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  1. Rex

    Cancelling Camino - Soliciting Advice

    As I prepare to start another leg of the Via Francigena, I'm noting that my pack weight has dropped for each of the caminos I've done. Reduce that weight to 6 or 7kg and you'll be fine. Delayed onset muscle soreness (known as DOMS in the endurance fitness industry) is a feature of going too...
  2. Rex

    Humorous post Camino post😊

    What a great reminder of all the things we "love" about the Camino experience... and yet we can't wait to return to it again and again! Buen Camino
  3. Rex

    Camino etiquette - passing others on less-busy caminos

    I walk fast (average about 5.5KM/hour) so as I overtake people, I generally starting whistling "When the Saints Go Marching In" (just as a notice that someone is approaching from the rear) and then give them a cheerful Buen Camino and keep on truckin' as I move past them. Buen Camino
  4. Rex

    Are you a hiker or a walker?

    Me too... never thought about it, but we are indeed very lucky if we live in such places. Happy walking...er, Been Camino.
  5. Rex

    Asking for Encouragement to Continue the Camino

    Don’t give in. The advice about taking a rest day (or taking the bus ahead one stage) to get off the same schedule as the “angry ones” is good advice. Following a tough stretch on one trek, I took the train ahead two stages and took a rest day. Then I went back to where I caught the train (a...
  6. Rex

    My Camino ended a few hours ago sadly, need to get back to UK asap

    So sorry for your loss. Logrono to Bilbao looks like your best option per Rome2Rio app. May your father Rest in Peace and you be comforted by those who loved him and love you in your loss.
  7. Rex

    Men's grooming

    Mother Nature opted to give me a six inch part on the crown of my head. So I go into a small barber shop every three weeks and get a trim around the edges. If I let it grow for six weeks or seven weeks, like I did on the VF last summer, it begins to look like a bad "mullet" or as one good...
  8. Rex

    Best way of converting $CA to Euros

    Schwab does take a small additional markup, but it is buried in the rate they offer you. Note: I used to be an employee of a Schwab subsidiary, and am still a customer who trades foreign currencies when there are severe market dislocations. They offer the best rates I've been able to find as a...
  9. Rex

    Best way of converting $CA to Euros

    Foreign currency wires are a totally different animal than simply getting foreign cash for travel. Most institutions will charge between $25-$35/wire plus a smaller percentage (vs retail) currency mark up for such transactions. This is partially due to profit making and partially due to the...
  10. Rex

    Best way of converting $CA to Euros

    Sure... a check on spot rates just now looks like BMO and Scotia charge approx 3.5% and 2.6% to retail customers as a mark-up on retail FX transactions. Nicer to their customers, or perhaps regulated a bit differently, don't know that answer. 🧐
  11. Rex

    Best way of converting $CA to Euros

    Spot checks on a couple of major financial institutions today suggest cash ordered from a US bank is marked up between 6-8% over-the-counter. That is about $20 on 300 EUROS = Several cervezas on the Camino. 😇 And my credit union bank card charges me zero transaction fees for foreign currency...
  12. Rex

    Best way of converting $CA to Euros

    This is actually becoming more difficult than it was just a few years ago. As a retired banker, I can tell you that most banks in the US will ask you to use your debit card at an ATM wherever you are traveling, and many banks will no longer provide foreign currency to customers at the retail...
  13. Rex

    Best U.S. $$$ Denominations

    Is there a local reason for that? I used my card almost everywhere I ate or bought food when walking the CP in 2018. Pre-Covid, so things may have changed.
  14. Rex

    Best U.S. $$$ Denominations

    I loaded my VISA card onto Apple Pay and was able to do about 50% of my paying by simply tapping my phone all the way across France and Switzerland. Carried the card just for emergencies and separate from my credit union debit card (no fees for any foreign transactions). Did leave my phone at...
  15. Rex

    Best U.S. $$$ Denominations

    True... on the VF this past Summer in France, the smaller village cafes, when they were open, often had a minimum VISA charge for breakfast (croissant and cafe'), or a surcharge for amounts under 5 euros.
  16. Rex

    Best U.S. $$$ Denominations

    I have used USD in a tight situation, but only one time. Innkeeper charged me approx 15% more than current spot USD/EUR exchange rate, but I was unfortunately stuck (due to a VISA snafu) and not enough Euros in my wallet. Never again - now carry both a no fee debit card and a no fee VISA card...
  17. Rex

    Exchange Rate Euro to Dollar

    As my favorite nephew says when I go "full pedant" on him on any topic... [Blank stare] followed shortly by, "Hey, how about them Seahawks?" :>)
  18. Rex

    Exchange Rate Euro to Dollar

    The US Dollar (USD) is "the best horse in a glue factory", i.e., it's the dominant global currency in a world where all currencies are under economic pressure and all are being de-valued at various rates. With nearly all global economies still recovering from the pandemic and CPI (inflation) in...
  19. Rex

    Anyone else already rocking a Pilgrim's Tan?

    Here in Kona I have to walk to the north one day and to the south the next day to keep the tan sort of equal, but with SPF 70 Reef Safe Dolphin Safe Camino Safe (did I miss anything) sunscreen, my tan is still lagging a bit... only the "watch strap" pale band shows that I'm getting any sun, but...
  20. Rex

    Anyone else already rocking a Pilgrim's Tan?

    I live in Kona and have the same wardrobe. Oofus sandals, shorts and t-shirts with Hawaiian print shirts for "dress up" occasions.

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