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Even if you are staying in Oporto you may want to get off at the airport and take the Metro into the city. Chances are you will get a lot closer to your hotel that way.
Take the Metro from the airport to Nuevos Ministerios and transfer from there to Line 6 -Grey - and get off at Mendes Alvarez. The bus station is directly above the Metro station. The people at the Metro station at the airport can give you a map and details.
From my experience 2 years ago there was no English guidebook - I didn't see the Amigos version - that compared with the French and German guides that others were using. The most up to date Raju guide that I had was essentially useless.
One thing you can do to help you decide is to go out walking uphill in your rain gear for 2-3 hours, preferably carrying your pack. You might find that the rain gear keeps as much moisture in as it keeps out.
As long as it was warm and the wind wasn't blowing hard I found it more comfortable to just get wet. I wore nylon rain pants over a nylon swim suit and a fast dry tee shirt with a rain cover on my pack. Any kind of rain gear - even expensive supposedly breathable stuff - caused me to overheat...
Has anyone ever actually had a problem with prescription meds not being in their original containers? Unless you happen to be carrying an inordinate amount I can't imagine ever being questioned.
An alternative to high doses of ibuprofen is to use Voltaren emulgel. This is gel form of diclofenac that can be applied directly to affected area and is very effective. It is widely available OTC in Spain and other european countries and has recently been approved by the US FDA by prescription.
For me, the 2-3% of the time when I would have like to have a pole was not worth carrying and keeping track of it for the rest of the time. I think that for many it more of a fashion accessory - "everyone has one"- than something that is really needed.
It took the Brierley guides on both the Frances and Portugese. I was able to find a plastic bag the book fit into perfectly that served as the book's "raincoat" when I carried it in a pants pocket on rainy days.
There is an Orange store at Avenida San Ignacio 14 which is, according to Google maps, 280 meters, 4 minutes walk from the bus station. The bus station is at Calle Yanguas y Miranda.
Go to http://www.maps.google.com, enter "bus station Pamplona Spain". Click the get directions tab, then...
jadidmasihi: If by "Franciscan style" you mean depending on the charity and generosity of people along the way you might reconsider. The current economic conditions make it unlikely that many people will be willing to support you and most of your fellow pilgrims will be on limited budgets...
The safest and most economical way is with an ATM card with a 4 digit PIN linked to a checking account. You will find very few places outside the big cities that will accept AmEx.
http://www.stanstedairport.com/transpor ... n-airports
You can find similar sites by doing a search for "Heathrow to Stansted" and "Gatwick to Stansted."
I would take out anything that allows you to carry more than 1.5L of water. If you have it you will be tempted to fill it and carry unnecessary weight. There are very few places where you would need more than that except in the dead of summer and in those places you can pick up an extra bottle...
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