I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago

**Off We Go**The author embarks on a journey on foot along the historic pilgrims' path through Spain. At times both funny and poignant, he describes his fellow pilgrims and provides vivid details about the trail itself. His narrative flows freely, combining humor with irreverence.Faced with the challenging geology of the trail and inclement weather, the author perseveres, sharing a delightful story filled with memorable characters and rich historical context. As he completes his trek, there is a sense of bittersweetness for the reader, who is left wanting to hear more about his adventures.

The author is a popular German comedian yet the book isn't necessarily funny. It's a good read & certainly entertaining when he describes encounters with some kooky pilgrims on the Camino.Generally, each chapter profiles each day of his walk & what he experiences. He makes 2 solid friendships and that binds seems to sustain him as he walks.I enjoyed the descriptive journey, the author's humanity & the bond he forged with two particular pilgrims. I missed feeling more of a sense of any deeper spirituality he may have gained on his walk, something other authors seem to express more eloquently and devotedly.

This is my favorite book so far this year. Perhaps because I wish I could have written it, perhaps because I've always wanted to be one of those pilgrims arriving in Santiago de Compostela after experiencing the long walk from the French Alps through Spain. This often arduous journey to the Shrine of St. James in Galicia, on a route that is 1,200 years old, is followed by over 100,000 people per year. And it is popular German TV comedian Hape (Hans Peter) who has paved our way. His road trip diary is engaging and hilarious - sore feet, sore knees, big angry dogs (or dogs that just look dangerous), blazing sun, filthy hostels, unusual encounters, breathtaking landscapes, and all. You get a feeling for what you might or might not do. Maybe you'll do what he did, treat yourself to special hotels on occasion, stay more than one night in one place, and every now and then take the train instead of walking. What matters, as he shares, is what you experience, what you learn about yourself, what you may or may not learn from meeting other pilgrims, how you bring yourself to the events, the feelings, your thoughts, your soul. He braved much to bring us his charming story. (Thanks Hape, I feel happy reading about you and your friends). You'll understand why this book is a bestseller in Germany (kudos by the way for the stellar translation by Shelley Frisch), how it won the Bruce Chatwin Prize for Best Travel Book of the Year, and how it has sold over 3 million copies. Highly recommended.

There is plenty to like in this good natured account of a modern pilgrimage — deft characterizations, an engaging style and an undogmatic outlook. However, the author, a German celebrity, is able, in the main, to pick and choose which components of the hundreds of kilometer long ordeal he undertakes — staying in hotels rather than dormitories, for example. The trail is nevertheless tough, and at times there is dangerous traffic to deal with, and he suffers fatigue and discomfort. In the end, he is part of the 15% of starters who complete the journey. He has made some strong friendships with a few others and he has confirmed for himself his notions of spirituality.I don’t know, I may be being unfair, but it seems a cosy sort of suffering is the real goal of this pilgrimage — enough to conspicuously signal sincerity of purpose to oneself and others, enough to build a sense of belonging to the team, enough to be able to point to as grounds for the feel good insights that end each chapter.

Kerkeling wrote a fabulous account of his adventure on the Camino! It was recommended by a social media site on a thread of those sharing books, some who have walked and some like me, who will walk. I was looking for humor, a bit of geography and something to keep me inspired until everything opens up again after COVID19. Kerkeling kept my attention, laughing and hoping he would eventually work his way past his hangups. He did. He seemed to be the kid who sits on the side of the kickball field, watching, studying, and then cautiously joining in on the full fun! Some of his descriptions of walking had me doubled over, laughing! And other adventures were described as if I could hear the sounds of the towns he stopped in or the rustle of the leaves in the woods. Very well written and an absolute must read if you like reading hiking stories from real life adventures!

Since it is unlikely that I will ever attempt something as bold as The Camino, I live vicariously by reading books by those who have.The first book I read on the topic was Shirley MacLaine's account. I love Shirley, but her recounting of her experience---hallucination?---was way too weird for my taste.Unlike some reviewers, I didn't find this book to be exceptionally humorous or a 'page-turner.' It is, however, a good account of one man's decision-making process about making the trek, coupled with his thoughts/experiences along the way. His style of building toward self-disclosure (and how this came about) was also nice.Like a lot of travel books, the author had a tendency to go into detail about mundane aspects of the trip. Still, I stayed with the book til the end. Similar to what others have portrayed, his experience of the Spanish locals wasn't always positive, which is sad.Because I read the book on Kindle, the picture quality was poor. I assume it's better in the print version. This was unfortunate, as it looked as though he included some nice shots in the book.Surprisingly, the book came to a sudden end. That is, he was (spoiler alert) at the end of the trek; he got his stamp; and then he was off to catch a flight. At least from the reader's perspective, it all happened too quickly, with little of the detail that was included in earlier parts of the book. I would have liked to read more retrospective analysis on his part, but perhaps that will be volume two.Tip: Have a map of Spain with you as you read the book. Many of the towns and villages aren't on most maps, but it still helps you to appreciate what an endeavor those who do The Camino embark upon.Read the book.

For anyone intrigued by a pilgrimage, or specifically by the Camino de Santiago, this immersive tale takes you right into the heart of it. Or if you have no knowledge of the pilgrimage at all, it's a great surprise. It has both serious & light elements, thoughtful & playful. Honestly a delightful read loaded with great characters.

I LOVED this book. As a Santiago pilgrim myself (2008, from St Jean), I've been awaiting the English translation of this famous German's camino book. Nearly every German I met on the Camino had read the book. For some, it was the reason they were walking the 800 km journey. I'd heard from some that they'd read it and were unimpressed, too.So I was very pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put it down. It's a page turner - mostly due to the humble, self-effacing style of Hape Kerkeling, but also due to his unfailing ability to describe with truth and pathos what his eyes see.A refreshing aspect of the book is that Kerkeling does include details about the camino itself. He clearly walked most of it (unlike our dear Paulo C) and endured the hardships (though he skipped all but a few albergues). His Camino starts in solitude, but as he walks he opens himself to the scenery and the people and you can feel his soul expand.I've recommended the book to all my Camino friends and would recommend it to anyone who's considering walking the Way of St. James. A thanks to the translator (though I'm still not sure what she means by a "Spanish biscuit." Hopefully she's not referring to the omnipresent Spanish tortilla - hardly a biscuit).For good measure I'm off to read this great book a second time. Thank you, Hape, and buen camino.

Love the book. Lots of good info as I plan to do this pilgrimage with friends next year.

Traduction parfaite de l'allemand.J'ai lu ce livre dans sa version anglaise pour le proposer à mes étudiants.L'humour et la franchise de l'auteur sont parfaitement respectés, ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas dans la version française.Sans prétention, honnête, sans réserves, l'auteur se livre à une description inattendue de SON chemin vers Compostelle. Le cheminement d'une star allemande de la télévision, d'un homme qui se remet en question en quête vers l'essentiel. Qui trouve beaucoup plus qu'il ne le croit.Accessible en anglais avec un niveau B2.

Good Read. Well written, humorous and witty.

I'm off then was such a wonderful read. I took it away for my holiday reading whilst in France and read it in a single sitting. The book is well written and the people that Hans Peter meets along the way are beautifully brought to life. As a reader accompanying the book's author's words as he walked to Santiago de Compostela i found myself almost reading in time to the rhyms of the journey and as the walk neared it's end and Hans Peter wished that the work would continue forever so I wanted the book to just go on and on.I'd love to know what happened to Hans's last two walk companions not least as one of them lived and worked in town planning in Wellington New Zealand and no doubt has her work cut out now post the earthquake.A wonderful book and well worth reading

This is by far the best rendition of the Camino de Santiago that I’ve read. Like others, this is not self indulgent or pompously gratifying, but more honest and humble. Additional humour is delightful, appropriate for a comedian to write.