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I was just in A Coruña and stayed at the Hostal Alboran. Great location downtown. Short bus ride (or 1.2-1.5km walk from bus and train stations). Affordable, clean, nice staff. Lots of bars, cafes, restaurants nearby and shopping, too!
Tower of Hercules and the waterfront walk are wonderful.
I...
Yes, Bradypus knows what he’s talking about!
For anyone wanting to walk the Kumano Kodo, you can pick up a Dual Pilgrim passport and other helpful information in the Santiago Tourism Office (not the Pilgrim Office or Galicia Tourism Office). That’s where I got mine two years ago.
No minimum balance required or need to use it several times throughout the year. It’s a great product for travelers. ATM fees are refunded in the USA as well, so even if your travels don’t take you out of the country, you still have the ability for fee-free withdrawals at home.
Adding funds to...
I carried a smallish paper journal in a ziplock bag on my Caminos and don’t regret it. I journal for myself, not to publish a blog.
To me people are more approachable when writing on paper than when typing on a screen. It can be lonely sitting in a room or at a cafe when everyone else is...
One more tip: you may find a guidebook left behind in an albergue by a Pilgrim not wanting the weight, of you want to carry it! Or make friends with a Pilgrim who has the book and take pictures on your phone of the pertinent pages.
Buen Camino!
There’s an outdoor shop just down the street from the Pilgrim Office (opposite side of the street) with a good selection of guidebooks in English, French, Spanish, and German (maybe even Korean and others, I can’t recall). They also sell good quality gear if you realized you left something at home.
This has been great as I’m considering doing something like this with 85-yr old family members who want to share the Camino experience and joy (and food and wine) with us but aren't able to walk the daily distances or carry a pack due to osteoporosis and arthritis.
Lots of great suggestions...
If you have flown into Santiago and are waiting at the airport, there is direct bus service to Lugo timed for the arriving flights. You can then connect in Lugo to Sarria.
Each person walks his or her own Camino. It is authentic to that individual. There is nothing “fake” about someone who walks the last 100km does something different than another person. They are walking what they can and we do not know their backstory and challenges. It’s still 100 km walking...
Note for American pilgrims, sign up for a free Charles Schwab Bank account. Fund it with your money for the Camino. ATM fees are automatically refunded back to your account. I've had this card for years and have had hundreds of dollars refunded!
Use any flat surface you can find, even the grass. I know softer/non-slip is preferred, but without carrying a mat you improvise.
It really makes a difference doing even the simplest of exercises like feet elevation. I know there are a number of very active yoga practitioners and teachers in...
Same thing happened to me in 2016. When you stop ask everyone you see coming in behind you if they’ve heard about a lost credential. A Camino Angel was able to tell me exactly where it was. With help we contacted the woman, took a taxi back in the am, and the lost credential was returned...
I just assisted an 83 year old friend traveling with me to Spain in September. She has Medicare Supplement F so there is foreign medical coverage after a deductible, $50,000 lifetime limit. She has no desire for extra medical coverage.
However, she was concerned about medical emergency...
At the end your day's walk, but sure to elevate your bare feet above your head for 15 minutes or so (on a wall, bunk bed, tree, whatever). It's also a pose used in yoga at the end of a session.
The two days I didn’t do that on my Caminos were days I arrived in Santiago in the heat, stood in...
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