Kerkeling is a comedian, so yes, there were massive sections of the book that was very funny. I found myself laughing while reading it alone. But in any case, comedy aside, his descriptions of the various trials and tribulations that one can face along the Camino de Santiago was very detailed, allowing me to have an expectation what the whole ordeal is like.
For me, I found it very informative to know what it is like to hike day after day. I have gone to hiking trips before, but I sandwiched my hiking days within sightseeing days. I never had a period where I just spent day after day hiking, as I always planned some sort of rest day after one day of hiking. In addition to that, I always just hiked as day trips, which meant I didn't carry a backpack with me, as I always had a place to come back to and stay the night. So reading what it takes to do such an undertaking was definitely very informative.
I suppose it is also interesting to read about the extra-curricular experiences that one gets when one undertakes a massive hike like the Camino de Santiago. There would be hikers doing the same thing alongside you, and as the author experienced, relationships are formed, as you more or less encounter the same set of people trying to do the same thing next to you, day by day. I am an introvert, and so I don't quite look forward to that idea, but I suppose it helps if you're spending two months on the road. In 2020, I did the first four of the eight legs of the Malerweg, and I actually did the first two legs in two subsequent days. I did see the same people trying to do the same thing as I did, but of course, since I took two rest days afterward, I lost track of these people. By the time I tackled the third leg, I saw a different set of faces.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book. It is full of humour, and at the same time a very good book to get inspiration regarding how this famous hike is to be tackled, to those who dare. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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