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The Caña is, purportedly, the ideal size for enjoying a beer at its ideal temperature to completion before it can get warm, and hence its popularity in an environment where sitting outside in the sun is so prevalent.
My favorite was to order a "clara" aka "cerveza con limón", which usually came...
I got a great haircut and shave at Peluquería de Caballeros El Aseo💇🏻♂️💈, on Rua San Pedro in Melide. Super friendly, and professional, right on the Camino.
I enjoy the Camino Family idea when it happens, though I'm not sure there is a 'one definition fits all' narrative for it. In '18 I walked with, what I would consider, a "Camino Family". It was a large, core group of 8-10 people, all walking [mostly] together every day, stopping [mostly]...
...I don't mean to be sarcastic. I always learn something new out of these esoteric discussions. 😃
With regard to the topic, I just want a ballpark* figure to know how much further before I can relax and enjoy an ice cold caña. "it's not far now" as a response by anyone around me is an entirely...
I don't think most people do. I think it's one of those anecdotal comments that has grown a life of its own in modern Camino lore. The disconnect between the pilgrims office data from St. Jean and Santiago suggests a sizeable portion of those that start in St. Jean simply leave the Camino...
According to the Pilgrims Office in Santiago, just 31,000, or 7.5% of the 425,000 pilgrims who arrived to the office in 2023 indicated St. Jean as their starting point. Even for just the Camino Frances, it's just 15% of that total, so her reaction is understandable.
OTOH, @Monasp said May '23 saw over 10k pilgrims register at the office, or over 300 per day - if it were spread out evenly, which we know it isn't. If I were unlucky enough to start on a day when it was 400, I would skip the office. 🤷🏻♂️
I think it is one of those things one "must do" as a first-time pilgrim - if starting in St. Jean. But, for me, not worth standing and waiting in a huge line for on subsequent Camino's. OTOH, I've learned that once you are there on the Camino, being flexible with "plans" is a key factor in...
If you live near the coast with a moderate shoreline, walking on the beach and alternating between deep sand and hard packed sand is a great workout, even in short duration. Deep sand really works the thighs and calfs, and builds stamina. I live on the west coast of the U.S., with coastal...
You may be right. I'm an extroverted introvert, so I might engage in a conversation with the person in front of, or behind me, but not many beyond that. After a day or so of familiar faces I open up. But, perhaps you're right that the line is a good social event for most others. 👍🏻
Obviously. My curiosity stems around what those factors are, and the breakdown, purely from a curiosity standpoint. So much of these kinds of datapoints are conjecture. For me, it's sort of like this often-heard/read comment, from so many (especially on the YouTube vlogs): "Most people skip the...
...it would be fascinating to be able to track this data better, from start to finish, and with more context. Of course, there is the Hawthorn Effect* to consider, but I digress.
In terms of this conversation, my takeaway is (and one we all know and have expressed) with current numbers leaving...
I don't disagree at all. I was speaking in 'general', if not lighthearted, terms. Clearly, in specific situations - like those you mention - one must weigh the pros and cons based on any number of factors unique to that persons experience, situation and context, including level of acceptable...
If you aren't assigned a bed upon check-in to the Albergue, and you have a choice of bunks in which to sleep in a large room, the bunk nearest the entry door or nearest to the bathroom may seem to be good choices, but they aren't. They really, really aren't. That is, of course, unless you are...
Anecdotally, when I walked the CF in 2021, I found that my Charles Schwab card, which usually works everywhere, would not work at the smaller Spanish regional bank ATM's throughout Spain. The common thing I noticed about these ATM's were they had an odd verbiage and preselection on a...
I got my Compostela the day I arrived to Santiago. I stayed the night at Hospedaría San Martiño Pinario before continuing on to Muxia and Finisterre the next day. If you ask at registration, they will store items for you for free while you walk on to Muxia/Finisterre. You can then retrieve them...
The private room I stayed in at the Hotel San Anton Abad in Villafranca Montes de Oca had a very nice, modern bathroom, and a welcomed bathtub to soak aching muscles.
That categorization of VPN users is actually false. Over 31% of all Internet users, worldwide, utilize a VPN*, and over half of these indicate doing so to protect their privacy and increase security while on public WiFi and over 40% while traveling. Over half (56%) use their VPN to stream media...
I'm 57, and in average shape. I walked my second CF in September/October of last year. According to my Relive tracker data, I averaged exactly 4.1kph (tracker turned on upon leaving the albergue in the morning, paused for any stop longer than a few minutes, stopped upon reaching destination)...
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