Really interested in how different your Camino end was to mine. Just some thoughts, 1) You travel a lot, I never travel so this was a massive event in my life and perhaps just another event in yours. 2) I walked alone but gathered a small "Camino family" along the way and at the end we could all debrief between us. 3) I walked for religious reasons and so the Cathedral was massively significant to me (even though it was mostly closed), 4) I stayed in communal hostels and so you end up sharing so much more than in a hotel. I am not being critical because I absolutely know that everyone's Camino is unique and what they make it, just some thoughts i wanted to share. I also know that it is still having an impact on me 2 years later. Well done, give it time.
Thank you very much for your thoughful and understanding comment - I definitely think that our decision to move forward to the last 100km made it unlikely that we would form a real trail family that I keep reading about everyone having, especially as the friends we had made were not walking all the way to Santiago as well. We obviously had no idea that we would be sacrificing that possibility along the way by doing that, but I do think that, along with staying in hostels more, kept us from experiencing that part. I love that it still is having an impact on you 2 years later - we definitely talk about it, and feel the effects of the Camino we walked every day - it really is amazing in that way. Thanks again :)
For those who would walk for religious reasons, the cathedral and the Pilgrims Mass would be some sort of conclusion. To realize the significance of the Way of St James, to see his relics, must also be a big part of finishing.
Thank you so much for sharing. It is actually quite selfless to document your journey so that others can enjoy and also learn. It all felt quite honest. You could have easily edited out your fears, misgivings and disappointments but that's what kept it real for me. Congratulations ! My only commentary? Josh - should have kept the hat bro! it was epic. Peace be with you both.
Thanks, Patrick! We definitely wanted to be as transparent with our experience as possible (even if it was a little complain-y haha) all adventures aren't always rose-colored. it's the ones that we overcome that make the most memories! Oh yeah--those hats will make a comeback, I'm sure of it.
Lisa and Josh - I really enjoyed your entire series devoted to your travels along the Camino. I think that ultimately you will determine how you feel about your accomplishment but I think your comment toward the end the journey and not the destination is what you will take away. I was crying just watching you walk into Santiago square and thinking about all you both went through to get there. I think you both grew and learned so much from this adventure that will shape how you think and feel about things moving forward. I have watched other videos because my fiancé and I are now working on plans to do the Camino and I think we are going to have to start from Sarria due to lack of time off available to us. I don't think that we are going to consider it a loss for not completing the entire 790 km, but to finish something epic with plans to finish at Fisterra and Muxia. Thank you for your beautiful videos and thank you for being so transparent and blunt at times to share how you feel. Buen Camino!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Dorothy. We definitely learned that day that our journey to Santiago and the meaning of the Camino didn't end that day--we are still to this day learning so much about ourselves having gone through it. Starting at Sarria is a great idea and indeed such a wonderful journey--we absolutely loved it. Buen Camino!
Tons of videos of two people walking sounds, on paper, incredibly boring. But this video series was not at all boring so, well done! You did a great job of picking a theme or conversation point for each video to make it stand out. I thought your reflections of the end were so honest and possibly even more inspiring than if you had had the full, celebratory ending you'd wished for. I can also be hard on myself so I truly get the feeling of having "cheated" so I loved the person's comment who shared the stats on how few people achieved what you did even with doing only a portion. I think this is one of those achievements that will reveal itself to you over time. Perhaps not as flashy as a parade in your honor but you will still be receiving insights about yourselves and have these memories and stories for your whole lives. I know I'm a total stranger so my opinion should mean absolutely nothing to you but, I still want to say...I'm proud of you both and appreciated being able to feel like a part of your story and journey. :)
Congratulations on walking your Camino! I am sorry that you did not feel the exhilaration that you may have expected and experienced disappointment instead. I think many people also feel this anticlimax. Josh made a comment at the 3:35 mark that struck me -- he said "this was a quest that we kind of cheated on but I still feel that we deserve some of the experience points". I think perhaps this sentiment that you "didn't finish" contributed to your feeling of disappointment -- that perhaps you cheated yourselves, or didn't fulfill your own expectations having started in St Jean with the quest to walk the full 800km. I looked up some statistics and less than 10% of all pilgrims start in St Jean and make it all the way to Santiago; and 28% start in Sarria. So in reality you walked twice as far as most pilgrims, and you also walked the most difficult stage, the first one over the Pyrenees. And you walked from France into Spain! How many people can say that! So I don't think you are being fair to yourselves. You walked YOUR Camino and you surely had experiences that have shaped you and those that you will never forget. I enjoyed your video series very much and I appreciate all of your efforts in filming and editing.
Love this very much - thank you for the thoughful comment. I think we had expectations from social media, movies, etc, that were truly harmful to our experience as a whole. We kept seeing (and keep seeing on comments of this video right here), that for many, there is a very clear ONE SINGLE RIGHT WAY to do the Camino, and that the way that we chose to do it was WRONG AND SHAMEFUL. This way of thinking about this, and honestly anything, is obviously incorrect, but when we're out here putting out all of our feelings for the internet to judge, it's just a bit harder to ignore I guess. To connect it to my nerdiness, I think a Star Wars reference is in order - "Only a Sith deals in absolutes" - I think the Camino brings many to believe that the way they did it was the one right way. It was hard, and it still honestly kind of hard, to get out of that mindset, but hearing this from you helps quite a bit. Thank you for the perspective and kindness :) we really, really, really appreciate it.
@@LisaAndJosh Wow! Thanks for the very thoughtful reply as well. I have thought of doing the Camino at some point in the future. But I also seem to be stuck with the same central question: why would I do this! I do love Spain and maybe that is a reason. I like the idea of slow travel and the time to think introspectively, or a break from the routine of life. And I would like to do something extraordinary in my life and surely this qualifies. Or do I just want to "check the box" that I did it? I'm not sure! While watching your video series I often got the impression that you were not completely certain why you were doing it. A pilgrim is on a religious journey and they are able to find the strength and motivation to continue when things get tough. Josh said he wasn't really religious so I think you were on more of a really long hike and not a true religious pilgrimage. I can see how when you are faced with weeks more walking in adverse conditions it is hard to find the drive to carry on. Or question why you are doing it. And I think you brought to life that the Camino is hard and not always fun - day after day of walking, in harsh weather, in the hot sun, seemingly always uphill (!) for hour upon hour. You gave a truthful depiction of life on the road and didn't glorify it. So I now do question (as a non-religious person) if this is for me or not....
Congratulations on walking the Camino! I so enjoyed your heartfelt vlog shared with us all. I did 100 miles then a journey to Barcelona the next year. Met up with some Camino friends. Barcelona is a journey in itself. We Camino bonded then Covid separated us all. Our Camino group formed the first night at Orrisson. We represented Spain, USA, Germany, Romania, and England. People from all over becoming friends over our first Camino wine. Several like myself only had two weeks then back to work. The others did the entire route to Santiago. I look forward to another go at the Camino once Covid is fully over. Your words and descriptions were so accurate as to the Camino magic. Times of pain fade but not fully. I rode the bus a couple of times. We were in Pamplona for the festival- unforgettable! Again thanks for sharing your journey. Your a special couple that will now always know Buen Camino to mean a walk for the mind and soul.
thank you so much for the kind words, and for watching the video :) so happy to hear you made great friends from all over the world, and so sorry to hear COVID separated you. that seems to be the way of the Camino in 2021, and likely 2022 it seems.
I got so emotional listening to the beginning of the video, I had tears in my eyes, I know it is stupid, that is how I felt. I am so glad you never gave up ❤️
Don't think too much about the let down. The experience grows on you from a distance. Promise. Looking forward to your WHAT NEXT! Congratulations and Buen Camino!
LIsa and Josh, your journey and what you experienced will be in the stories you'll be telling others and inspiring them to maybe walk The Way. 2022, I'm is our Goal, I'll be 60 and my sister 67. We're training now, walking some distance and building up to walking long distances and back pack carrying. We hope to make it, so watching your journey keeps me motivated. Thanks.
So sorry to hear you did not get the full appreciation of finishing your Camino. In my last 4 Camino's and when walking into the square the feeling of overwhelming joy and emotions have flooded my soul.
Thanks so much - yeah, our experience may have been different due to the year that we did it, and a bunch of other factors. Thanks so much for watching!
Congrats on finishing the CAMINO!!! I've watched a ton of Camino vlogs and your feelings line up with several pilgrims. I think that's why so many walk for a second or even a third time. Just know that you did a really hard thing ( in more ways than one) and we that have watched your volgs are so so proud of you. Thanks you two for sharing!
Thank you so much for empathizing and understand where we are coming from. I definitely agree that that's exactly why people do it multiple times - because they saw a glimpse of the potential of what they could be if they took more time to focus on themselves and what person they want to be in life (which is precisely what the Camino brings to the surface as the walk goes on), so they go back to see if they can get closer to that. This is such a kind and generous comment - thank you again :)
Lisa & Josh! Thanks so much for coming through Pilgrim House. I know you had the opportunity to meet Maggie and one of our other teammates in your time here. I'm another full time staff member here that wasn't on shift that day, but oh how I wish I had been. I'm so encourages and moved to hear of your experience with us and pray that many many more pilgrims who hear your testament will come to experience the same thing here. We can't wait to meet those who caught wind through you guys. :) Thanks for being a part of what makes this so incredibly worth it! Blessings & Buen Camino till we see y'all again!
Hi Gabrielle!! Thanks so much for watching and for your thoughtful comment :) We feel so, so glad to have discovered the Pilgrim House, even if it was on our last day. We so appreciate what you are all doing for all the peregrinos out there who make it Santiago.
So, so amazing and watching your journey makes me crave a journey like that of my own. Truly, Thank You for taking us along and sharing with us your experience. “Buen Camino” can now be a rally phrase in your life when you need a reminder of what you’ve been able to accomplish!
You guys did an amazing thing! Like any huge life event there is a normal feeling of let down when it is over. Loved the video and the storytelling. Just amazing! Makes me want to do the camino. Maybe.
Thank you so much! Yeah, maybe it is more of that - it's just a massive thing, with sky-high expectations from everyone who speaks about it. It often comes across in social media as a sort of magical untouchable everyone-should-have-the-same-outcome thing, so when ours wasn't exactly what we saw in the movies and on IG, it was a bit more jarring than we expected. I do think it's a thing worth doing, for sure
I just love the way you captured what it feels like to arrive in Santiago. The let-down, the realization that it was about the journey, the "What now?"... It brought back many memories. Thank you for sharing in such an honest, open way.
G’day Lisa & Josh & congratulations on finishing your Camino. You guys are so lucky. My son & I were meant to walk in April/May 2020, we all know what happened there. I’m not sure when we’ll ever get a chance to walk it together. You both seem flat at the end, all I can say is what I’ve heard over & over again - your true Camino BEGINS in Santiago. Take care!
Truer words have never been spoken--we are still talking about the Camino and it's impact us, long after leaving Santiago. The walk didn't end in Santiago at all :) Hoping you and your son will be able to walk soon!
Congratulations Lisa and Josh! Thank you for taking us all along this monumental trek and for sharing your insights, which will no doubt become more and more valuable to you through the years. With so many different ending times for fellow pilgrims, your own unique celebratory reflections might be the ones you cherish the most. Glad you found the Pilgrims House! I have happy tears for you!
Felicidades! I have been following you since your start on your world tour and I’ve got my husband hooked on your Camino videos. Thank you for being honest about your journey, it makes me think I could possibly go on my own journey one day. Great job documenting your trip and I’m a little sad this part is over. Safe travels and well done!
Thank you very much for the kind words, and for coming along with us since Rome! I do hope you get the chance to go on your own journey some day - I think it's incredibly important. Thanks again :)
Wow this was awesome! I wish the the destination had been just as great as the journey for you, but I seriously appreciate you being so honest about it! It really gives people who are considering it something to think about.
Thanks so much! It's always tough to be so transparent about how an experience can feel, but we're so glad we did and we learned others felt the same! And, with anything, our retrospective journey has just begun and we now look back fondly at the Camino and even miss it :)
What a beautiful video. Lisa, the narration is spot on and so well done. Glad you ended up finding a place in Santiago that acknowledged your feat. On to new adventures!
Congratulations! I am so grateful that I was able to watch you do this journey and get prepared for my own. Thank you for your valuable information. I wish you happy travels and we look forward to seeing what’s next.
Hi Lisa and Josh your video journey has been amazing. I recently finished walking 24/9/21 from Sarria to Santiago so I have loved reliving the journey with you both. I loved every minute of the journey and plan to return to do the whole way next year. I too felt lost on arriving in Santiago and wish I had known about the pilgrims house. This has just encouraged me to return again even more. I felt so happy and content walking and have learnt many lessons following completion of the Camino. I am stronger than I thinks I can do whatever challenge I set etc. I wish you all the best in your future travels and keep up the videos there amazing
Thanks for sharing, Vanessa! It sometimes felt hard to say aloud what we were feeling when we arrived in Santiago, but it felt nice to be open and learn that other peregrinos felt the same. We are definitely finding that our journey continues long after Santiago. Congratulations and buen Camino, Vanessa :)
Congratulation on your Camino!! 👏👏👏Great video. I love your honesty, authenticity, and your willingness to share your true feelings/experiences here. I'm doing the camino Frances end of May. Even though I'm super excited still, I've been trying to look at it more objectively. So many peregrinos speak of the magic of the camino, how it provides,, and so forth. And yet, often time I keep wondering, or feeling I'm missing something when I watch a video of peregrinos arriving in SDC. Perhaps my expectations were too high too. 🤷🏼♀️ Thanks for sharing. Blessings and happy travels to you both. 😊
Thank you for your thoughtful words! One of the many beauties of the Camino to us is that everyone's experiences are so different. Yet, there will be peregrinos you find along the way that will relate :)
This is by far your best video of this Camino series! Well done! I really liked how you created a sense of story, how the music complimented the video and how you wrapped everything up. Just as you arrived in Santiago and felt you needed a "debriefing" this video is that for this series. Well done!
Thank you so much! This means the world to us - we're trying our best to be able to most accurately portray the feeling we had, so I'm really glad to hear that it came across that way :) The Camino for sure needs a debriefing, no doubt - we're so glad we found the Pilgrims House
I think you received and revealed to us all what it is like to go on an epic pilgrimage walking trip. Job well done. On to the next “journey”. Nix the negatives and embrace the positives. Life is what you make of it.
Definitely in agreement--what a journey that we are learning, to this day, never ended in Santiago! While the journey wasn't always a piece of cake, the positives are what we always remember and still talk about now
No such thing as 'cheating' a Camino - just different ways of approaching the experience. Well done! :) If you get the chance, try and finish a Camino at Finisterre - this tends to give a better sense of 'closure' to the experience ... at least for some. Watching the sunset at the 'end of the world' was one of the best nights of my life.
Congratulations! Weeks, maybe months, from now, you will look back and see what you have accomplished on this camino and smile. You walked hundreds of kilometers on a journey and had some of most unique experiences that very few people can relate to. If i may, while i do agree that skipping to the last 100km was the right decision for you guys, the downside is that you will be out of sync with the people you got to know on your journey. They become your family on the camino and some will be with you at the end to celebrate. This is one of the reasons i had hoped for you guys to continue on rather than to skip to the last 100km but i completely understand your decision. Anyway, i hope you guys come back again now you have a better understanding of the camino. Sad this is the last of your camino vlogs but we all eventually have to move on. Buen Camino! And for the rest of your travels Ultreia (Go Beyond)!
Yep - I for sure agree with all of this. I do think there is a cost to skipping ahead, as we definitely lost sync with our crew that we had made at the beginning. Although, unfortunately, most of our friends ended up stopping 7-10 days and were not heading all the way to Santiago. We never got a good chance to create that trail family that we keep hearing about, and the last 100km just doesn't seem like the right place for that magic to happen. We have already talked about doing it again - thank you so much for the emphathetic, understanding, and thoughful comment
I'm so proud of you guys. This has changed your life. The way you think and just be. The journey continues and I'm interested to see how this will change you as you go. Or will it go back to the same ole same ole? That after action was well said ND I can definitely respect your perspective of the journey. Be safe and enjoy your rest. Recharge the batteries. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thank you very much :) We're trying to keep as much of the good that the Camino taught us as possiblem while also realizing that our expectations of it from social media and otherwise were not accurate for every person that walks it.
Well, if you felt that nobody congratulated you at the end, here it is, WELL DONE!! Lisa & Josh. I had been thinking of doing the camino for quite a long time, but only managed to do it in 2019 when I was 67. When I walked into the square, I couldn't stop the tears, the surroundings didn't matter. Yes, it is all about the the journey, but what a journey 😊 Btw I think the movie The Way, made people romantazise the camino so people get disappointed when their Camino didn't turn out like in the move. Thanks for sharing your Camino.🤗
I walked the Camino in 2019 and felt just like you did on reaching Santiago, a little empty...except I never knew about the Pilgrims' House. What a difference that would have made. Maybe next time. Well done on making it to the end, wonderful films.
Thank you for understanding, and we're sorry that you had that same feeling! It's so jarring - and I'm really happy to hear that maybe, just maybe, the thing that we made can help guide someone who does the Camino in the future to the Pilgrims House, and to be able to debrief after the Camino with other pilgrims about the whole experience. I think it's so important.
Lisa and Josh, thank you for sharing your incredible experience. It gives tremendous insight into walking the Camino. I’m early in the information gathering stage, anticipate I will be giving serious consideration to doing this. Got to learn more before embarking on such an epic walk. Take care.
I enjoyed all that you captured during the Camino trek. Give yourselves a pat on the back. You completed what you committed on and your subscribers waited for the episode for the announcement that you had quit. But no you didn’t and for that soak in the joy of satisfaction! Nothing else… What’s next on your adventure? Your viewers can’t wait for the next destination.
Congratulations and thanks for the video's. We are about 200k in and thanks to your video's we know a bit about what to expect and know that our road will be different even though we aĺl walk the way of Saint James 😀
Thank you so much :) and wow, you're doing it right now?? The only advice that I will give, because I know more than most that everyone's Camino has to be their own, is to please stop at the Pilgrims House right when you get to Santiago. It's the right place to go. Buen Camino!! Thank you very much for the kind words and for watching
@@LisaAndJosh We have done the first 470 from St Jean to Leon, had fun and will return for the final next year. I passed your tip on to the pilgrims in our bubble that went on to Santiago this year!
It always sounds trite but…….. It really is the journey not the destination. Shed expectations and be in the moment and see what is actually there. That was my take away from the Camino, but it took a while to get there. We are so focussed on achievements, get that job, buy that car etc. it is difficult to feel what is actually a process and not an end. Great videos.
Ha yeah - we felt trite finishing our video that way too... but maybe it's just a reminder that needs to keep happening until we learn it. I don't think it's a thing that we can hear too much. Agreed with everything you say here - thank you so much :)
Hi enjoyed watching your videos! It looks you shipped your big bag directly to Santiago. Do you mind to share which company did you use? Thanks a lot!!
Hey Dawn! Thanks for watching! we had read up on the different courier services before starting and since we are traveling all year, we knew there were some things that we definitely didn't need along the Camino, so we decided to ship a whole bag ahead. Turns out a lot of people ship their packs to each place along the way each day or all the way to the end to Santiago. We eventually chose a place that our hostel recommended
Maybe this is true - I still think that we're very glad we did it and with how it ended :) In a different time, maybe post pandemic, this would feel different.
Hi Lisa and Josh, thanks for the great videos and honest feelings about your journey. It is quite an accomplishment to cover such a long distance walking. You were using DJI drone in your filming, did you have to take any permission to fly it in Spain. In US, with some exceptions, no permission is needed for drones less than 250 gm, is it same in Spain. Thanks.
Hi Pramode--thanks for watching and following along! We actually ended up not bringing our drone on this trip (due to weight limits and concerns about permissions too!) We use Storyblocks for some drone footage at times.
Not sure what you expected. You didn’t appear to fully commit yourself or to surrender to the experience. You complained endlessly and constantly compared the experience to what you were familiar with. Real travel let alone pilgrimage is about be open to people and places without expectation. Your expectation to be congratulated at the end by others says it all.
Yeah, I mean - it's easy to say something like this when looking back at it, right? Hindsight and all that. We were trying to share our experience as honestly as we could, and it sounds like it was pretty different than yours. People will have different outcomes from walking the Camino. We definitely found that the reason that we did it at first, and the expectations around that, were vastly different than the reasons that we finished it, and that we had changed as people through the experience, and figured out how to drop those expectations. Sure, had we somehow been able to travel back in time after realizing and changing over the experience, we might have done what you suggested was "real" way to do it - surrender completely, which I'm not sure what that really means. But we weren't those people, at that time - we grew as a result of doing the Camino. And, isn't that the whole point of it? Either way, thank you for watching, we really appreciate it, and your thoughts.
We continued our travels to Portugal from Santiago by bus. Many people end up flying straight from Santiago or through a near large International airport, like Madrid
I'm not Christian so I see this from a "hiking" experience and I got to say, it seems pretty much like a walk in the park compared to an actual trek. Now don't get me wrong, seems absolutely worthwhile to do, scenery and the culture of the old towns look very interesting and beautiful. But yeah I can see why it might feel anticlimactic to you guys. You basically went on a long walking holiday... Maybe you are ready for the next thing. Now Nepal is of course the hiking valhalla of the world. And for me it was a transformative experience. Its not just the hike and the mountains but the amazing culture and people. The horrors of the extreme poverty and living conditions of some... Its like being in another universe where you will find more questions than answers. The shabby hostels, some with no heating in the room or warm water. The dinner where there is just one thing on the menu, the endless trail of donkeys and their bells... Go do that... Perhaps you'll find there what you are looking for
nos encanta ver videos del camino de santiago y sus paisajes!! tieness nuestro like y suscripcion! Nosotros estuvimos un mes y algo haciendo el camino del norte sin dinero y hemos subido el primer capitulo de nuestra aventura, puede que te interese! Saludos y suerte con el canal!!
Such a disappointing ending for you. The excitement of fulfilling a major goal is largely intrinsic. I look forward to doing the entire camino, and plan to pick up all the certificates including the halfway compesto, compesto, distance certificate, muxianna, and finisteranna. Although Santiago will not be the end, I expect to feel more like this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ux1hAlG9ETA.html Best of luck in the rest of your travels.
Disappointing at times, but we also came to the same realization that the thing we thought we were going to feel was misguided at first. I hope that your Camino feels exactly how you hope it to. I also think that doing it on the year that we did, with COVID still being so prevalent, was part of the overall experience being a bit off for us.
This is such an excellent video commentary! Thank you for making and sharing it. We leave in a week for the Camino. We are collecting prayers to carry along with us and pray. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h0gBAzYeUzM.html Our first Camino was in 2007, and we have walked sections of several routes in the years since then. We know Pilgrim House, and Nate and Faith. We even volunteered there a couple of times. You are SOOO right about the high value of what they are doing through Pilgrim House. As for you two, Bravo, and well done!. Welcome to the family of Pilgrims who are sprinkled throughout the world. ~Helen and Wick Van Wagenen, Camino Provisions
