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  1. D

    Porto to Villa do Conde

    We took a metro out of the city to avoid some of the urban walking. We had already walked from Lisbon so by then we were picking and choosing how to spend our walking day.
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    Few questions - advice

    I always bring a spoon— mine is a foldable one from someplace like REÍ, because I like to eat yogurt for breakfast and supper. I also carry a few plastic clothespins and an extra pair of shoelaces— the latter I use as a clothesline as needed. I have always carried cash and only used debit cards...
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    Food to bring to Spanish friend from US

    When my sister was living in Spain she always asked me to bring her peanut butter and Reese’s peanut butter cups!
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    Albergue Accomodation

    Best to download Gronze and make plans day to day. It should be easy to get a reservation somewhere in Ourense so you know where you’re going when you first arrive. From there, ask for assistance for the 2nd night’s lodging and someone will help with reservations if needed. Honestly the best way...
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    Seeking Information about Bed Bugs on the Camino de Santiago

    Definitely check those beds. One of the worst bedbug encounters I had was in an albergue private room, instead of in the dorm section.
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    Seeking Information about Bed Bugs on the Camino de Santiago

    As mentioned above, bedbugs can be found anywhere, from the least expensive lodging to luxury hotels. Best to research and implement prevention strategies, surely listed elsewhere in this forum and others. Some people discover they are highly allergic to the bites and even have to go home to...
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    Best options for paying and getting cash in Spain as a US citizen

    This is all excellent advice, especially the part about carrying not 1 but 2 cards. I use 2 accounts that can be reloaded as needed. When one debit card became compromised, I switched money to the 2nd account and used the other debit card. I also almost always pay in cash. I used a credit card...
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    Succinct advice

    I love this one, it’s so true!
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    Did you use any bed bug prevention methods that required a purchase (ie. spray) ?

    The worst bed bug incident I’ve encountered was when I slept in a silk liner. Silk does not prevent bedbugs. They were crawling all over my silk liner. The best prevention, besides barriers like putting the pack inside a plastic bag at night, is to treat the sleeping bag, shoes, and outside of...
  10. D

    Bed bugs

    An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure— spray your pack, sleeping bag, and shoes with Permethrin prior to departure for the Camino. I do this plus put my pack inside a large plastic bag at night. I also use a pack liner and keep my sleeping bag / sleep clothes separate from the rest of...
  11. D

    Booking.com prices vs. Gronze

    Booking . Com charges the merchant a fee which is passed on to the consumer. In the past, I’ve found it is more economical to book directly with the venue instead of going through Booking. Gronze might not update all that often too, thus the difference in prices.
  12. D

    A day (or evening) in the life of an albergue

    Albergues vary, each is different. Some offer communal meals and some do not. It’s not obligatory and nobody will be offended if you do not partake. Sometimes the hospitaleros prepare communal meals and sometimes albergue kitchens are simply a free for all with pilgrims preparing their own food...
  13. D

    no toilet paper in washroom

    Carry a small packet of tissues, yes… and I am surprised in all the responses nobody suggested this solution: a peri bottle. Even one of those small soft silicone containers for toiletries will work and they weigh nothing. I started using a peri bottle during the TP pandemic shortage and still...
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    How do you fix a stage miscalculation?

    The expectations that go along with over-planning are a great way to have a disappointing Camino. Although I understand some folks have a type of personality that requires feeling in control of everything, in all the Caminos I’ve done, more than a bare bones plan for a day or 2 ahead has always...
  15. D

    Del Norte or Frances

    I walked the Norte to Bilbao then decided the weather wasn’t to my liking so I took a bus to Leon and walked to Santiago from there. I finished the Norte from Bilbao to Santiago the following year. The walk from Burgos to Leon, if you’ve never done it, is nice too. Personally I prefer caminos...
  16. D

    Dull, boring, urban and sketchy (sketchy?)

    I tried that and it did not work. But the opposite did work— I took an unplanned zero day and let that person get way ahead so I did not have to see them anymore.
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    Cafe con Leche / Coffee on the Camino: Enquiring Coffee Lovers want to know!!

    I agree 100% about the milk, quite different from the watered down hormone and pus laden liquid we mostly find in the US. I remember passing by numerous small dairy farms along the Camino del Norte—one even had lodging so I stayed there that night and the grandmother gave me a tour of the...
  18. D

    All the single ladies, all the single ladies

    I’ve walked many different Camino routes alone, even the sparsely populated ones, and was fine, never any issues. There is a Facebook group called “Camigas” you might want to join. The members are all women and your questions, among many others, are addressed often. Things can and do happen on...
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    Bed bugs

    You will find the entire gamut of bedbug experiences any place where pilgrims gather, from, “I did not treat my equipment and never saw a single bedbug,” to, “ I was bitten so badly I had an allergic reaction and had to go to the hospital/end my Camino and go home.” These and everything in...
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    How to cook Spanish tortilla: Salmonella outbreak sparks national debate

    Very interesting and not surprising about salmonella. I would never eat a runny egg tortilla. Yucky and clearly a potential health hazard. For me, a solid (as a brick!) tortilla de patatas cooked with onion is the classic version. The runny version must be something “new.” In over 60 years...

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