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To add to my previous post, as I'm now in Santiago, the last 100 kms is definitely busy. There's also a festival in Santiago this coming weekend which doesn't help accomodations.
I've been in Spain about 1 month now, on Camino 26 days.
I'd say locals using masks are maybe 10%. Albergue and hotel hosts maybe 40%...? Zero waiters and restaraunt workers (that I can recall). 100% of pharmacy workers.
I'd say pilgrims is vanishingly few. If it's 5% who wear a mask at...
I did the Camino Frances in 2015 and am back now, started in Bayonne mid May... walked to St Jean and have been walking 25 days, just got to Sarria.
It feels like there are a good 10-20% less pilgrims than when I did it in 2015. It's tough to say because some albergues (apparently) removed beds...
Bayonne likely not necessary but for the other 2 nights I would recommend booking as most of the towns only have a couple of official places to stay, then there are a few air bnbs.
For Irissarry I would recommend Gite Aire-Berria.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/aire-berria.en-gb.html...
There was also some places where I had to turn around. One, in particular, where I missed a sign and walked into a farm like I owned the place... out into a pasture I thought connected to a road. Whoops! It did not. Que the barking farm dogs running around me as I hastened my way back from...
If you stretch it a few days you can start in Leon and walk about 220 KMs into Santiago.
I was going to do this with my fiance but her passport will be delayed too long due to our slow government.
I think it's perfect as a warm up to one's second Camino Frances, especially with a 4th day added.
Hopefully it can grow in popularity as it does have much going for it.
...
From there I followed the main road for a kilometer or so before turning left into a housing area. This
is the left to take:
Follow that road straight for quite some time and you will see a church across a major road:
Cross and continue going straight, past the church, over a...
Ok! All dons and arrived in SJpdp.
Day 3: Irissarry to St Jean Pied de Port.
From my Gite in Irissary I left at 10 AM To pickup some lunch provisions from a store 50 meters away in the center of town.
Once I was stocked up I headed west then south.
From here a good chunk of time is spent...
I'm in Saint Jean Pied de Porte, it's flooded with people and no masks anywhere. It's also crazy hot, IMO. I'm not sure how I'm surviving let alone how covid would survive.
This reminds me of one of my days on my first Camino years ago.
I was having a bad time in Peunte la Reina and didn't get out of my hotel until 10 AM.
I was walking mad and caught a lot of my Camino friends and blew by them. Got to Estrella and didn't want to hang around... decided to go to...
Thank you kindly 😁
Tough days always remind one to stay humble.
I am interested to see how confusing this last day is today as there appears to be fewer roads to get lost on compared to yesterday.
I'm also excited my Gite includes breakfast in 30 minutes and there's a store I can purchase...
...
I moved onwards and upwards towards fabled Hellette:
At some point the Camino markers were in the same sign polls as another path, black triangle and two circles.
Eventually these did go in two different directions, which was the first area I got lost today but only for 100 meters...
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