Hi! I was just at JFK a few days ago and can verify that testing is available in T1 and T4. But go early. The airtrain between terminals takes time to figure out and you need to buy a MetroCard to use it. Results must post in order to check in. Only a PCR test is valid for most countries...
I love this idea. I just reached out to a couple special ones to ask how I can donate online. It may not help a lot, but perhaps the gesture is just as valuable. Thanks for suggesting it, Mary M!
I brought a 3oz tube of shampoo and used that to wash my bod, hair, and clothes until it ran out. Worked great! When it was gone, I refilled it with shampoo samples from the Parador. :cough:
At the risk of repeating what most everyone else has said, do go if you have the time.
For me, this pilgrimage was as much about "the end of the earth" as it was visiting St. James's tomb. Finisterre did not disappoint. The sunset was magical, and I agree with the other comments that seeing...
Hi, peregrinos!
When I walked last year, I met the nicest people from all over the world and never had problems. But I heard of one man getting shoved (due to snoring) while he was asleep - which turned ugly.
There's so much trust and community on the Camino, so it seems like it would be the...
Hi ChilledKat -- I hope i'm not too late to reply.
Pre-camino advice to myself: Trust trust trust. Train and get good footwear. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Ask for support.
Personal goals: I wanted to come back changed. I had a number of spiritual questions and looked forward to a time of...
...I can see now why this would make the trip to heaven a lot shorter. So much peace and understanding, forgiveness and acceptance are good for the soul. :)
Anyone else care to share? How did the Camino change you? Or perhaps better put, how did you change *yourself* on and after the Camino?
<3
I flew through Dublin.
It worked out beautifully since RyanAir flies to Biarritz/Bayonne from Dublin and Aer Lingus flies from Santiago back to Dublin. And the flights from Chicago to Dublin were FAR less expensive than to Paris or Madrid. It worked great for me, coming all the way from...
Hold up, folks.
First of all, I give due respect to Annie and recognize the perspective that she brings.
I also want to say that I am one of the 2013 crew. Despite assertions that it's different this year, I met some of the most amazing people on my Camino (which ended 3 weeks ago) -- some of...
Sure did! My Austrian friend (who DOES speak German) got a long sob story about a shredded bank card and all the machinations it would take to get the new one, etc. etc. She fell for it, gave him 20 euro, and found out later about his ongoing scam.
I got the heebie-jeebies from him, but I...
I encountered these ladies on the route in May -- and I fell prey to the scam.
I skimmed the photocopied page and it looked legit enough. But only after I'd been milked out of 8 euro did it occur to me that all the previous "donors" names had been written in the same hand and all had...
Wow. Thank you both so much for your thoughtful replies. I found myself grinning and nodding at all the resonance and similarities. Yay for being thoughtful, strange, post-Type A personalities! :)
Your comments also make me wonder if there's another Camino in me someday for all the added...
I want to start this thread for all the people who went on the Camino for more than just adventure -- who went to search their *interior* landscape and returned home with new insight.
I am back only a week now and feel softer at heart than I can ever remember. Even while I was relaxing in...
Germs spread. Bring soap.
I won't discredit the myriad bar and albergue owners -- they work too hard for criticism -- but I will tell you that you will be lucky to find something besides water to wash your hands.
So bring a tiny bar or a squeeze bottle with you into the cafe servicios and...
This was my experience on the camino this spring as well. I had ear/throat pain coming into in Hospital de Orbega and the lovely pharmacist there diagnosed me with an ear infection on the spot and gave me amoxicillin. I'm under the impression that Spanish pharmacists are actual doctors and can...
Looks like you've gotten some great ideas. Just to add one more: I saw a box on an outdoor windowsill outside the albergue at O'Cebreiro that was marked all over with "Medications: Do not touch! Must stay cold!" I thought it was pretty ingenious -- especially considering we'd had snow that night.
Great contributions, all.
I think that while focusing on pack weight, the pilgrim might do well to also reduce to 10% their worries and attachment to doing it "right". What a light load that would be. <3
You are all too wonderful! Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies, ruminations, and philosophies! They're exactly what I hoped for!
As of this week, my flights are booked and I will have 47 days on the ground. That is very exciting to me. I tend to be a "get there!" person in my head...
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