But I also miss having the same purpose/goal as everybody around me. We are all going to the same place even if our way of doing it differs. When we are pilgrims, every day is clear, even if it is not planned. I like to have everything I need on my back, so I can do anything I want in any moment. So few decisions and such a clear path every day.
I don't really keep notes. I hardly take photos. But when my father passed a few years back, I found all the postcards I sent my parents on my first Camino 22 years ago.
It is unlikely that I will be able to walk again. But on RUclips, I can experience some. For many of us, I don't think the Camino ever leaves us. Thank you, and Buen Camino.
Hoping that maybe one day you can walk a Camino again 🙂 You're right, it changes us and never leaves us.
@@robscamino Thank you! I appreciate you and channels like yours.
I experienced the joy of the simplicity of Camino. Since my first Camino I have reduced my wardrobe by half and buy very little. I have also gotten into the Stoics which seems complimentary. An unexpected effect has been to widen the gap between my wife and I. Just this week I saw her in a new pair of sandals, it went like this… are those new? Yes, they were on sale so I brought two pairs. Vs. Out shopping, That’s a nice jacket, you should get that. Me: I’ve got a jacket.
My favourite Stoic quote is; We suffer most in anticipation. Drives her crazy.
LOL. Yes I totally get that. I only buy stuff I need now. 🙂 That gap thing is a concern though. Has your wife walked a Camino? We've done two together, so at least she kind of 'gets' me. 🙂
@@robscamino. Well, my wife has just had a special birthday (The Big 70) and we are walking from Tui next month. But….. I always walk alone carrying my pack and don’t book ahead staying mostly in albergues. My wife wants luggage and hotels and has already booked the Parador in SdC. 😮. It’s going to be very different for both of us and I hope it works out. P.S. I have downloaded FindPenguines on your suggestion. I used to use Facebook but got fed up with it so I thought I would give this a go.
Been there, done that. Pat won't do Albergues and wants nice food and nice accomodation all the way. Though she does carry a pack. Small one. The heavy stuff is in mine 😳
Rob thank you so much for all the wonderful and helpful videos. I am planning my first camino sometime next year's spring. I have been training daily as you advised and I am feeling increasingly stronger and ready for it. I keep in mind so many of your tips and probably will watch many of your videos again the weeks before my departure. This one particularly hit me as important, because in a way I am looking forward to what you got. Thanks again.
Just don't go with any expectations! Be thankful for every day you complete, and for those you meet along the way. Often it seems like they were 'placed' in your path for some reason........
@@robscamino Thank you so much
Thank you Rob.... Great advice
Not sure I really have any answers, but I think it's good to talk about it and he possibility that you 'might' experience it.
Great tips - good to think about before starting nect month! Thx
Not something to 'worry' about I think. Just to be aware of....... Buen Camino 🙂
Agree. I think it will help me get the most out of the experience. Cheers, K
Ah you thought about me !
Was it you that asked the question? 🙂
@@robscamino yeah ahahah. Few weeks ago when I just came back from the Camino
Thanks for the video - felt like a chat in an Albergue!! But wait - I’m home and not in España…😊😊
Lovely post as always Rob. It'll be a year next week since I began my "only 100km" from Sarria. Changed me back to a me who I used to be.
I look forward every Tuesday to your posts...they drop for me about 7am here in Ireland and I listen on my drive to the office.
I often re-read my blog to remind myself of how great an experience it was.
Important that you should know how important these videos are to us as we continue our pilgrimage
You're very kind. But I do them for very selfish reasons as you know LOL. It allows me to talk about the Camino endlessly 🙂
@robscamino it how you stay on a pilgrim
@ENGABU1 Maybe it is 🙂