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Recent content by Steve S

  1. S

    Books other than guides...

    If you're looking for something more on the spiritual side, I enjoyed Joyce Rupp's Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino. I read it on the plane on the way over, and it really gave me food for thought. Steve S
  2. S

    Scallop Shell

    Sonia, If you haven't already found a scallop shell in a restaurant or seafood shop, try http://www.seashellcity.com. I bought some scallop shells from them before departure and they were great to deal with. I think it's great that you're supplying a shell to a friend and future pilgrim as a...
  3. S

    mobile phones

    I had a Vodafone handset and had coverage virtually everywhere, even in some of the mountains. Great coverage in every town we stayed in. As mentioned above, you see MoviStar options in lots of towns as well. Steve S
  4. S

    via de la plata..

    Paul, My son and I did 250km of the of the VdlP this summer; if I can be of any help, feel free to send a private message. I've posted some updates on the VdlP section of this website. Best, Steve
  5. S

    Heavy edition-"Via de la Plata" Guide/Alison Raju

    The laminating idea sounds intriguing. On wet days I kept the guide in a freezer bag and waterproofed that way. Steve S
  6. S

    Changes in Albergues in Galicia

    On the VdlP there was definitely a difference between the albergues with hospitaleros and without. However, I was disappointed when, as we dropped our donativo in the box on the way out each morning, it sounded as if there were no other coins (or bills) there. It does cost to maintain the...
  7. S

    Heavy edition-"Via de la Plata" Guide/Alison Raju

    John, The guide is a little heavy, but as you note there are a couple of hundred more km to cover. I actually tore out all the pages we didn't need before leaving; the first 52 pages are introductory material, and while valuable I had learned most of what they had to teach me and didn't need...
  8. S

    Updated info on the VdlP betw Puebla de Sanabria & Santi

    Lynne, Your travails sound like the reason we decided to forgo staying there. I had read about beds at the pool, which we could see from the hill as we were descending into Castro Dozon, but had read that even that option was no longer available. I'm glad you were able to stay there. We...
  9. S

    Updated info on the VdlP betw Puebla de Sanabria & Santi

    Peregrina (Laurie), thanks for the suggestion about sending the update to CSJ. I need to send it both there and to the Pili Pala Press. Keep in mind that we walked only the last quarter of the VdlP, and I understand that there are some very long etapas in Andalucia. That was not the case...
  10. S

    Updated info on the VdlP betw Puebla de Sanabria & Santi

    On the section that we walked, I'd say that somewhere between 25-35% of the route is paved tertiary, secondary, or sometimes even primary (the N525) road. This was especially true as we entered larger towns. For example, about 20km of the 22km between Xunqueira de Ambia and Ourense was paved...
  11. S

    Product reviews from recent VdlP trip

    Thanks, Peregrina. I did add some info on the portion of the VdlP route that we walked; you can find it under the VdlP portion of the forum listed as "Updated info . . ." I would be happy to comment further both on the route itself and on the waymarking, which with a few exceptions was...
  12. S

    Product reviews from recent VdlP trip

    We just got back from the VdlP, and I wanted to share few thoughts on equipment: Packs: We used Osprey Atmos 50 models and were absolutely thrilled with them. They are well designed and showed few signs of wear when we were done. Shoes: We went with new GoLite trail runners, and had mixed...
  13. S

    Updated info on the VdlP betw Puebla de Sanabria & Santi

    If I had to choose just one, I'd definitely go with Raju. It's more recent and was more thorough. I imagine that Cole and Davies are updating theirs, though, and it could supersede Raju. I'd be interested in hearing from others on this. Steve S
  14. S

    Updated info on the VdlP betw Puebla de Sanabria & Santi

    We recently returned from making the last 250km of the VdlP pilgrimage and had some updates for people walking later this summer or in the fall. On the whole, we relied on Alison Raju's new edition (2005) more, but it helped to have both hers and Cole/Davies. Here's what we've got: Lubian...
  15. S

    Time recommendations and budget for VDLP

    I won't comment on the length, as we did only the last 250km, but I think I can help on the costs. The recommended donativo is E3, but I was disappointed to see that few actually gave it. All too often, as we departed an albergue and dropped in our donation, it sounded as if ours was the only...
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