I completed a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela two years ago but this journey was so important that the more time passes the more it influences my life. Recently, I got asked about the essentials, that is, what a pilgrim should bring to the Camino. I thought this is a really good opportunity to go back in time and refresh my memories. We’ll be soon flooded by articles of the New Year’s Resolutions and walking the Camino might be one of them. 5 Essentials… obvious things to bring The following five essentials is a must to all who undertake any long or short distance walk Comfortable shoes, Small and light backpack, Container for water, Hat, Waterproof jacket. The Camino taught me one basic thing: never bring a new pair of shoes! Use the old ones that your feet are used to. I learned it hard way: bought the new shoes two weeks before walking the Camino and paid the price. The blisters were killing me for the most of the time. Now, I am an experienced trekker and I never do such things but this time I clearly underestimated the challenge. I thought that after walking the King’s Trail (120km) and completing two marathons I should be just fine. So again: NO NEW SHOES! Have mercy on your feet! My backpack was only 55 litres and at all times, it weighed less than 10 kg. This is a basic rule if you want to enjoy the journey. This will guarantee comfort and will allow you to focus on more important things. I saved a lot of space by using clothes made of merino wool. They are odour free and it allowed me to limit my clothes significantly. A hat was extremely useful out of the obvious reasons but I was very happy I brought it because the heat totally surprised me. I thought that the end of September should be calm and cold but on the contrary, it was horribly warm. I suffered for the most part of the walk and the next time I walk the Camino, I’ll do it in late October. 5 less obvious things to bring The following five things made my walk more enjoyable. Sleeping bag, Sunglasses, Guidebook, Mp3 player, Flipflops. A very light sleeping bag (600g) ensured comfort during the nights in shelters. Some of them provide a disposable sheet and pillowcase but not all. Besides it’s always nice to lie down, relax and sleep in something that belongs to you. Mp3 player helped me in a few cases. First, a calm music that I listened to after reaching the shelter helped me to relax and sleep in the afternoon when people around were making noise. Second, when I was crossing the mountains with painfully blistered feet I was listening to the relaxation music that helped me arriving the shelter. There is a great bonus that comes with it: even today I still find this piece of music deeply relaxing. When I feel overstressed I can always listen to it and calm down by remembering my walk. Flipflops will allow your feet to relax after you reach the shelter and also will keep your feet safe while taking a shower in a shared bathroom. One more thing to bring A proper mindset is everything. After walking the Camino, quite naturally, I listened to other people who walked it. I read a few books and talked to some pilgrims. People tend to underestimate the Camino is what I’ve learned. The fact it leads through the cities, little towns and generally civilised areas make people think it is easy. Many of the pilgrims admitted that they have not expected hardship nor problems but in most cases, they were faced with the sudden difficulties. Therefore, prepare yourself! Do your research, check the details, plan your trip. Proper preparations are of great importance. At the end of the day, I wonder whether the hardship of this walk is what the pilgrimage is all about? Maybe all pilgrims need to face the difficulties to experience their vulnerability, community with others and learn about their own weakness? Share your opinion in comments. Do you have plans to walk the Camino in 2017?  

The post 11 Things You Should Bring to the Camino appeared first on Null & Full.

Having fun in Lloret de Mar was somehow against the odds. First, the weather was not as warm as I expected. Although I don’t mind cold, I did mind in this case because of the clothes I took (summer like dresses and sandals). Second, my phone broke down. I know! First world problems! It all confirms Murphy laws being in force, but it made me angry. Not only I had no internet connection, which was the least problem, but I also was left with no camera and no alarm clock. Suddenly, because of one little thing broke down I found myself in an awkward position of being late in the morning and not having pictures. But I had fun! And why is that? It’s because of people I met! People People is definitely the best part of Tbex community and I had a pleasure to rediscover it. Although my closest blogger friends could not come I found some new ones. I was having an interesting series of discussions, sharing the knowledge and also giving back, as I went for Tbex as a speaker for the first time. It was funny because I met another Tbex participant already on the place from Munich to Barcelona. She asked me if I was going for Tbex just because of the book I was reading (btw a fantastic one, soon to be reviewed here!). So I had this opportunity to give a few advice to a blogger who participated Tbex for the first time. It was also great to meeting my co-presenters, Lanora and Pola, and to discuss further our theme of multilingualism in blogging. Tbex Team My huge congratulations to Tbex team with exceptional MaryJo on board. My transfer from the airport to the hotel was as smooth as a walk to the corner shop. I was taken to the hotel in no time, and checked-in likewise. I had a lovely large room in a hotel where the conference was held, which is always the most convenient way of enjoying full freedom of movement. Also, my technical problems with using my computer for the presentation was resolved in a blink of an eye, and the cable was found in less than a minute. The information about trips and activities was always easy to find making my stay on Tbex stressless. This year, Tbex team made an effort of inviting very attractive keynote speakers. Although I enjoyed immensely Robert Reid in Athens and missed him among the speakers very much, they did an excellent job. Michael Collins performed the best talk of the conference on the very last day. It was super interesting to listen to his point of view, especially that his comments also included a large part of language focused issues. The Internet is much more than English, he said, and I couldn’t agree more! It takes me straight to my presentation titled: ‘Building community when English is not your first language‘. Presentation Together with Lanora and Pola, we’ve been discussing this issue for months. It took us a considerable time and effort to make a thorough research, small scale survey, analyze the results and draw a conclusion. The biggest satisfaction was watching a room full of bloggers who run their blogs in their mother tongues, and also those who decided to publish in English and are struggling with a quality challenge, just like me. The discussion after our presentation was rich and lively, which makes me sure on the importance of the issue. Bloggers are not only English native speakers, and I consider this group large enough to make an effort to meeting their needs. There is a window of opportunity in the global blogosphere at the moment, on publishing in native languages rather than in English. The trend is visible and will be developing further in coming years. Lesson learned Never again, I will go for a conference or a journey with no camera or separate alarm clock. As long as the alarm clock is easy to replace it was much less so in case of the camera. I have only a few photos from Lloret de Mar taken on the second day so my sincere apologies for this post and only a few pictures. This is the reason I would like you to visit the sites of my friends and co-speakers so you could look for yourself how beautiful Lloret is! Karen published this post on Lloret and I think it is wonderful! Also Heather did a great job, summarizing highlights of our stay in Lloret de Mar. If I had a camera, I would love to walk some of the trekking paths along the coast. The little part I saw was just marvelous! Rocky mountains just above the crystal-clear water looked fantastic! I don’t blame the British, who walk it every year spending their retirement in this part of the world. Lloret de Mar The moment I’ve known that Tbex 2015 takes place in Lloret I didn’t expect any fireworks. The location seemed to me dull and predictable: another summer destination, full of beaches I don’t like and crowds I hate. Instead of a dull place full of tourists I found an exciting city, very well kept (with impressive sidewalks, banks and trash cans everywhere), and tourists’ friendly place. I was delighted to see a huge sandy place in the city center for petanque (bulle or boccia) players, full of retired people spending their late mornings on this play. A few building in the center were beautiful and made me think about the history of the place. Also, this is an ordinary city with many locals living there, with schools, shops, post offices etc. One thing that I can’t stand is an artificial village for tourist purpose only. Well, this is definitely NOT the care of Lloret de Mar. Think about above-the-sea trekking trail and renaissance like gardens of St. Clotilde and crystal-clear water wherever you are, and you will get a very attractive holiday destination. All pictures were taken during...

The post Why I had a great time in Lloret de Mar appeared first on Null & Full.

Have you ever read about the camino? Did you feel encouraged to walk the Way of St. James someday? Or maybe walking the camino this is your biggest dream? Well, I made it! After 2 weeks of walking, fighting with exhaustion, numerous blisters, the heat of the day, crowded dormitories and a terrible cold I crossed over 300 km to finally reach Santiago de Compostela. Was it worth of this effort, you may ask. And here is what I want to tell you about the camino. How does the camino look like? I was waking up very early, before the sunrise most of the time. I was dressing up in the dark and leaving the dormitory as quiet as I could. I was starting to walk in the dark, watching the stars over my head and later also a slow sunrise. I was having a breakfast along the way. I was walking for 5-8 hours a day on a variety of terrains: mountains, paved sidewalks, stairs, streets, fields, pretty much everything. Then, I was having my lunch, a short rest in a shared dormitory, a quick visit in a village or town where I was staying in. I was eating a dinner and then was falling asleep very early. Next day, I was doing exactly the same thing all over again. For two weeks. Boring? Not really, as for me this was precisely a miniature version of a human’s life. And this is when and where EVERYTHING happens. Spiritual Most people consider walking The Way of St. James a spiritual act itself. This is just one way to consider it. But after walking it myself I can tell you this: it is UP TO YOU how spiritual and life changing experience this is for you. True: there is very little spiritual services available along the Way, which might be shocking to you. Closed churches, no priests, hardly few parishes that provide an evening mass and a blessing to pilgrims. It would be a great disappointment to me so I did a really clever thing: one of the people I walked the camino with was a priest. This resolved the major part of the spiritual problems: we had an everyday mass, we had a recitation of the breviary in the morning and in the evening and a person to turn to in any spiritual need. So for me, this was an authentic spiritual pilgrimage. And I think this is important for people to know it in advance to avoid the later disappointment: you need to take care about your spiritual needs. Especially when walking the camino. Is the camino helpful in your personal growth? Yes, it is. But only if you make an effort. There is no way that someone else will do this job for you. The Way is just like our life: hard, repeatable, sometimes breathtaking, always shared with others and preferably purposeful (or at least it should be!). And in our crazy world where we all have an impression of running in circles the experience of the camino is really powerful.  It is a plain walk from A to B and with a purpose at the end. And it is powerful because you can physically and mentally feel it. All you need to do is to wake up and walk for a certain amount of time with your backpack. So easy, and so hard, at the same time! For better or worse You’re not alone! This was the second most powerful experience I had when walking the camino. Even though this was off season The Way was FULL of other pilgrims. For better or worse. Literally! On the one hand, it is great to have someone to talk to, share the joy of watching the sunrise, complain about blisters, looking for accommodation or share a large meal. On the other hand, it is very annoying to hear of the snoring for the whole night. And for this reason not sleeping at all. Also, people are loud, sometimes rude, leave a mess in a shared bathroom and sometimes even occupy the very last bed in a dormitory so you have to walk further to find a place to sleep. Just like everyday life, isn’t it? We’re usually fed up with our neighbours, colleagues at work, people in shops or buses we use. And believe me: the camino is just the same and people are equally irritating. But again: IT’S ALL UP TO YOU. The way you deal with your irritation is always up to you. And a pilgrimage is a good moment to work on your behaviour. Being tired or even exhausted or in pain does not help but this is a great moment to start. Oh, and there is another issue related to a group you share the camino with. The bedbugs! Yes, they really are there. Paradoxically, however, I got bitten by bedbugs at the very end of The Way in a hotel in Santiago de Compostela where we had a room for ourselves. In the major part of shared dormitories, you will get a single use sheets, which keeps you safe from the bugs. But just as I said: for better or worse. For me, it was always helpful to think that other people are also tired and I should treat them just the way I would like to be treated in the same circumstances. Sharing a painful experience – and walking The Way is painful and demanding – helps to develop your empathy. Once in a Lifetime All in all, I think that walking the camino is a very important experience. Hopefully, my story and pictures shared here will give you a strong impulse to walk it someday. But remember about the right mindset before you go. Otherwise, this experience will disappoint you. And just as I told you in my previous post: if you never try you will never know. Here is a short video I recently published. It takes you for a walk and I think it shows how The Way is for real. Psst watch it in HD! Camino – The Way of St. James from Null...

The post Why You Should Walk the Camino at Least Once in Your Lifetime appeared first on Null & Full.

Way of St. James is a dream destination for many people. I was not one of them. This was never my dream. I can’t say that I have always dreamt about it, however, the desire to walk it has grown for some time and I think that I’ll walk it one day. Inspiration to travel comes from many sources and sometimes I’m surprised how information about a place or activity get through. This is much simpler story here: two of my close friends walked the Way of St. James recently. Their stories, pictures and memories shared with me were inspiring enough to come to a decision. I’ll walk Way of St. James some day, but first let me tell you the story how the Way of St. James became my dream destination. The inspiration Last November I was having a delicious dinner with one of my friends. He has just returned from the Way of St. James and he still had these sparkling eyes while telling his story. I simply love such conversations as it gives amazing boost to my imagination. He showed me like thousand photos made on his way to Santiago with endless horizon full of gentle hills and wineries, small bridges, little churches and traditional spanish houses. I got bewitched with his story but that was not the moment I decided to walk the Way. In January I browsed through Vimeo site and one of the first movies found was on the Way of St. James. I paste here a link so you could have a look at it. I found it profoundly inspiring. The braking point in my thinking about the Way came later in spring. A friend of mine made an ambitious project to go to Spain and walk the Way, or better say to ride it. He made like 750km on his bike. I’m not a big fan of bicycle so there was no point to join him, however, after his return we met and he told me a fascinating story on how it was. His pictures and stories or maybe the way he was telling about it got to me and I knew this very moment I need to go there. The Aran Islands Yes, even my recent trip to Ireland brought some inspiration to walk the Way. I told the story in details here so no need to repeat it. The movie Last week I saw a movie The Way directed by Emilio Estevez, starring Martin Sheen. Now, that was a surprising confrontation of my friends’ stories and a vision of the director. I recognized some filming location from pictures and enjoyed watching it very much. If you have ever thought about walking the Way of St. James you should watch this movie first. Not spoiling the end of this movie let me just say that the leading actor of this movie goes through a profound transformation on many levels of his inner life. My expectation towards the Way would be much modest but I still believe that walking any trail on foot creates a unique opportunity to reshape the self. Why? The overall idea of a walk with one backpack, free from a phone and computer is rather catchy. Everything turns upside down when you hit the road. The freedom of relying on myself is one of the best thing while travelling. Meeting people from all over the world and participating in a tradition of a thousand years old makes it really special. Mostly, however, the time spent on the way gives you an opportunity to miss your everyday life. I’ve got already the shell of St. James found on a beach so I consider the first step in the preparation was made. I think that having fascinating and inspirational people around is a blessing. The other’s people passions not only bring news about unknown places but also makes me to believe I can go there. And bring my own story about a place to share it with them later on. Can’t wait to start my journey. Credits: The pictures published in this gallery is a courtesy of my friend who agreed to share it with you. Enjoy watching it and start planning your journey. And get some inspiring people around you. This may change your life. All photos were taken along the Camino del Norte.  

The post Camino de Santiago – Way of St. James appeared first on Null & Full.