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They are fairly easy to obtain at most of the starting places (Eg. SJPdP, Roncesvalles, Sarria...), at the pilgrim offices, tourist offices, public albergues... and a dozen other places. However, it is nice to get one before you travel. I believe Casa Ivar (this forum) has/had them, and/or...
There are some minor (and good) changes in the new Pilgrim Credential.
1. The credential now includes a QR code to scan, which will take you to the Registration webpage. Very handy, as you are now a click/scan away.
2. It's eliminated 'Passport Number' and 'Address' (thank God), I have had...
credit cards... yes and no. some bars and supermarkets may refuse it for small amounts (eg. under 10 euros). always good to have at least 100 euos cash imo. there are atms in all the larger villages/towns.
the municipal albergue in oviedo is fine, maybe your best option.
make sure you stamp at your next albergue/hostel, compulsory are the last 100 km, so for sure you'll have better luck tomorrow and rthe next days. no stamps, no Compostela. albergues should be ok with a stamp from the previous nught as long as it is a walkable distance.
Then I guess they follow the rules if they want the Compostela, or get a second or third credential if they run out of space. Or don't care about the Compostela and do what they want.
In my case, as I am not usually walking into Santiago, or staying at public albergues, I stamp when and where...
not sure when you walked, but there are definitely signposts with yellow arrows leading you from monte de gozo to the historic city centre (fall 2023), at least at all the major street crossings and intersections. once you are inside the pedestrian area, there's nothing, but who cares? you're there!
Drinks inside, 99% of the time it's self-service. If the seating is outside, then there could be a server, best option is ask inside: 'Sirven mesas?'. Don't worry about offending, bars will not take offence about getting this wrong; and a smile and a 'por favor' goes a long way. By the way, we...
The longest tradition of pilgrimage as we understand it would be the classic French Way. That is, contemporary pilgrims doing contemporary stuff. After the revival of the Camino in the late 20th century, pilgrims were basically walking the French Way, and on the shoulder of highways (my...
yes, this is truly the case. i am Spanish, and suffer not only lukewarm coffees but also coffee served in a glass (yuck!)
to get a hot coffee, insist politely that you would like a 'café MUY caliente, que QUEME', and then be vigilant, they will usually touch the milk pitcher, decide it's hot...
supermarkets are usually ok with a 50
bars (what we call cafes) are too, as long as it is not a single 1 euro coffee; any purchase close to 10 euros should be ok. it's running out of change they are concerned about.
gas stations will almost always have change, as long as you purchase something...
the rain in spain stays mainly on the plain
that said, although spain tends to get less rain than other northern european countries, we get (extremely) concerned when it doesn't rain at all in spring (because we know we won't see rain till late autumn).
nights will be chilly to cold (not...
I doubt many (if any) albergues/hostels/hotels allow dogs inside.
On that note, I would kindly suggest you reconsider bringing your dog (from outside the EU?) as it may not always fair for it (distance, terrain...) or indeed the other local animals.
Good luck and Buen Camino
pretty much everything not exotic (ie. rambutans), spaniards love fruit
grapes should be cheap and tasty in sept/oct
if you like bananas, go the extra mile and pay a bit more for Spanish Canary Island bananas (plátanos de canarias), they taste much better
our 'toad skin' melons (melón pie de...
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