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Recent content by aerialobserver

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    People with Altra Lone Peak shoes

    One of the things I liked about my Lone Peak 4s was that the heel and midfoot felt locked in. The lacing is always fussy with Lone Peaks, but it does help to snug the lacing from the bottom up. Also, I've learned to oversize walking shoes to allow for feet swelling and thicker socks. I wear a...
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    What shall I remove from my pack.... 🤔

    Repellent and knife unnecessary. I would take a headlamp, with red light function, both to gather your things in early mornings and for trail use as needed. I love my Petzl Zipka Plus 2 for its retracting cord. The red light will preserve your night vision and be much less bothersome to...
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    Packing List : T shirts : Merino wool or synthetic quick dry ?

    Just a note about washing clothes: My local Camino counselor shared the tip of wearing your day's clothes into the after-walk shower to clean both garments and body at the same time. Worked wonderfully.
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    Planning 40 Days on the Camino Frances

    It's quite easy and affordable to take a one day bus tour to Finisterre/Muxia from Santiago. You will find people handing out leaflets outside the cathedral. Rather than being overly focused on that portion of the journey, I think it's important to give yourself the luxury of taking time where...
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    flying home from Porto or Madrid?

    Flew in and out through Madrid for the Camino Frances and heading to Porto for the Portuguese. Why not both? From Santiago, I took a bus to Salamanca to spend a couple of days in that lovely ancient university town. Back in Madrid, besides enjoying the museums and public gardens, there were day...
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    Packing List : What to sleep in and on ?

    One modification I made to my liner really made a difference. I had three loops sewn opposite each other on both sides on the liner. To the back set of loops, I tied lengths of thin nylon cord, then ran the cord under the mattress and tied each length loosely to the loops on the outside edge...
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    Passport warning — expiration date

    Thanks for all the suggestions and sympathy. Based on Sunday's research and this morning's action, I discovered that walking my renewal application into my state's only passport office is not possible for me. According to the US State Dept's "help" line, they make appointments only for people...
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    Passport warning — expiration date

    Yes, I've learned that six months before expiration is a good rule of thumb, but three is adequate for Portugal. I guess the theme is that a US Passport expiration date is only good for reentering the US.
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    Passport warning — expiration date

    Thanks, I'll check out the services and see what I can find.
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    Passport warning — expiration date

    Once burned, twice shy. Type in the name of the destination and the link shows country-specific info: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html I think Portugal requires three months, but many others require six. Mexico...
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    Passport warning — expiration date

    I'm crushed! Spent the day searching for flights to Porto and pulled out my credit card and paid. Only afterward did passport info show on the booking site informing me that mine, which expires on 30 December 2022 would not allow me into Portugal because the expiration date was less than 90 days...
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    Please review my packing List

    Notice you have thong-type sandals. So did I on my first Camino. That is one change I'm making for my second. I now have foam "slide" type sandals. Since albuergues require shoe removal, I found it really clumsy to have to take off my walking shoes and socks and put on sandals both coming and...
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    Please review my packing List

    For nights, I would add a sleep mask and foam earplugs. That's the closest you'll get to a "do not disturb" sign in an albuergue. A headlamp with red light option is useful for gathering gear in the dark and those times when you may be walking in darkness. A length of thin nylon cord can be...
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    Before and after the Central?

    Thanks very much! Great to hear from someone who's actually been. Looks like there's a spur line to Tomar from the main train route from Lisbon to Porto, and a stop at Coimbra. Is that how you came and went?
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    Before and after the Central?

    On my second Camino but first in Portugal, I intend to start from Porto and probably fly in to Lisbon. Between there and Porto, Tomar and Coimbra sound like interesting towns it might be good to see. If you've passed through them, I'd appreciate knowing whether they have unique or compelling...

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