First, I'd like to thank you for your blog and guide about the Shikoku pilgrimage. I got interested in it after a visit to the Island and definitely plan to do it one day - it is great material for people like me.
Now about Santiago, if you allow me to give you one advice, don't start from "Saint Jean Pied de Port" like 95 % of the pilgrims but from France (I'm a little biased as I leave there). I started from "Vezelay", which is not the most popular path (i.e. "Puy en Velay"). It was very calm and relaxed barely meeting anybody on the road giving this part of the pilgrimage a special flavor. When getting closer to Saint Jean Pied de Port, as the 4 french paths are converging, it suddenly becomes another pilgrimage with people everywhere and villages become full of pilgrim places to sleep & eat. It is a totally different mood and even more intense as you get close to Santiago wherever you lay your eyes, there is a pilgrim.
Thanks for the kind words about the website. And thanks for the advice about the Camino. I'll look into this as i start making more plans later this year. You are right, though, i had planned to start in SJPdP before you made your suggestion.
An alternative, to not extend the trip too much is to start a few steps before SJPdP. When you start from SJPdP, you actually start with the most difficult part of the pilgrimage (crossing the Pyrénées). Nothing impossible for an experienced trekker like you but always nice to give the body 2-3 days of warm-up before a difficult part.
I know there are tons of well documented websites & book out there but please don't hesitate to reach out in case you have questions or need some help (like getting the mandatory "Compostella" or, if you go via Paris, if you need some directions).
3 comments:
First, I'd like to thank you for your blog and guide about the Shikoku pilgrimage. I got interested in it after a visit to the Island and definitely plan to do it one day - it is great material for people like me.
Now about Santiago, if you allow me to give you one advice, don't start from "Saint Jean Pied de Port" like 95 % of the pilgrims but from France (I'm a little biased as I leave there).
I started from "Vezelay", which is not the most popular path (i.e. "Puy en Velay"). It was very calm and relaxed barely meeting anybody on the road giving this part of the pilgrimage a special flavor.
When getting closer to Saint Jean Pied de Port, as the 4 french paths are converging, it suddenly becomes another pilgrimage with people everywhere and villages become full of pilgrim places to sleep & eat. It is a totally different mood and even more intense as you get close to Santiago wherever you lay your eyes, there is a pilgrim.
Thanks for the kind words about the website. And thanks for the advice about the Camino. I'll look into this as i start making more plans later this year. You are right, though, i had planned to start in SJPdP before you made your suggestion.
Dave
An alternative, to not extend the trip too much is to start a few steps before SJPdP. When you start from SJPdP, you actually start with the most difficult part of the pilgrimage (crossing the Pyrénées). Nothing impossible for an experienced trekker like you but always nice to give the body 2-3 days of warm-up before a difficult part.
I know there are tons of well documented websites & book out there but please don't hesitate to reach out in case you have questions or need some help (like getting the mandatory "Compostella" or, if you go via Paris, if you need some directions).
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