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When we issue the Australian credecial we take great care to, neatly, fill in the name and address, date, and planned departure pont. We have had several pilgrims tell us that their lost credencials were posted back to them.
I found, by accident, that putting either my whole self, or just my legs, into a chlorinated swimming pool cleared it up - but these are few and far between!
And the Australian "Smart Traveller" website posted this today;
Travel
In the lead-up to World Youth Day, Portugal will implement temporary border control measures at all land border crossings with Spain between 23 July and 7 August. You'll need to present your passport to border officials...
Don't forget that you can obtain a "la Cotolaya" from the Church of St Francis in Santiago, between 5 - 7pm. This is available to anyone 100km rule met or not! Just leave a small donation to cover the cost - it will be appreciated.
The other option for Aussies is to use Travelmoney Oz to buy Euros. You don't say where in AUS you are from, but I would imagine they are found in most cities (often in large shopping centres) - though some branches did close during Covid, they are slowly re-opening. I bought Euros from them...
Better still, walk from Melrose - the start of St Cuthbert's Way. A beautiful way indeed. I mentioned it in the post below. You may have to scroll through to find it - not sure how this works. You might also like to look at the fabulous British Pilgrimage Trust website too. And yes...
A perfect time to cross is a day or a so before they open the pass to vehicles again, having had the surveyors out and the machinery required for clearing the final stretch of snow. You walk up the road with minimal traffic - only service vehicles, and so it is pretty safe. Crossing the last...
I have been on various Camino since Dec 8th. I have been recognised from behind by my "town" shoes. North face, warm and cosy. Wear as shoes (See left foot) or as slip ons (See right foot) to go to and fro at night in the dark!
I would never go on any of the pilgrimage Routes at that time of the year without a sleeping bag. In mid summer I have travelled with an inner sheet only, up until about mid September. It depends how cold you get as regards a puffer jacket. Mine is an uber light one and for the convenience...
I have one more thing to add. My pack is an Aarn pro. This is a super light pack and comes with a liner. I am also using the balance pockets, also with liners, which means phone etc is handy, but safely dry. At my son's suggestion, I didn't bother with a pack cover and have arrived in heavy...
I am currently on the Camino Francés, 2 days out from Santiago. I will not bore you with a list of all that I carry, but just want to say I have one set of clothes for walking and one set of clothes to change into at the end of the day. Some get added or not depending on the cold (or rain)...
For the interest of all those Aussies reading this, in the Holy Years of ; -
2004 there were 480 Aussies
2010 " " 1,191 Aussies
2016 " " 4,441 Aussies (Holy Year of Mercy) and as mentioned in the OP
2021 " " 109 Aussies
You might be interested to...
We are not a company that prints credencials - we are an Amigos group (the Australian Friends of the Camino) which has been given permission by the pilgrim authorities in SdC to do so. Along with other information our prospective pilgrims will find useful, we include the following suggestion...
Watching your journey with interest Anna. I tend to lurk here in the background. I am glad that you had an enjoyable birthday, and that things are going well even though a few issues with water and waymarks. there is nothing wrong with taking it slower, shortening distance and such like. As...
Just have to add that you need to be VERY careful when walking on the paths - choosing the wrong side with a steep drop off can be treacherous! Not so bad on the Nakahechi route, but on the Kohechi route careless moves can lead to catastrophe! This can be seen below, when my walking partner...
Good to hear that you have had such a wonderful time before you begin the walking part of your pilgrimage. The journey you have made to visit and celebrate with friends is part of your pilgrimage, but now, no doubt, the hard work begins! I will await with bated breath to hear what plans you...
I was fortunate enough to hear pipes played in Asturias. I am a musician, but not a piper, and my memory of observations of the Asturian pipes made at the time is that they are different again to the Galician pipes - but I am happy to be corrected on that one. I seem to recall that at the time...
This website has details of accommodation along the way (click on the tab "local resources" for each village - not only accommodation info, but also things to see along the way and in the villages).
https://www.caminoolvidado.com/etapas/
This website also has some good information on it. (you...
Seeing the number of new members on the forum, with some of them being Australian, it occurred to me that some Aussies may not know about the Australian Friends of the Camino (AFotC) which was founded in 2011. I thought I would post some of the benefits of membership. This is not the only group...
I always carry a golf ball! It happens to a bright yellow one.
I asked my doctor if one was susceptible to plantar fasiitis once having had it. Her response was "yes - carry a golf ball in your pocket". I don't carry it in my pocket, but it is always easily accessible in my pack and with...
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