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  1. lonestarmatt

    Camino Frances 2019 PostScript 3: CAMINO A to Z

    The Collacation exercise was a great success! Below is a complete list of 112 "Camino-isms". A collocation is simply a collection of two or more words that commonly occur. Some are very familiar - others, not so much. A few definitions were provided; a few are self-explanatory; there may be some...
  2. lonestarmatt

    Camino Frances 2019 PostScript 2: CAMINO COLLOCATION

    7 Days post Camino - things are different - mostly good, perhaps a few not-so-good, definitely different. If you read this post and you've walked a Camino, most likely you know the feeling. If you’re doing research for a future Camino, this may not make as much sense. Suzie and I have walked two...
  3. lonestarmatt

    Camino Frances 2019 PostScript 1: NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO FAST.

    As Suzie and I return from Spain, we experience what many Pilgrims experience. Life in America is Fast! Life in Spain, not so much. Suzie's Dad, Bob Laird (RIP), had the best explanation in the world for Mañana. Ask almost anyone and they'll say Mañana means tomorrow. Ask Bob and you get the...
  4. lonestarmatt

    Frances versus Portuguese Way

    I trained from Lisbon to Porto and took a day to see the Cathedral and walk the river. The next day I took the Metro to Matosinhos and walked the coastline to Vila do Conde. It's a very peaceful walk with very few pilgrims. I know many people continue the coastline, but there were a few things I...
  5. lonestarmatt

    Frances versus Portuguese Way

    Having walked Camino Frances in 2014 and Camino Portugues in 2015 (from Porto), it was sometimes a challenge not to continuously compare the two. One of my realizations along The Way is you'll only have One First Camino. While it may be stating the obvious, your first Camino experience will...
  6. lonestarmatt

    help and advice needed for solo and first time.

    1. If you're walking Camino Frances, there will be plenty of albergues along The Way - some public (municipals and parochials), some private, casa rurals (bed and breakfast), hotels in bigger cities. If you're solo, you'll have many options to start and stop when you like and a single bed will...
  7. lonestarmatt

    Last minute advice for first timers.

    After walking Camino Frances in 2014 and Camino Portugues in 2015, my best advice is to let the Camino come to You. It's not a race - give yourself time to watch the wind blow through the trees, smell the early morning baking bread, listen to the rhythmic waters of the many streams and rivers...
  8. lonestarmatt

    Reviews about Orisson

    I highly recommend Orisson to any pilgrim considering their start in St. Jean. Roncevalles is doable with an early start. Orisson provides a great opportunity to "set the stage" for a great pilgrimage. We had reservations and verified them a couple of weeks before our arrival. We had a...
  9. lonestarmatt

    Wine: Your favorite, and where you drank it

    In Ponferadda, we stopped for lunch in the town square and enjoyed fantastic fresh-made pizza. The waiter demonstrated a neat wine trick by affixing the cork to the bottle. Pizza and Wine were delicious. Wine Cork Trick by lonestarmatt posted Jul 22, 2015 at 10:25 AM
  10. lonestarmatt

    Wine: Your favorite, and where you drank it

    Below is a pic of all of the wine labels we enjoyed on our Camino. There were several memorable bottles. On the way to Belorado, I stopped for lunch in Alto - this gem of a restaurant set away from the Camino a couple of hundred meters by the highway. I enjoyed a beautiful salad with a...
  11. lonestarmatt

    On my countdown .. a few things that are preying on my mind.

    You're on about the same timeline as our Camino last year. We left SJPP on May 1. Rained the first day and sleeted the next after our overnight stay in Orrison. There are plenty of provisions in SJPP if you forget anything. Vaseline and Compeed are important. I rubbed Vaseline on my feet every...
  12. lonestarmatt

    An excess of questions from a first time pilgrim

    I just completed my first Camino in June. It was a learning experience. Backpack - I used Gregory 45L. My goal for my next Camino is 30L. My pack without food and water was 22-24 pounds. My goal for my next Camino is 14-16 pounds. Checking bags: I used an Osprey Bag to check my Backpack and...
  13. lonestarmatt

    Reporting Live From The Camino -- The 4 Minute Pilgrim

    After weeks of the "Menu of the Day", the Italian restaurant in Sarria - Matias, was a welcome change of pace. The food is some of the most enjoyable on the Camino and the brothers that run the place are pilgrims. When we were there in June, they said they want to "run" the Camino instead of...
  14. lonestarmatt

    10 days away with two concerns, trip planning and health condition

    We bought the Sea to Summit Insect Treated Liner at REI: http://www.rei.com/product/797112/sea-to-summit-insect-shield-coolmax-adaptor-liner-mummy It was warm enought most nights, but added a blanket from the albergue when it was colder. Also bought a Zippered Pillow Case to either put the...
  15. lonestarmatt

    Things that I would do differently

    Walking SJPP to Santiago, the first 20-30 days of 16k-30k takes it toll in terms of the fatigue factor. Walking only 12k-20k per day would have made a big difference. The key factor is "No End Date". The pilgrims I met with no end date had the freedom to relax and enjoy the Camino without any...
  16. lonestarmatt

    10 days away with two concerns, trip planning and health condition

    What part of Texas are you from? There were 5 Texans in our group and we added a sixth in Sarria. I learned many things on my first Camino that I'm sure it will help with my next trip. For example, the Brierley guidebook is a suggestion book, not a rule book. At my age, 55, walking 15-20k per...
  17. lonestarmatt

    10 days away with two concerns, trip planning and health condition

    If you're starting in SJPP and you want to stay the first night in Roncesvalles, consider an afternoon stroll to Hunto the first night. That makes the trip over the Pyrenees shorter the next day. And, if the weather is really bad, you could still revert to going around via Valcarlos. Use the...
  18. lonestarmatt

    What is your favourite place to see or stay post-Burgos?

    We walked the Camino from May 1 to June 8 and one of our most enjoyable stops was in Villavante. The Casa Rural, Molino Galochas, hosted by Mercedes and Maximo was extremely welcoming. They had an afternoon fire in their fireplace and offered beer/wine and snacks. They washed our laundry and we...
  19. lonestarmatt

    What is the most unususal sign you saw on CF?

  20. lonestarmatt

    Leaving tomorrow!

    We are in our last 100k. After seeing Leon and the less than glamourous walk out of town, I would recommend seeing the cathedral and then taxi to La Virgen del Camino. From there you can walk to Villavante. One of the nicest places we have stayed is Molinas Galochas. Mercedes and Maximo were the...

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