My favorite section of the Camino (it’s probably not what you think!)
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- čas přidán 10. 03. 2023
- My favorite section of the Camino Francés is a bit controversial! I explain why some other pilgrims don’t love this part of the trail, but why I do.
And please share below: how did you feel about walking the Meseta?
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I agree 100%. The Meseta is best part of the walk.
If you get good weather, the Pyrenees is spectacular.
The Cebreiro-Tricastela-Samos-Sarria section has some tree line “medieval” roads that are magical (when not raining)
The Meseta is arid. So.. not much rain, just lots of sunny days.
(and, many be, a couple days with very high winds)
By Borgos you are walking machine. You are now Camino Fit.
By Borgos the people who are not as excited as they hoped, pronounce that they are going to skip the Meseta because. . . . .
The Meseta does not attract any “Tourist Pilgrim”
Those who walk the Meseta are “Pilgrims”.
Pilgrims walking with Pilgrims.
The Meseta is a week of experiencing a Runner's High
Well put, I am happy to say I was a pilgrim and walked the whole thing appreciating the landscape and thanking my maker for every little tree that provided a little shade ... I loved it
This was a wonderful insight. I've heard many many many pilgrims refer to the Meseta as miserable. You've got a delightful way of looking at things and I greatly appreciate the perspective you offer.
Thank you for such kind words! I know that some don't like the Meseta, but it turns out that there are many who do!
I agree 110% Nothing is like The Meseta. I did the Camino Francés + Camino finesterre/Muxía in late June and July. Loved every minute of it, it changed me in so many ways, and now I only want to make another Camino.. OMG!
Congratulations! Meseta is a wonderful place and you have become a modern Eleanor of England by loving the Old Castile.
That's my favorite part of the camino, too. I savored the little shade provided by the few scrawny trees along the way. I hated wearing a hat so my bald pate got a really good tanning. I walked it with my then 29-year-old son but we basically walked by ourselves most of the time. My late father's name was Santiago and my son is James. During one of my solitary walks, I thought about my father, who died when I was five, and I cried like a baby.
100% with you Nadine, you hit the nail on the head, all the way through.
The Meseta IS the Camino for me. Simply wonderful ❤😊
From reading these comments, it turns out that the Meseta is special to so many of us!
@@NadineWalks yes, I think it's where we finally get the external space to explore our internal space.
I love the Meseta for exactly all the reasons you have articulated so well.
I would add a couple more. I love that the Meseta is so intuitive to walk and navigate. The big spaces free the mind so much and that includes not needing to focus on staying on trail. (Having said that it was the only pkace I have been off trai 😂)
In the context of an overall Camino journey I find the ‘trial’ of the Meseta makes what follows even more special by contrast. My first comment on your channel - I really enjoy your style of sharing information and opinion. Very nicely balanced, but also strong and informative. Love your work as we say Downunder. Thank you.
I have walked the Frances twice and the Meseta was absolutely my favorite part for all of the same reasons you mentioned! I was able to just listen to the howling wind and enjoy the beautiful, endless sky and the fields.
Yes, the howling wind!!
This was my favorite section of my pilgrimage. I loved watching the land move when the wind blew. I traveled in May and just seeing so much land offering so much to us,. and the sky: to die for! It was harder to plan for as I didnt want to stay in a bunk so some days were shorter others longer bc of accomadation needs. Dont even get me started with how everything shuts down in the afternoon but I did sign up for a new experience. I found this was a time in prayer and thanksgiving and just wonder at the beauty of my surroundings
I agree, time to reflect and I am glad you did ... it opens up your experience and fills the spirit👍
I agree Jane, at times one might need to walk shorter/longer days depending on available accommodation, but I love your perspective about recognizing that you'd signed up for a new experience. I try to remind myself of that, too, when things become a bit challenging!
Your description is so great! It is what I am looking for. Love your channel. 🤩🤩🤩
well spoken, Nadine! (as always) I totally agree that the middle section is when you hit your stride...you have gotten into Camino shape, become comfortable with the rhythm of the days and the language, and most importantly with yourself. As you say, one can make a case for every section of the Camino...so...it just means we (I) need to return and walk it again...many thanks! be well!
Now that I've walked the Meseta for a second time, I'm really yearning to do the first section again (St Jean through Logrono), truly every part of the Camino is special and unique. But there's just something about the Meseta!
@@NadineWalks yes, indeed...I walked the stages from SJPdP last September...they are still as steep as you remember, if not more so. Such a joy, even as a 70 year old. Will go back! So, what is it that keeps drawing us back? Perhaps a question for another video?
I absolutely loved the Meseta! There was something so pure and clean to it that allowed me to enjoy what was around me without distractions.
I agree, it's part of the Camino that I could do again and again :)
Some people don't really get the beauty of plains. They have a bad attitude toward them and even toward their inhabitants. I remember my mother saying that as a child her heart ached with the beauty of the prairies in western Canada. She was definitely in tune to something special.
And she was right, there is beauty in the simplicity of the open spaces, colours, lines, patterns and wonderful material for those of us who enjoy photography
@@AidaJof I think her passion was primarily visceral, although it may be impossible to split the visceral from the photographer's motivation of capturing a landscape.
Sometimes I wonder if, because I grew up reading and loving Laura Ingalls Wilder and Willa Cather, I might have been partial to a prairie/open landscape from the get-go. Those landscapes might have grown so much in my imagination that my heart just soared when I saw them!
@@NadineWalks I'm sure that people can be changed their whole lives through by what they loved reading when they were growing up. Your heart soared when you saw the Meseta and that was very special!
It's one of those things. Some have been talked out of doing it. There's a UK TV programme and they skipped it out. I'm retired now so I will walk my first Camino including the meseta.
Nice to see an American woman (beautiful by the way) that loves my country as you do. Meseta means little table, a flat and high territory. And enjoy your next caminos!
Mesata was great for me, sometimes challenging but I had a great time during that section, I love how everything changes from Burgos scenery changed and way less people, everything is quieter.
Yes, the change along the Camino is such a fun experience... to suddenly enter into a completely different landscape! While I really loved the Meseta, parts were challenging for me as well, but in some ways it made the experience even more special to me.
Thanks for sharing this. My wife and I also walked the Frances for the first time in 2014, and along with other Caminos have walked it 5 times, the most recent being last year. I also have the section between Burgos and Leon as my favourite section for many of the reasons that you mention, but have never walked it when it has browned off in summer. We have always walked it in late April or early May and love the green fields and numerous flowers beside the trail. Unlike the US and other parts of the northern hemisphere we don’t have a major holiday in the middle of the year, so it is not uncommon for Australians to walk the Camino in May/June. Thanks again for posting these videos.
I would really love to see the Meseta in the spring, and full of wildflowers- if I love it in the summer, it must be even more beautiful in the spring!
As an agronomist I loved the Mesata. Identification of plants was such a treat. I was surprised to learn that Spain had the same plants as here in Alberta Canada
That's a surprise to me, as well! (though I wouldn't really know one way or the other!)
...and the same sheep as here in Australia
Hi Nadine, I enjoyed this post.
I've walked the Meseta three times, in extreme heat in early June, and howling wind in early April. I enjoy the solitude and emptiness and opportunity for reflection. On my second Camino Frances, with the howling wind, I was so immersed in thought that I didn't realise I had covered the Carrion de los Condes stretch, and kept looking for it for the rest of my way to Leon!
Haha, I love that you kept waiting for Carrion de los Condes to arrive... how amazing to be in such a flow state!
There’s a word for people who don’t like the meseta - “tourists”.
Real pilgrims turn off the podcasts and music to walk, listen and learn. It’s the land of Don Quixote, the kind of place you can imagine Jesus wandering for 40 days and 40 nights. It’s where the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree.
The meseta is The Empire Strikes Back of the Camino.
I love your metaphores, including The Empire Strikes Back ... but very good point. This is when a pilgrim turns introspect and yes those great thinkers and philosophers did their best while walking long distances ... undisturbed.
Hi Nadine, I completely agree with all you have said. I have walked the Frances twice (as well as Lisbon to Santiago & to Fisterra). I love the Meseta. It is the one section of the Frances that I would walk again.
I love that there are so many people who love the Meseta! It's really a very special part of the Camino.
As a solo wilderness backpacker I'm going to love the mesita. Less is better 7 days I'm ready.
Yes, the Meseta is a great place to sink into your thoughts and get some peace and quiet!
Thank you Nadine for your wonderful series of videos on and about The Camino.
You're welcome, I've loved making these videos!
I walked the Meseta in May. The fields were green, yellow & red (poppies). The bell towers were homes for the storks. The views were incredible. I loved it.
I'd love to see fields of red poppies!! I always walk in summer and there are usually still a few lingering, but never a lot.
Hi Nadine
Love your videos.
We did the Meseta in sept 2019.
Finally in May this year, we finish that camino.
We considered skipping the Meseta and finish in 2019 but we are so glad we didn't.
In the Meseta you really get into the rythmn of the Camino. I think the villages have so much character. I feel that pilgrims have tough days and the camaraderie really grows here.
❤️
Yes, I agree about the villages having so much character AND for the connections you can make with pilgrims in this section. I'm happy that you'll be returning to finish the Camino in May!
Nadine--incredible description of the Meseta! Looking forward to it! Some space to think where I am in life would be wonderful.
The space to think about where I am in life is why I keep returning to walk- it's such a gift to be able to give that to myself!
I recall several pilgrims (including actor Andrew McCarthy) talking about how trying this section was for them. That being said, it is also the section where they experienced personal epithanies in coming to terms with themselves. Yeah, I can see your fondness for this section.
The hard part of the meseta for McCarthy was when his girlfriend thought he was just another stuck up rich kid. Oh, wait, no. That was Pretty in Pink. My bad.
@@RC-qf3mp hahaha!
Hahaha well said! (and, good movie!)
Andrew McCarthy wrote a piece about walking and the Camino in the NYT yesterday, called “Whatever the problem, it’s probably solved by walking.”
It’s about the time he found his fraudster boss dead and decided to pretend his rich boss was still alive so he could party at his mansion. Oh, wait, no, that was Weekend At Bernie’s.
But it’s a good NYT article.
Hello Nadine. I've been following your channel for several months now and because of the inspiration that I received from your videos, I'm currently on the Camino Portugues! I'll arrive to Padron, Spain later today and then Santiago de Compostela on Thursday. Keep up the great videos!
How wonderful Bill, I'm so happy that you're on the Camino and I hope it's been an amazing experience! I'll think of you on Thursday as you arrive into Santiago!
I am returning to do my 6th Camino. As I can only take a small sections (two weeks) each year I can choose where to begin and end. Much of this is depend on return flights to home (Dublin). So this year I am choosing to return to the Messeta for a second time. I was having second thoughts but watching your video has confirmed my decision. One thing I loved when I walked it before was the silence and the head space. But as I was writing this, the video ended with the sound of your feet walking on the gravel path-OMG that wonderful sound brought me right back. I would strongly recommend not wearing headphones-listen to the silence and be present. Remember the Camino is not about the destination but the journey. Buen Camino and thank you..
I loved the Meseta too! I never knew I liked such open spaces as I live in a coastal town with mountain backdrops. I gained my endurance there and liked that is was flat. I thought the Meseta was fabulous! Thanks for posting about this.
I think I really gained my endurance on the Meseta, too!
Thank you for this video Nadine. I absolutely loved the Meseta. I'd start walking before dawn when the stars filled the sky. Then the faintest glimmer of red on the horizon marked the arrival of dawn. The light was so beautiful I'd have to keep turning around until the sunrise came. Further west along the Meseta I'd watch the pink sunlight appear on the tallest mountains to the north and gradually work its way down valley walls. Literally breathtaking 😍 I loved the expansiveness of the views; as though my arms could stretch out and reach right around the world. I loved all the Camino but the Meseta was so very special. (I walked in October, so sunrise was around 8 am.)
What a gorgeous description Caroline, your words truly just painted a picture for me!
Thank you for discussing this topic! I have learned so much from your videos. I have spent much of my life in landscapes such as this, so I was thinking about skipping it, but one of your earlier videos included parts/most of the Meseta, and it assured me that I should definitely NOT skip it. I am looking for solitude on my Camino; my plan is to start in Logroño and walk to Leon, where I will then take the San Salvador to Oviedo and then the Primitivo to Santiago. So I will have a few days before reaching the Meseta.
I remember reading of your plans in a previous post, and I really think you've planned such a fabulous Camino. And I'm so happy you'll be walking the Meseta as part of it! I think it will could be so interesting to see what this landscape- on the Camino- might trigger for you. Or, maybe you will find it comforting and familiar?
Thank you for this. My plan is to meet a friend in Leon to walk the San Salvador in the spring 2024 but I have ten days to walk before I meet up. I was thinking of finding a ten day Camino and just busing to Leon to meet him....but now, you have changed that thought process. I am now thinking of starting in Burgos. I will have done 4 Caminos by then (Winter Rd in a month) and have yet to set a foot on the French. Your video outlined why it connects with you..and those are the same reasons this section would connect with me. Very timely too...as I am already planning for 2024. Cheers
I think it could be so interesting to see how you respond to the Meseta (and i think it's a wonderful "warm up" to the San Salvador, especially because you hit Leon and then just keep walking!)
Gorgeous! I love it already!!!!
Thank you for your new video. Yes the Meseta and Paramo Leones are flat and hard to walking. But in the other hand you can find amazing Albergues....I did five times Camino Frances. Each one is different. Your pictures of the Camino in the middle of the harvest.....wow, true is true. Buen Camino from Barcelona your soul catch the Camino.
Yes, incredible albergues and so much beauty if you really look for it. Buen Camino!
Great tips as usual. Buen Camino!
It really depends on what time of the year you walk, it is wonderful when it's not to hot but a nightmare during a heatwave and even worse in the dead of winter when there is no support and many sections are mud bound and almost impassible .
Yes, summer can be unbearably hot! And I'm sure winter has its difficulties too. When I've walked in the summer I really love starting early (very early!) and seeing the sunrise. The heat isn't so bad in the morning and sometimes it's nice to arrive at my destination on the early side and then take a siesta through the worst heat of the afternoon.
Love the Mesata, I'm walking it April 28th my starting point is Burgos then the San Salvador and on to the Norte,
For me it's a great time for reflection as you said, you can also walk further then in other sections between it is flatter not as tiring, thanks Nadine for all your videos, I'm looking at your San Salvador six day at the moment, hope the weather is good when I get there Ultreia
What a great pilgrimage this will be- I did something very similar last summer (which you may know, if you're watching those videos!). I was surprised that the Meseta was so quiet... these days, when I think of the Camino Francés at the height of the summer, we all think it's going to be really crowded. And sections certainly CAN be, but it was such a nice experience to walk part of the Francés again and feel like I could sometimes have the path all to myself. I also hope the weather is fine for you- clear skies really help those spectacular San Salvador views!
Meseta is the best. I have walked the Francais in its entirety once but I have walked the Meseta 3 times on different routes. I think it is the making of a Peregrino.
I really agree with that... I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself returning or continuing to re-walk the Meseta over the years.
I also loved the Meseta which I walked in September. I am guessing the summer would be different, but it was very peaceful and beautiful when I walked it.
I also walked this past September and you probably passed me as I am not a fast walker. It was magical in the predawn early morning hours where you still could see your shadow by the most glorious harvest moon
The summer was definitely hot, but the early morning hours were still cool and those times were so beautiful! (but yes, marching along under a hot summer sun could at times be a challenge) One day I'd love to experience the Meseta in spring or fall.
Hi Nadine!!! I just love your videos! Thanks so much for the info you provide
I am 63 years old and planning my 3rd Camino for September 2023
I am doing the French this time and feel a little worried about the first stage from SJPDP because everyone said is very difficult! I am healthy and walk 3 miles 5 days a week but goin downhill is difficult for my knees
What was your experience? Thanks
Nadine, have to say I’m missing the closet for your review/ summary videos! Lol…hope your enjoying your new space. 👍
I miss it too! 😔 Getting used to the new space, though it’s a little lacking in character. I’m going to have to make my own!
Totally agree …. ❤
This is perfect. I am reading Steps Out of Time currently and she hates this section.
What is your favorite little city on the masetta? I'm walking in about 2 weeks and love to follow your videos, and their fantastic. Thanks 😊
My favourite section also.
This was a very substantial post which I thoroughly enjoyed; great content.
As a prairie girl, the meseta felt like home.
New sub ❤
Too wordy. Show me why was this the best part for you, nevermind what others think. You get what you put into the Camino, if walk & getting to your next destination is all you seek, yes the Meseta will be boring and saw many who abandonned their Camino & either took a taxi to Sarria or the train back to Madrid at this stage. I happen to agree with you wholeheartedly, it was the best part of my Camino but then again I am a loner, I am used to walking log distances and prefer to do it alone. I found the Meseta awe inspiringing. I did my Camino in September and by the time I hit the Meseta it was mid September. I would leave my albergue early (5:30 am) and I would find myself walking along fields illuminated by the most glorious harvest moon, the most clear skies I have ever seen full of stars ... it was glorious and if that is not inspiring, I do not know what is. Saw the most amazing sunrises which as a photographer I thoroughly enjoyed and all of it allowed me to think, reflect on my life, repent and give thanks to those have helped in life and enjoyed every step of the Meseta and on those hours when it was just too hot to continue, just pull up to a bar and enjoyed a cold beer or pull under the shade of a tree to enjoy an orange, have a banana with walnuts and a drink peppered with electrolytes. All of it made it for an enjoyable Camino and at 72 yrs of age, I can say I was happy I did it.
You know, I've tried a few times to be more succinct in these videos, but I just can't manage it! Wordy videos will probably just be my style :) Your description of your experience on the Meseta is beautiful!
@@NadineWalks You provide a lot of great information for those contemplating a journey like this, keep doing what you are doing 👍
Have you thought about hiking tge Francigena?
Yes, I've thought about it! I keep being pulled back to Spain (and now, Portugal), and I also keep wanting to return to walk in France, but the Via Francigena is on my list!
It’s very much like Canada
Parts of Canada, for sure!
Alberta , Saskatchewan spring to mind
@@Rkolb2798 I agree, from an Albertan here 😊
Nadine.. is this your new home?