Unanswerable questions about the Camino
The counter on my blog is about to tick over to 20,000 hits, so here is a reflection I prepared for our Toronto Camino Meeting March 19, 2016.
I have been asked many questions about the Camino, and some of them are difficult to answer.
Like:
Is it difficult?
Well, what is difficult about it?
The physical exertion?
Train with your equipment by yourself and with others, and ask yourself - Is it difficult?
Ask other pilgrims what physical problems they had.
It's personal.
Sleeping with snorers?
Earplugs and the day's exertion may solve that one, or perhaps you will learn that you need a private room.
Carrying it all on your back?
Prepare your list, pack it and carry it on walks in increments, and ask other pilgrims about their experience. You may need to ship your bag on occasion.
Is it religious?
Are you religious? If you are, then God will be present with you every day, in the people you meet, the churches you enter and the services you attend. You can be God's hands and feet on the Camino, as you walk in community with other pilgrims.
Is it spiritual?
What do you mean by spiritual? Dawn's early light? Helping one another? A kind word or gesture when you are exhausted? A cuckoo greeting you each morning? Lifting your eyes to the mountains? All of these you will experience, but it is your idea of "spiritual" that matters.
Why do you keep going back?
The answer is different for everyone. I have a long list of answers to that, but the short answer is "Because I can", and Magdalena's answer is "Why not?" It's personal. As my walking partner in 2014 said "Now I know why no one can answer this question. You have to experience it to understand it." The journey makes you a pilgrim.
Let me quote Leonard Cohen's CD Songs for the Road.
The road is not a line between places. It is a place between places. A place of it's own.
If departure is the past and arrival is the future, then the road is the present and there is nothing more spiritually difficult or spiritually rewarding than learning to live significantly in the present.
Let me ask you one last question from Mary Oliver.
Tell me... what are you doing with your one wild and precious life?
The Camino Frances
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Training, part 2
Several people have kindly suggested that perhaps my training agenda in my recent post was a bit over the top. I love to walk, so I walk a lot, maybe more than is necessary for training. Some might characterize my regimen as excessive, or perhaps obsessive, so here is what I think is a minimum that you might consider in preparation for the Camino.
Do some kind of regular walking - to accustom the body, and to encourage the happy hormones.
Walk at least 100 km, over a number of days, in the shoes you plan to wear. After each walk, take off the shoes and look for any red or hot spots on your feet and ankles. Are your shoes big enough? Would you benefit from 2 pairs of socks? Or perhaps try vaseline the next time. My feet were vaselined every morning on the Camino.
Practice with your poles. You will be able to go farther, faster, and it will take some of the weight from your feet, hips and knees.
Find someone, or a group, who has walked the Camino, so you can listen and learn, and share your own plans. Going through your packed backpack with a veteran can also be very helpful. Attending an information session can answer a lot of questions and allay some fears.
Get your backpack, try it out, and get help getting it fitted. When you are sure it works for you, and fits you well, start wearing it while walking. Gradually fill it up, so that by the time you leave, you have walked with the weight you will carry on the Camino. Aim for approximately 10% of your body weight, and remember that the weight will grow as you add water and snacks.
Walk 2 hours. Then walk 2 hours with your backpack. Then walk 3, then 4 hours, then 5 hours with your backpack. Then walk 5 hours on 2 consecutive days. Track the distance, so that you know that you can walk 20 kms on 2 consecutive days. If you can do that and enjoy it, you will be ready.
You could always do more to prepare. Some people show up in untried equipment and make it. And then, some people have to give up as a result of injuries, chronic conditions that flare up, accidents, and just plain doing too many kms. I am a prudent pilgrim. I go prepared. But truly, I am training not just for an upcoming Camino, but for life.
Do some kind of regular walking - to accustom the body, and to encourage the happy hormones.
Walk at least 100 km, over a number of days, in the shoes you plan to wear. After each walk, take off the shoes and look for any red or hot spots on your feet and ankles. Are your shoes big enough? Would you benefit from 2 pairs of socks? Or perhaps try vaseline the next time. My feet were vaselined every morning on the Camino.
Practice with your poles. You will be able to go farther, faster, and it will take some of the weight from your feet, hips and knees.
Find someone, or a group, who has walked the Camino, so you can listen and learn, and share your own plans. Going through your packed backpack with a veteran can also be very helpful. Attending an information session can answer a lot of questions and allay some fears.
Get your backpack, try it out, and get help getting it fitted. When you are sure it works for you, and fits you well, start wearing it while walking. Gradually fill it up, so that by the time you leave, you have walked with the weight you will carry on the Camino. Aim for approximately 10% of your body weight, and remember that the weight will grow as you add water and snacks.
Walk 2 hours. Then walk 2 hours with your backpack. Then walk 3, then 4 hours, then 5 hours with your backpack. Then walk 5 hours on 2 consecutive days. Track the distance, so that you know that you can walk 20 kms on 2 consecutive days. If you can do that and enjoy it, you will be ready.
You could always do more to prepare. Some people show up in untried equipment and make it. And then, some people have to give up as a result of injuries, chronic conditions that flare up, accidents, and just plain doing too many kms. I am a prudent pilgrim. I go prepared. But truly, I am training not just for an upcoming Camino, but for life.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Tools for training
What tools do I need to help me to accomplish my training goals?
First, the goals, for me, need to be concrete and achievable. 100 kms per week is a challenge most weeks, and I achieve it most weeks. I track my steps with a LifeTrak watch. It records my step, calorie burn and distance each day, then charts them for the week. Many people who walk with me use a Fitbit, and the info is on your wrist and in your computer, but as I don't have internet access at home, that wouldn't be an advantage for me. My watch was a gift from my daughter and went on my last Camino with me. I am very satisfied with the way it monitors my walking.
I lead walks, so there is incentive for me to be out there 3 times a week, with a plan ( and snacks for everybody). Being accountable to others help me get out of bed every morning. I'll blog later with some snack recipes, and also another blog post on my favourite walks here in Toronto. I don't have a car, so I go everywhere on foot or transit, and occasionally in a shared ride. The way I see it, if I have the time to walk to a destination, then I don't see taking transit ( and thus I save money towards the next Camino). I also can read and walk, so when I have a great book to read, I am happy to walk and read outside.
Since I don't have a back seat to toss items into, I carry a backpack everywhere. I have food, water, reading material, my wallet, my to-do list, and sometimes maps and miscellaneous other items. It often weighs 10 pounds ( and more, as I shop for groceries most days), so when I put on my Camino backpack, I am used to the weight. I use a MEC daypack.
It looks like this one. I like them with a flat bottom so they don't fall over when I set them down.
I have lots of coats ( the benefits of thrifting, mostly) but the ones I wear the most are waterproof and lined with fleece. It is easy to layer underneath, so that I can wear the same coat if it is raining, snowing, sleeting, or sunny and 10' or lower. I don't often wear my down jacket, as it isn't warm when wet. I do have a down vest, and I love it for layering. I have the weather channel on mute most mornings, so I can decide how many layers to wear under my coat.
I only wear Keen Shoes. I go through 2 pairs a year - one pair of sandals, which I wear as long as possible, even with socks (gasp!), and another pair of shoes for cooler weather. This is what the shoes look like. I wear a men's size 43, as my feet are very wide ( partly thanks to all the walking) and also thanks to genetics. I wear them a size larger that I might if I weren't doing all this walking, allowing room for swelling and sweating and merino socks.
This is the sandal I wear, and these are the two shoes I take on the Camino. The sandal is heavier than clogs or flip flops, which are popular with pilgrims, but I am able to wear these on the trail, with socks, if I need a change from the heavier shoes. I also can wear them into the shower room, but I go into the shower itself in bare feet.
Using poles while walking in Toronto is a good idea. They take some of the weight off your feet, knees and hips, and give the upper body a bit of a workout. Mine are missing right now, or I would be using them, and I might not have slipped and fallen in the mud on Friday!
Here's a picture from 2 years ago, as I was training for my 2014 Camino - so far we have had no snow in Toronto! Thanks for the picture, Julie.
Buen Camino!
First, the goals, for me, need to be concrete and achievable. 100 kms per week is a challenge most weeks, and I achieve it most weeks. I track my steps with a LifeTrak watch. It records my step, calorie burn and distance each day, then charts them for the week. Many people who walk with me use a Fitbit, and the info is on your wrist and in your computer, but as I don't have internet access at home, that wouldn't be an advantage for me. My watch was a gift from my daughter and went on my last Camino with me. I am very satisfied with the way it monitors my walking.
I lead walks, so there is incentive for me to be out there 3 times a week, with a plan ( and snacks for everybody). Being accountable to others help me get out of bed every morning. I'll blog later with some snack recipes, and also another blog post on my favourite walks here in Toronto. I don't have a car, so I go everywhere on foot or transit, and occasionally in a shared ride. The way I see it, if I have the time to walk to a destination, then I don't see taking transit ( and thus I save money towards the next Camino). I also can read and walk, so when I have a great book to read, I am happy to walk and read outside.
Since I don't have a back seat to toss items into, I carry a backpack everywhere. I have food, water, reading material, my wallet, my to-do list, and sometimes maps and miscellaneous other items. It often weighs 10 pounds ( and more, as I shop for groceries most days), so when I put on my Camino backpack, I am used to the weight. I use a MEC daypack.
It looks like this one. I like them with a flat bottom so they don't fall over when I set them down.
I have lots of coats ( the benefits of thrifting, mostly) but the ones I wear the most are waterproof and lined with fleece. It is easy to layer underneath, so that I can wear the same coat if it is raining, snowing, sleeting, or sunny and 10' or lower. I don't often wear my down jacket, as it isn't warm when wet. I do have a down vest, and I love it for layering. I have the weather channel on mute most mornings, so I can decide how many layers to wear under my coat.
I only wear Keen Shoes. I go through 2 pairs a year - one pair of sandals, which I wear as long as possible, even with socks (gasp!), and another pair of shoes for cooler weather. This is what the shoes look like. I wear a men's size 43, as my feet are very wide ( partly thanks to all the walking) and also thanks to genetics. I wear them a size larger that I might if I weren't doing all this walking, allowing room for swelling and sweating and merino socks.
This is the sandal I wear, and these are the two shoes I take on the Camino. The sandal is heavier than clogs or flip flops, which are popular with pilgrims, but I am able to wear these on the trail, with socks, if I need a change from the heavier shoes. I also can wear them into the shower room, but I go into the shower itself in bare feet.
Using poles while walking in Toronto is a good idea. They take some of the weight off your feet, knees and hips, and give the upper body a bit of a workout. Mine are missing right now, or I would be using them, and I might not have slipped and fallen in the mud on Friday!
Here's a picture from 2 years ago, as I was training for my 2014 Camino - so far we have had no snow in Toronto! Thanks for the picture, Julie.
Buen Camino!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Plans for training for my 2016 Camino
I'm walking the Camino this summer and fall. I'll be turning 70 while I am there, so I am giving careful thought to my training in preparation for about 4 weeks of walking, and 2 weeks of 18 hour days, caring for pilgrims at Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal.
The largest part of my training is the walks that I lead here in Toronto. I have been leading 3 hikes a week for several years, and I'll continue to do that while I am in Toronto.
On Mondays, we walk for about 4 hours with a break for coffee - about 15 km.
On Tuesdays, we walk for an hour or so, then have coffee, and walk home - roughly 6 or 7 kms.
On Fridays, my goal is 20 kms. Sometimes we go further, especially if we walk home after lunch. Sometimes it is shorter.
That adds up to roughly 43 kms on training walks.
I walk about the same amount over the week, doing my errands. I walk to pick up my grandson, to pick up my email at the library, to church on Sunday and back again, food shopping.....I walk almost everywhere I go.
My goal is 100 kms per week, and I have averaged that over the last 18 months.
Miguel Cura did this caricature of me and put it on his blog. He walked the Camino with his dad, and trained a few times with us. See his Camino at miguelcura.com
I also attend a 90 minute Iyengar yoga class each week, and have been doing this for the past 12 years. It has helped my stamina, strength and balance, and I enjoy it (mostly).
I wear a backpack wherever I go, and it usually weighs in at about 10 pounds, so that is part of the training too. When I start to practice with my Camino backpack, I hardly notice a difference.
I am thinking of walking to my cottage this spring as part of my training. It is about 120 kms, and most of it can be done on trails. I have friends along the way, so I can possibly stay at various homes, maybe taking 5 days to walk it. So far, I have no definite plans, just the possibility, but it is a fun idea.
All this walking makes me a happy woman!
I read about the Camino, follow blogs, and help to organize our twice yearly meetings about the Camino. Yes, and I dream the Camino!
The largest part of my training is the walks that I lead here in Toronto. I have been leading 3 hikes a week for several years, and I'll continue to do that while I am in Toronto.
On Mondays, we walk for about 4 hours with a break for coffee - about 15 km.
On Tuesdays, we walk for an hour or so, then have coffee, and walk home - roughly 6 or 7 kms.
On Fridays, my goal is 20 kms. Sometimes we go further, especially if we walk home after lunch. Sometimes it is shorter.
That adds up to roughly 43 kms on training walks.
I walk about the same amount over the week, doing my errands. I walk to pick up my grandson, to pick up my email at the library, to church on Sunday and back again, food shopping.....I walk almost everywhere I go.
My goal is 100 kms per week, and I have averaged that over the last 18 months.
Miguel Cura did this caricature of me and put it on his blog. He walked the Camino with his dad, and trained a few times with us. See his Camino at miguelcura.com
I also attend a 90 minute Iyengar yoga class each week, and have been doing this for the past 12 years. It has helped my stamina, strength and balance, and I enjoy it (mostly).
I wear a backpack wherever I go, and it usually weighs in at about 10 pounds, so that is part of the training too. When I start to practice with my Camino backpack, I hardly notice a difference.
I am thinking of walking to my cottage this spring as part of my training. It is about 120 kms, and most of it can be done on trails. I have friends along the way, so I can possibly stay at various homes, maybe taking 5 days to walk it. So far, I have no definite plans, just the possibility, but it is a fun idea.
All this walking makes me a happy woman!
I read about the Camino, follow blogs, and help to organize our twice yearly meetings about the Camino. Yes, and I dream the Camino!
Monday, March 10, 2014
More on Training
I have upped my walking and am trying to walk further each day.
Here is what I was doing on Friday - thanks Julie for the picture, including the finger!
We walked about 20 km, and it was all gorgeous.
Saturday I had a pot-luck lunch near Avenue Road and Lawrence, so I walked up - about 10 kms.
Sunday I walked to church and back. Here is our website - our church is newly renovated, and a very exciting place to be. That walk was about 10 km all together too.
http://beachunitedchurch.com/
On Wednesday I walked along Bloor street to Davenport to visit Monarch Vintage - a clothing store run by a high school friend of Aislinn's. Hilary recognized me as I walked in the door - I hadn't seen her for at least 15 years. Check it out at
https://www.facebook.com/MonarchVintage.
I'll be going through my closets and donating to her - and I won't have stuff in my closets that I don't wear - a win-win. And another 15 kms.
Today our walking group went down the Don Trail to Corktown Commons. The security guard there gave us a tour of the facilities - it must be a lonely job.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corktown_Common
We resumed walking, and because Jasper ( the dog) was with us, we had coffee at Merchants of Green Coffee - a dog friendly ( and people friendly) coffee shop.
http://merchantsofgreencoffee.com/.
But that wasn't enough for some of us, so we walked the Portlands, and were home in time for lunchafter walking about 14 kms.
Tomorrow is the walking group, with a visit to the Distillery (likely) and a visit to the waterfront and Cherry Beach tacked on for more distance.
Wednesday, I am walking back to Monarch Vintage, then an appointment at Yonge and St Clair. I likely won't walk home.
Thursday, the Waterfront Trail ( on streets, not the beach) from home to Rosetta McClain park and back to the church for choir practice.
Friday, from home up the Don Trail to Nostalgia coffee shop at O'Connor and St Clair, then lunch at Camino Bistro and home along the Danforth.
I think I'll be ready for the Camino!
Here is what I was doing on Friday - thanks Julie for the picture, including the finger!
We walked about 20 km, and it was all gorgeous.
Saturday I had a pot-luck lunch near Avenue Road and Lawrence, so I walked up - about 10 kms.
Sunday I walked to church and back. Here is our website - our church is newly renovated, and a very exciting place to be. That walk was about 10 km all together too.
http://beachunitedchurch.com/
On Wednesday I walked along Bloor street to Davenport to visit Monarch Vintage - a clothing store run by a high school friend of Aislinn's. Hilary recognized me as I walked in the door - I hadn't seen her for at least 15 years. Check it out at
https://www.facebook.com/MonarchVintage.
I'll be going through my closets and donating to her - and I won't have stuff in my closets that I don't wear - a win-win. And another 15 kms.
Today our walking group went down the Don Trail to Corktown Commons. The security guard there gave us a tour of the facilities - it must be a lonely job.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corktown_Common
We resumed walking, and because Jasper ( the dog) was with us, we had coffee at Merchants of Green Coffee - a dog friendly ( and people friendly) coffee shop.
http://merchantsofgreencoffee.com/.
But that wasn't enough for some of us, so we walked the Portlands, and were home in time for lunchafter walking about 14 kms.
Tomorrow is the walking group, with a visit to the Distillery (likely) and a visit to the waterfront and Cherry Beach tacked on for more distance.
Wednesday, I am walking back to Monarch Vintage, then an appointment at Yonge and St Clair. I likely won't walk home.
Thursday, the Waterfront Trail ( on streets, not the beach) from home to Rosetta McClain park and back to the church for choir practice.
Friday, from home up the Don Trail to Nostalgia coffee shop at O'Connor and St Clair, then lunch at Camino Bistro and home along the Danforth.
I think I'll be ready for the Camino!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Training for the Camino
Hiking in the Don Valley in January
We are about to book our tickets, with less than 3 months to go, and I am wondering about training.
My goal each week is to walk 150,000 steps, though I don't always make it. That is about 90 km per week.
On the Camino, I hope to average about 25 km per day, or 150 per week.
So, how do I get to the Camino, prepared to walk that distance day after day, carrying a pack which will weigh about 8 kg plus food and water for the day?
Here is what I am doing right now:
On Fridays, I lead a hike of about 15-20 prospective pilgrims and returning pilgrims, and anyone else crazy enough to want to hike about 20 kms. And I walk 10 to 20 kms on the other days, especially on Monday and Tuesday when I lead one hour hikes, and Thursday and Sunday when I walk to church and sometimes back, carrying a 5 km backpack each time. I also go to a 90 minute yoga class each week.
Is that enough?
Or do I need to walk back to back days of 20 or more kms?
Do I need to practice with the loaded backpack for those back to back hikes?
Do I need to go up and down hills repeatedly to build up my leg muscles?
Should I be lifting weights and doing squats every other day?
I think I am in as good as or better shape than I was on my first and second Camino.
Can I trust that my body will be up to the challenge?
The proof is in the pudding - I think I will only know when I am there, doing it.
Here is a blog post from the Camino Forum with specific goals for each week. As I look at it, I think that I am almost there.
http://www.caminoadventures.com/getting-walking-fit-camino/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
What a great adventure my life is!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wandering this fall
Since I plan to walk the Camino once again in the Spring of 2014 with my friend Wendy, I need to step up the training. I now lead walk 3 days a week. Monday and Tuesday are usually in the neighbourhood, for about an hour, and Friday is a day-long walk with pilgrims - about the length of my definition of a short day on the Camino - about 4 and a half hours of walking, ending with a lunch somewhere on the route.
On the shorter walks, I have explored Corktown Common, the Distillery, Cherry Beach, the new Rouge Park, the Necropolis, Craigleith Gardens, Chorley Park, the Brickworks, the abandoned CPR rail route up the Don Valley, Governor's Bridge and Rosedale. On all but one of these hikes, I have had friends with me.
On the longer walks with Pilgrims Practice/Progress, we have walked the Eastern Beaches, Grenadier Pond in High Park and the Humber River, the waterfront to High Park, the Toronto Islands, and the Don Valley trail to Edwards Gardens. This week we return to the Humber and walk north from Bloor.
This is a picture taken by Julie, of our walk near Wilkett Creek.
Toronto is so beautiful, and provides so many opportunities to get away from the bustle and the pavement, and so many challenges and adventures in preparation for the pilgrimage.
Ultreia!
On the shorter walks, I have explored Corktown Common, the Distillery, Cherry Beach, the new Rouge Park, the Necropolis, Craigleith Gardens, Chorley Park, the Brickworks, the abandoned CPR rail route up the Don Valley, Governor's Bridge and Rosedale. On all but one of these hikes, I have had friends with me.
On the longer walks with Pilgrims Practice/Progress, we have walked the Eastern Beaches, Grenadier Pond in High Park and the Humber River, the waterfront to High Park, the Toronto Islands, and the Don Valley trail to Edwards Gardens. This week we return to the Humber and walk north from Bloor.
This is a picture taken by Julie, of our walk near Wilkett Creek.
Toronto is so beautiful, and provides so many opportunities to get away from the bustle and the pavement, and so many challenges and adventures in preparation for the pilgrimage.
Ultreia!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Bridgebuilding
Friday walk with Pilgrims Progress
Let's build a bridge!
This Friday, May 3, we are looking for adventure on Toronto Island. Meet at 9 am, 9:10 at the bridge, and bring a fork and a pot luck item to share for lunch. Email me for details, if you need them. Only one more Friday walk, then we move to Thursday. Last walk of the season is June 20.
This pilgrim spent some time in Leon yesterday pondering why he and the other walkers he met were doing the Camino. No definitive answers, but very thought provoking.
http://pgstheway.com/2013/04/30/day-20-rest-reflection-2/
Buen Camino!
Darlene
Let's build a bridge!
This Friday, May 3, we are looking for adventure on Toronto Island. Meet at 9 am, 9:10 at the bridge, and bring a fork and a pot luck item to share for lunch. Email me for details, if you need them. Only one more Friday walk, then we move to Thursday. Last walk of the season is June 20.
This pilgrim spent some time in Leon yesterday pondering why he and the other walkers he met were doing the Camino. No definitive answers, but very thought provoking.
http://pgstheway.com/2013/04/30/day-20-rest-reflection-2/
Buen Camino!
Darlene
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Training walk - for the next Camino?
Josef and I went on a training walk this morning. He trains 2-3 times a week in order to stay in shape for his next Camino. He has walked the Camino every year since 2007, when we met. This spring he walked part of the Vezelay route, and will continue where he left off next spring, and hopefully end in St Jean Pied de Port. He has a fancy watch that monitors his heart rate, distance, time and pace. We walked 9 km in 90 minutes, which is a 6 minute km, which is faster that my usual pace. On the Camino, with a backpack, of fairly level ground, I could walk a 15 minute km, averaging about 4 km per hour. That doesn't allow for breaks, and on the day I walked with the 3 Canadian women from Calgary, I took my breaks with them. They knew how to take a good break, and in the afternoon, I had a shandy with them - half lemonade, and half beer. Consequently, I didn't arrive in Palais de Rei until 5:30, and got the last bed in the municipal albergue. That day I averaged 3.5 km per hour. So today's hike was a challenge, at almost twice the pace.
In the afternoon we drove to Bremgarten, where we met Maria's daughter Edith, who acted as our tour guide. Bremgarten is a perfectly preserved town, with a surrounding wall and pedestrian only streets. Most of the buildings had elaborate paintings on the outside. Edith pointed out the witches' tower, where uppity women were imprisoned, and given 2 choices. Plead guilty and be executed, or plead innocent and be thrown in the river. If you survived the dunking, it meant you were guilty and were executed. Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often today, or I would be in trouble. Bremgarten also has the best Christmas market in Switzerland, and an Easter market, and several others. The town is all about tourism.
After the town tour, we walked along the river, through the covered bridge, and had ice cream on a patio overlooking the river, where kayaks were training by paddling against the current at the foot of the small dam. Quite a contrast to the mediaeval town.
My time here is winding down, and so is my camera battery. Hopefully I can rescue it, as there is more to see. Here is a picture of the highlights of Bremgarten. Check out http://www.bremgarten.ch/de/ for more pictures.
Darlene
In the afternoon we drove to Bremgarten, where we met Maria's daughter Edith, who acted as our tour guide. Bremgarten is a perfectly preserved town, with a surrounding wall and pedestrian only streets. Most of the buildings had elaborate paintings on the outside. Edith pointed out the witches' tower, where uppity women were imprisoned, and given 2 choices. Plead guilty and be executed, or plead innocent and be thrown in the river. If you survived the dunking, it meant you were guilty and were executed. Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often today, or I would be in trouble. Bremgarten also has the best Christmas market in Switzerland, and an Easter market, and several others. The town is all about tourism.
After the town tour, we walked along the river, through the covered bridge, and had ice cream on a patio overlooking the river, where kayaks were training by paddling against the current at the foot of the small dam. Quite a contrast to the mediaeval town.
My time here is winding down, and so is my camera battery. Hopefully I can rescue it, as there is more to see. Here is a picture of the highlights of Bremgarten. Check out http://www.bremgarten.ch/de/ for more pictures.
Darlene
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