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Injury usually but in 2005 in March I was in St Jean Pied Du Port and received a telephone call from an agent about a possible job. As I had been on sabbatical for the previous 18 months it seemed like a good idea to attend the interview so I walked to Pamplona and flew back to the UK. I did get...
I usually walk along the river first and stay overnight in Matosinhos. Makes the walk to Vila Do conde more manageable and if i'm too tired stop at Labruga.
When walking the Ingles and the Portugues in winter I have taken to using the lavanderias (Automats) you find in most towns and cities along the way. They have driers usually and not too expensive. I always washed and hung out my clothes on other routes but I was walking those in warmer weather...
The best approach is to follow the KISS rule, Keep It Simple Sister! Describe things just as they are without embellishment unless it's funnier that way. Avoid the use of technical terms because that can make a presentation very dull.
One thing I would like to add having walked the VDLP in July in 2004 is that you need to carry twice as much water as usual since there are so few fountains along the way. You end up sweating away so much that you might not notice you are getting dehydrated.
I have over 20 years of experience walking caminos and I couldn't agree more. Much of my experience is now well out of date since the camino has changed so much from those early days. The only thing that hasn't changed is the camaraderie of pilgrims. Because of covid, any advice we give now has...
It's one of many aspects of the camino I never understood. I can't walk if I have had a big meal mid day and was often forced to have the main meal at night and rush back to the refuge. So I had a full tummy and was expected to go to sleep. That's not good for the body but it did seem to work...
You also have to be careful of booking.com as there were many times they showed nowhere to stay in a town but when I phoned up the hotels, there were plenty of spaces. Happened to me on the Portuguese and the Ingles. When I spoke to one hotelier about it they said that they were only allowed to...
What I get from this is that you can't trust any reservation you make even if you paid upfront. I think we have to understand that walking any camino this year and next will be much more expensive and that you might have to stay in the more expensive hotels when you reach town. All the places...
You do get some really nice umbrellas from the "Bazar Chino" stores that seem to be everywhere nowadays and they are not expensive (10€ or so). My first port of call on my first day, if the weather is threatening, is to buy one of those. Unfortunately I usually have to discard it or give it away...
Not really a choice at the moment as the xunta one is still closed. But I welcome more options as I found betanzos hostals and hotels quite expensive when the xunta albergue was closed for repairs a while back.
I usually walk in winter so an umbrella is a must for me but it also protects you from the sun in sunnier seasons but i've never used one then, preferring a large hat instead.
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