• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Advanced search…

Search results for query: *

  1. Nate Bissonette

    100 km Mark

    The time I spent walking the Camino was magical. The time I spent getting to and from the Camino was miserable. My personal preference is to minimize time spent in public transportation. In June 2018, I flew from Minneapolis to Madrid, then caught a one-hour connecting flight to Santiago...
  2. Nate Bissonette

    Palas de Rei to Arzua

    I walked from Sarria in May. I broke that stage into two: Palas to Melide one day, Melide to Azura the next. There are some steep hills that really slow you down. In Melide, I stayed at A Lua do Camino which is like a big country house, giant rooms overlooking the swimming pool, located...
  3. Nate Bissonette

    Framing documents

    I framed my Credential using a long, narrow 4-photo frame that I bought at Target. Posted a photo in Media. You could lay your walking stick atop it, hang framed documents above.
  4. Nate Bissonette

    help with packing list

    If your feet sweat, you'll want to change sox during the day to avoid blisters. Now you're wearing your only pair of dry sox and they'll be sweaty by evening. So wash them? But what if it's rainy or humid and no dryer available - will both pair line-dry overnight or will you wear wet sox...
  5. Nate Bissonette

    Clarity on SIM card usage /coverage

    I walked from Sarria in May, carried a Samsung Galaxy S4 using my T-Mobile plan from the US. No extra SIM card or special plan, my American phone plan worked fine. Ask your carrier. I'm used to 4G data, best I got in Spain was 3G and inside buildings, poor to no data or cellular signal...
  6. Nate Bissonette

    Angela from OZ and her graffiti

    I walked from Sarria in May. The "Love Wins" graffiti increasingly grated on my nerves until I reached a marker with a big black heart above the letter W (Love Wins, get it?). Painted atop the black heart, someone had written in white block letters "Hate you so much" which so perfectly...
  7. Nate Bissonette

    Diabetes & the camino

    I'm Type 2, posted about this yesterday on another thread, use the Search function for lots more information from other members. Buen Camino!
  8. Nate Bissonette

    Type 2 Pilgrim

    I'm Type 2, controlled by pills. I also take a diuretic pill for high blood pressure. I walked from Sarria in May. Everybody is different, I'm not your doctor, ask your doctor what's right for you, blah, blah, blah, but here's what worked for me. First thing: take along your twice-a-day...
  9. Nate Bissonette

    Camino not for me?

    I didn't do the long walk, I walked from Sarria. It took a few days before the gerbil wheel in my head went still: how far left to go, what did I miss, do I have enough money, how steep is the next hill, will I find a place to sleep, why am I so slow, why am I doing this . . . but suddenly, one...
  10. Nate Bissonette

    Camino prep Q's - last minute camino please help!

    If you want the Compostela, leave enough time that you can spend hours waiting in the Pilgrim office in Santiago, they're very busy (and all volunteers). Be patient. If you walk 500 miles to Santiago but don't continue to Finisterra or Muxia, you miss the iconic photo at the 0,00 marker. Add...
  11. Nate Bissonette

    Compostela or Passport: Which Means More to You?

    When I was walking, it was the Compostela. I couldn't imagine going all that way and not receiving one. But now that I'm home, it's the credential. I remember each sello. I posted a picture in "media" showing the cool frame I found at Target for $20. It hangs on the wall in my office. When...
  12. Nate Bissonette

    Last minute journey to Compostela?! Crazy or Worth it

    YooSousie, I hope you went in May. If not, GO! I just returned. I loved it. First thing, I walked the last bit of the Frances, from Sarria to Santiago. It was full of young women walking alone or with friends met on the way. Perfectly safe. Second thing, I bought almost no equipment. I...
  13. Nate Bissonette

    Camino diary, before and after

    Jane, I feel your feet aching all the way over here! I'm too old and fat to walk traditional stages. I chose the Sarria to Santiago stretch because Mark McCarthy posted a detailed guide in "Resources" showing how to walk shorter distances each day, then take a taxi to your hotel. Next day...
  14. Nate Bissonette

    May Or September

    Haven't walked in September, just finished that stretch the last week in May. Mornings 60 degrees, misty, cleared off by noon and heated up to high 70's afternoon, brief thunderstorm most evenings around 6:00 pm. Used my poncho one morning for exceptionally heavy mist/light drizzle, ended by...
  15. Nate Bissonette

    Camino diary, before and after

    May 19, 2018. I leave tomorrow. I’m sick to my stomach, afraid to go. What am I forgetting? What if I can’t do it? What if I’ve wasted all this time and money? Practice walk yesterday. 5 miles with full pack. Glacial pace. Can’t walk far enough, fast enough, to get the Compostela in the...
  16. Nate Bissonette

    Catholic pilgrims

    I'm old, fat and slow, so I needed a lot of rest stops. Brought along my rosary and said one decade at every church I passed. Some were closed but I sat on the steps. Some had the most astonishing cemeteries attached. You'd be amazed how refreshing it can be to drop your pack, rest your feet...
  17. Nate Bissonette

    A question about a sello we got...

    Did you get the one from the blind guy? It was in a tiny chapel somewhere around Ventas Naron, I think. He was taking donativos, no set price, and had a regular ink stamp for the sello plus a date stamp for the date, but he applied them to the credential himself after indicating by pantomime...
  18. framed credential.jpg

    framed credential.jpg

    Target. $20. Perfect.
    • Nate Bissonette
    • Media item
    • Comments: 0
    • Category: Camino Frances
  19. 20180603_123005.jpg

    20180603_123005.jpg

    Even the acorns show you're on the right path: a cross for Saint James and a star for Compostela.
    • Nate Bissonette
    • Media item
    • Comments: 2
    • Category: Camino Frances
  20. Nate Bissonette

    Health Insurance

    When I booked airfare on Travelocity, they offered me travel insurance. I bought it, although I also have Health Partners through my work and they cover out-of-network expenses. I figured I was good for all contingencies. Last week, I got blisters somewhere between Saria and Santiago. I went...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Latest posts

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top