Experiment in barefoot walking, pain-free hiking on the Camino Portugues, the Portuguese Way of St. James‪.‬

Just try to experience your time off differently, throw your fears and prejudices overboard, don't buy your vacation with your hard-earned money. Live at least the few days a year not planned and structured. Just live into the day. This book is not a travel guide. Why barefoot? Quite simply. For some time now, we've taken a liking to long hikes but time and time again we've been painfully reminded during or after hikes that it's not that easy; especially for the bones. The only solution: More and more expensive equipment. I want to share with you this adventure, experiment, with all the experiences and knowledge I have made. I am not a doctor or a healer, but an engineer, however I know a lot about mechanics and forces. So I look at the influences of barefoot walking from a purely physical point of view, just as the engineer does. I, on the other hand, want to systematically strengthen the walking apparatus and thus ensure that I get fewer complaints when walking. After a short period of training, I felt the effect and was fit enough to feel good for the Camino. I had no significant discomfort, neither during, nor after the hike. The taped knees, the limping people and the stories of painkillers encouraged me to implement the decision I had made earlier to put the experiences in writing. The stories are written in the form of a diary, and in retrospect I realize how much the Camino has changed me. But there's something else, I started out to walk a well-maintained, easy trail that had good infrastructure. But I discovered the Camino. Humanity, humility and a closeness that I had not experienced in this form for a long time. An experience that is difficult to convey, but so exhilarating that I decided to walk the path regularly.