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Recent content by JR9162

  1. J

    Botafumeiro - can you smell the incense?

    I didn't smell any incense burning. However, I knew they were about to fly the botafumeiro during a particular mass I was attending because I could smell the wood smoke / charcoal burning before they brought the device before alter and attached it to the rope. Then the incense was added to the...
  2. J

    Is the full Portuguese Camino doable in 3 weeks?

    Yes, took me 24 days from Lisbon to Santiago. So 22 days is doable. But it won't be enjoyable. You will meet folk on the route from Lisbon to Porto. However, most of them will be trekking to Fatima. There are lonely stretches along the route. Things pick up after Porto, especially once you...
  3. J

    Last Minute VDLP with no planning, where credencial, which train station to arrive?

    Triana backpackers. Nice restaurants on their side of the river / bridge. Credential there or at the Friends of the Camino office up the street on your way to Italica. You can electronically register your start on the VldP at that office if you wish.
  4. J

    Where to Start Portuguese Way

    Start in Porto. The Lisbon to Porto leg isn't that wonderful. But if you want a credential stating you did the complete route, then Lisbon forward. I did it in October 2021. Took 24 days. Two stages were 40 km.
  5. J

    Biarritz airport 18 April 2023

    As roddy said. There's a city bus that takes you toward Bayonne. Number 31, if I recall correctly. Please verify. The bus stop is near a bridge. You walk across the river into Bayonne to the train station and purchase a ticket to SJPP. Not as rapid, but quite economical.
  6. J

    5 Days on Camino: Choosing Between Portugues or Ingles Route

    You need to begin at the harbor in Ferrol. There's a Friends of the Camino office there. This is the 1st stamp required on your credential. Then you walk around the harbor and continue on your way.
  7. J

    5 Days on Camino: Choosing Between Portugues or Ingles Route

    If you want a Compostela, then Camino Ingles is the ticket. It can be done in 3 or 4 days. Just be sure to start at the port, not A Coruna. That's required for your official 100+ km. Gives you some down time in Santiago too.
  8. J

    Camino Portuguese March /2023

    You chose the best routing Gringobruce. My cousin told me train prices in Spain have almost doubled since my 2021 Camino Portugués. The train station in Madrid... You go through the station and after exiting the turnstile / gate there's a kiosk (ATM style) you use to purchase a ticket for the...
  9. J

    Still Going…

    Enjoy the snow, provided you plan on doing the whole 1007 km in one trip. Took us 39 days in 2018. We left late March and experienced heavy rains, flooding, and snow before Salamanca.
  10. J

    For Sale/Wanted Albergue or house for sale along the Camino Portuguese?

    I stopped at a patio Cafe in Tomar to have a sandwich and a beer. Asked one of the locals there who spoke amazingly good English. Asked about albergues and he said you can stay at mine. I had a room with 4 beds all to myself. It was on the top level and facing the main drag. The skylight was...
  11. J

    Arriving at Biarritz Airport.

    There is a city bus stop outside the Barritz airport. You catch one that will drop you off at the bridge between Barritz and Bayone. You walk across the bridge to the train station. 300 yards maybe? Then catch a train to SJPP. If I recall correctly, the bus # is 30? You'd need to verify that.
  12. J

    For Sale/Wanted Albergue or house for sale along the Camino Portuguese?

    Look at Alojamento Local Ninho. It's a nice albergue, made of stone. When I stayed there in October 2021, the owner told me she wanted to sell.
  13. J

    Valcarlos

    I walked the Valcarlos route beginning 8th April 2021 due to weather in the mountains. The trail over the mountain pass is rigorous after walking from SJPP to Valcarlos. If you decide on the forest versus the paved road after exiting Valcarlos, I definitely recommend spending the night in that...
  14. J

    Camino Portugal May 2023

    I walked it from Lisbon to Santiago in the fall of 2021. The Camino de Santiago route isn't very well marked in Portugal. However Camino Fatima is. They use the same route and travel in the opposite direction once that route vers off to the west. My recommendation is to start in Porto to avoid...
  15. J

    LIVE from the Camino Whew! Finally starting VLDP

    My 1st was the VldP in the spring of 2018 with my cousin. We took the Astorga route because that was the route of the original Roman road and he wanted me to experience a bit of the Camino Francés as well. 1007 km in 39 days. Distance is the same as the Sanabres route. Salamanca is a beautiful...
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