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Regarding thoughtless reviews, I have told this story before on a similar thread:
I was having lunch with a mixed group of veterans and first timers when one of the first timers asked about an albergue further down the Camino. One of the veterans exclaimed, "That place is horrible! I will never...
I have ended each of my Caminos by staying at the Parador on the Cathedral Square. After checking into my room, my next stop is the Concierge desk. The Concierge always knows the correct status of the Botafumiero for the next few days. I presume that many of the people who pay for it are...
As previously mentioned, you can get sellos at bars, churches, police stations and many other places. I once got a sello in an emergency room. After a doctor patched up my foot, I half-jokingly asked, "Do I get a stamp to remember you by?" And he casually walked across the exam room, opened a...
I have traveled to Zimbabwe 11 times in the last 4 years to volunteer at, and financially support, the Rose of Charity orphanage in Victoria Falls. The children at the orphanage, and the people of Zimbabwe for that matter, are some of the happiest people you will ever meet in your life.
When I...
“The Woman Who Thinks She Can Sing But Could Not Carry a Tune in a Bucket.”
“The Guy Who Thinks Every Woman Walking the Camino is Dying to Hook Up With Him.”
According to the Australian government, 53% of Australians possessed a passport in 2022. According to the United States government, 60% of Americans possessed a passport in 2023.
The notion that Americans do not travel internationally is a hangover from the pre-September 11th attacks. It used...
Warning--this is from memory from ten years ago. Please feel free to correct me.
I stayed in an albergue of sorts, called El Molino, outside of Hornillos del Camino. The owners, who did not speak any English, picked me and three other pilgrims (who I did not know) up in Hornillos del...
I see the term, "first world problem" from time to time on this forum. Having spent a lot of time in the developing world (i.e. Sub-Saharan Africa), I have come to understand that term is viewed locally as somewhat demeaning. In other words, people who live in Sub-Saharan Africa think that we...
There will be a random bench here and there. Or a isolated shade tree that is calling out for some company. And almost every village has a church.
Then there are streams of water that beg for you to take off your boots and dip your toes. Also, cresting the last summit in a serious of hills...
On a trip to Paris several years ago, the town was abuzz with an experiment conducted by the city government. The police took a small scooter, removed its muffler, and drove it seven miles across town at 2 am roughly following the route of the No. 1 Metro line. They did this to gain support...
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