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Recent content by Charles Johnson

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    What’s going on?

    We walked the Camino in June with a group of twelve. We did just fine without planning everything out ..
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    Arriving at Biarritz Airport.

    The store that is here, run by Ivar. https://www.santiagodecompostela.me/ Buen Camino!! (planning ours June '23)
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    Arriving at Biarritz Airport.

    There is an excellent guidebook here in the Camino store. Highly recommended as it has maps and albergues in each town. Highly recommended for any Camino.
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    How much route planning is actually needed?

    Happy planning! We did the camino in '16 from St. Jean to Santiago in 33 days. Hiked 5:30 to noon, washed, napped, spent the rest of the day n evening with people. We planned the next day the night before. Most days it worked, but when it doesn't, just adjust and enjoy! -- Charles (ps: we...
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    What to pack for my First Camino?

    Food for thought. I was overpacked on my first Camino and shipped over half of my pack to Santiago from Pamplona (thank you Ivar). There are plenty of shops along the way, and even more plentiful are helpful pilgrims you will meet along the way. Trust that the Camino will provide.
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    Help! The walking pole makes me feel like the walking dead!

    This may be late to the thread, but to me, sore arms is actually a good sign, it means your arms are helping support your weight. I've used poles on both Caminos. I use them differently for uphill (supporting my weight) and for downhill (for balance. ) On the flat stretches, I collapse them down...
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    Urban Myths

    Take a trip back in ancient Jewish history and discover the original use of incense during temple sacrifice. Similar olfactory problem. That being said, seeing it fill the Church with smoke in Santiago was awesome :)
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    Getting things off my chest post Camino Frances

    Beautiful story Stephen, thank you for sharing. For what it's worth, I met a bartender on my first Camino and stayed at the bar long into the night listening to him share his story. He had a similar experience to yours, but went home, packed it all in and returned to court and marry the...
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    Returning to Paris from Santiago de Compostela

    I know you mentioned not flying back to Paris, but... We did. We needed to slowly adjust as well from our Camino in the summer of 2016. Flying back to Paris gave us that extra time in Santiago (it was cheap too). We stayed in a place called the "Youth Hippie Hostel" in Paris. Funny name, but...
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    Stuck in Bayonne

    In our case, it was delayed luggage :) And so, my niece and I missed the last Saturday train by 5 minutes. Oh well; we found two trekkers in the same boat, split the cab fare 4 ways and made it to St. Jean hours ahead of the train :) Enjoy your Camino!! All of it!!
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    2016 Season: How are the crowds so far?

    Crowds were great in June and July. People were friendly, lively, and fun to be around; even those we could not communicate with linguistically. Don't worry about the crowds!! Albergue's are opening all the time. Buen Camino!! The people (crowds) are what make the Frances route so darned...
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    Stage distances into towns and cities Incorrect ???

    Is it just you? Nope, but maybe it's you and me. Having finished the Camino last month, I did have the same experience that you did, and eventually just got used to it. Even more interesting was that guide books by the same author in different languages had different distances from city to city...
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    Are bed bugs a current problem?

    Greetings Having completed the Camino Frances in July of this year, I can tell you that I was bite free for the entire trip, including a Paris hostel. Don't worry!! Buen Camino
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    Getting things off my chest post Camino Frances

    I'll share a story with you Stephen. I finished the Camino July 23rd this year so this is fairly recent. I met a bartender in an Albergue who seemed totally at peace with himself. Great conversationalist, great conversations. Many stories were shared between the two of us. Here's one: He was...
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    Shipping to Santiago de Compostella

    We started our Camino from St. Jean mid June this year. Along the way, I realized how much I overpacked, so when we reached Pamplona, we shipped two packages to be held in Santiago by Ivar. The first package we picked up upon reaching Santiago in July, and the second we picked up after coming...
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