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Gretuka,
From Biarritz take the bus to Bayonne station. You catch the bus right outside the airport and then take the direct train from Bayonne to SJPdP. trains leave at 7:45 11:10, 14:56 and 18:06 and take about 1 hour and 20 minutes. You can buy the tickets at the station.
Ahhs,
My daughter and I hiked from SJPDP in 2006. We used ultralight packs and including the weight of the pack, I carried 11 pounds (5 kg) and Caitling carried 12 pounds (5.5 kg). That was dry weight, with 3 L of water, that came to about 20 and 21 lbs. We were pretty brutal about what we...
Hola
We, my daughter, son, daughter-in-law and I, are planning the Camino Portugues from Porto in late May and June of 2011 and then on to Fisterra. Everything is tentative right now and the exact timing depends on my son's graduation and wedding. My daughter and I did the Camino Frances...
From SJPP it's 5 km to Hounto and 8 km to Orisson. The 3 km between Hounto and Orisson are the steepest and include a km or so of the dreaded neverending switchbacks. But when you reach the table d'orientation you're almost at Orisson, so they actually do end. The nice thing about stopping...
Just a few points.
I was just checking on baggage rules and according to the TSA you can't fly with gel inserts.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm
I didn't buy a size larger and my feet swelled. It wasn't pleasant.
You can buy orthopedic...
Hi Angela:
May I suggest making reservations in Orisson, http://www.refuge-orisson.com/, for your first night. It is 8 km from SJPP with the last 3 km or so being the hardest of the entire Pyrenees crossing. You can leave SJPP a little later and then you have most of the day in Orisson to...
I thought I'd add my $.02.
Pack weight. There are lots of ultralight backpacking sites on the web that you should check out! According to our bathroom scale, my daughter and I did SJPP to Santiago in 2006 at 11 lbs gear weight before adding water. 11 lbs or 5 kg base weight is easy, below...
Good to hear your PF is getting better. Several years ago I was developed PF. I tried treating myself - bad idea - eventually I could barely walk. I went to my doctor who sent me to a podiatrist. It took 3 or 4 months, several cortisone shots, custom orthotics and a regime of stretching...
Hi Trish Gray
My daughter and I walked in May-June last year so I can't offer much advice about April but I noticed your last name. Wanted to wish you buen camino.
John Gray
My daughter and I walked the camino last spring, also starting in late May from St Jean. It was a great time to start. Do pack light, there's not much you really need. I did take small digital camera that I used a lot.
Do get good pair of lightweight hiking boots. Lots of info and...
Leon is 320 km from Santiago. It's a great starting place. Plan to spend at least a day there sightseeing before you start. The cathedral alone is spectacular! And between Leon and Santiago there is quite a bit of diverse scenery and camino history along with 2 mountain ranges and the hills...
I also suffer from vertigo. My daughter and I did the Route of Napoleon in May with no problems. We did it in 2 days stopping at Orisson (be sure to make a reservation). There are some drop offs along the trail but you never have to walk near them and the views are spectacular.
John
Check out the Chaco Z-1 hiking sandal, they seem to be very popular with backpackers here even on long distance hikes like the AT or PCT. I'm not daring enough to try but they look interesting.
I own a pair of heavy leather boots as well as pair of light weight boots but except in extreme...
Karms,
Try walking a little further each day. 5 km a day or 2.5 each way isn't really enough to bring out any problems. You want to do 2 things, improve your overall fitness and find out if there are any problems. Better to find out at home where you have a chance of fixing them than...
I just saw another thread on deciphering spanish menus. We can follow that thread and see what people have to say. Maybe we can compile a list when we are on our camino and contribute it.
Tomorrow a group of us are going to lunch at a local Brazilian restaurant. Since I speak a little...
I hope we didn't sound too squeamish about trying new food. Actually, we are looking forward to eating our way across Spain. But while Central and South American cuisine is relatively popular in Northern Virginia, there doesn’t seem to be any Spanish restaurants.
In most accounts I have...
Ola,
My daughter and I are planning to walk part of the Camino Frances starting in late May or early June. Tentatively we are planning to start in Leon and continue walking to Finisterre after a couple days in Santiago.
Afterwards, my wife will fly over and we will have a mini European...
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