Hi, I’ m Martin, 36 years young, live in the beautiful city of Bonn, Germany and come originally from Berlin.
In 2012 I had my first longdistance hike on the French Way of St James with almost 780 km / 500 miles from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela.
This hike has completely changed me and my life. Since then I am addicted to hiking – a HikeJunkie 😀
How it all Started
In 2010 I watched a TV documentary about the Way of St James. What struck me about this documentary was the dissatisfied journalist. He complained about everything and was not at all satisfied. So I only watched the documentary for 5 minutes and then turned off the TV. I went into the kitchen and cleaned up a bit. After I finished cleaning up I went back to the living room and switched on the TV again.
The documentary was almost over and the journalist stood in Finisterre on the Atlantic Ocean – the end of the Way of St James. He was completely changed, calm, happy and had a warm and pleasant charisma. I couldn’t believe the whole thing and just thought, if the Way of St James makes such a change with a person, what is it doing with me? I wanted to find out and decided to walk the French Way of St James.
My First Camino
So I started to save holidays and headed off in spring 2012. Without preparing myself very well or giving myself a lot of thought about the course of the path, I started with good spirits and let myself be carried away by the coincidences of the Camino de Santiago.
The way was hard, arduous and I crossed more than once my physical and psychological limits. From snow over hail, rain, storm, lightning and thunder up to 40°C and burning sun there was something for every weather lover.
The contacts with the people on the way, however, pushed these small complaints and adverse circumstances in the background. There was so much laughter and many intensive, warm and wonderful conversations. It was a celebration of the senses and a way of celebrating life that I didn’t know before.
The arrival in Santiago de Compostela was celebrated extensively and everyone lay in each other’s arms. We were proud of ourselves, our companions and our new friends. My crowning finale ended up in Finisterre with a jump into the Atlantic Ocean during sunrise.
My Knowledge
For me it was probably the hardest and at most wonderful experience I’ve ever experienced in my life. Living a longer time out of a backpack, only dealing with the essentials, not having access to media and only having little contact at home, change the view of everyday life. Since then I have walked further ways and will also walk many more.
On this blog I want to share my insights, experiences and thoughts with you. A hike is a wonderful experience and a huge bag full of life experience.
My Hikes so far:
| Name | Distance | Year | Country | |
| Way of St James, Camino Frances | 780 km / 485 mi | 2012 | Spain | |
| Dingle Way | 180 km / 112 mi | 2014 | Ireland | |
| Way of St James, Camino del Norte | 860 km / 534 mi | 2015 | Spain | |
| Rheinsteig | Stages | 312 km / 194 mi | 2017 | Germany |
| Way of St James, Via de la Plata | 1.007 km / 626 mi | 2018 | Spain |
Stay in Contact with me
Feel free to contact me. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook. If you want to have regular updates about this blog, you can subscribe to my free newsletter in the following field.
If you have questions, suggestions or criticism, I’m looking forward to your comments.
Greetings, Martin
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