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  1. KariC

    Albergues from Porto

    Agree!!
  2. KariC

    Spiritual Variante

    Nice to see a place has finally opened up in Ribadumia - when I walked it in 2016, I was assured by the tourist office in Pontevedra, google, and someone at the monastery in Armenteira that if I kept walking past Armenteira to Ribadumia, that there were accommodations there - at that time, there...
  3. KariC

    Start outside of Porto?

    Matosinhos is a common place, at least if starting out on the coastal route. Many places to cut over to the central route.
  4. KariC

    Travelling from Porto airport to a different start point (Ponte de Lima)

    Not sure your reason for wanting to start outside of Porto, but a fairly common starting point just outside it is Matosinhos, on the outskirts of Porto - that's an inexpensive taxi ride from the airport. Then you can start walking past all the urban stuff, if that's your reason for asking...
  5. KariC

    Recommended food and restaurants along the Central Portuguese

    Order the pilgrims meal and "un vino tinto" and just go with the flow of what you are served!
  6. KariC

    Hiking poles

    Unless you have serious ortho issues, my recommendation is to not do it. I do have ortho issues and almost always hike in the United States with poles, but did not need them on the Português.
  7. KariC

    Where to spend a week

    Variante Espiritual is amazing - I'd definitely include that!
  8. KariC

    August 2020 looking for some advice

    I hiked the Caminho Portugues as a solo traveler, albeit older than you, and had absolutely no trouble meeting people. Granted, things could be different this year, but it was really important to me to have the flexibility of deciding how far and which route I wanted to go (coastal, central...
  9. KariC

    Partial coastal or full inland route?

    I did it the way you are proposing, and it was great. Being from the desert, I thought I would want to go longer along the ocean, but I am actually thrilled that' I followed some people I met up with inland.
  10. KariC

    Help with beautiful spots for making a proposal (of marriage!)

    Camino de agua y piedras, along the variante espiritual! El Camino de agua y piedras, along the variante espiritual!
  11. KariC

    To plan or not to plan?

    I've only done the Português, but my understanding is that the albergues along that route are smaller than the ones along the Francés. It only takes one or two loud people to mess up your sleep, but to the extent that being around 100s of people contributed to the problem, you might find the...
  12. KariC

    Accommodation in Matosinhos or??

    When I started out of Matosinhos in 2016, I stayed at Casa de Godinho - really lovely place!
  13. KariC

    Camino Portuguese

    Like everyone else said. Matosinhos.
  14. KariC

    A few suggestions for the Portugues

    I think it's clear from the above posts, but Pontevedra is the ONLY place to catch the Variante Espiritual - it's not like the coastal / central parallelling each other with several entrees. Only one option. Highly recommend both the V.E. and the boat trip!
  15. KariC

    The Camino Portugues...Does one Need to SPEAK Portuguese??

    I listened to CD's I got from the library, Pimsleur Language Series, to try to get an ear for the Portuguese accent, since mine is Brazilian. It's even more different than I got from that. But I fully agree with others - it's not necessary, but would be appreciated if you knew a few basic phrases.
  16. KariC

    Coastal or Inland Portugese Route?

    No "best." And starting that early, you don't need to commit - start along the coast if you thing that interests you, and you can move inland to the Central at several spots if you want to try that.
  17. KariC

    Solo women on Camino Portugues- advice please

    I walked solo 2 years ago. Not only did I have no problems; at one point I tried to do a stage and a half, ending in a city along the variante espiritual which google and a tourist agency told me had lodging. Turns out it didn't. I accepted a ride to a city with lodging several miles away...
  18. KariC

    Portuguese Camino advice needed

    Highly recommend the Variante + taking the boat. I am told the alternative is about 30 km right along a highway.
  19. KariC

    Camino Portuguese - Starting in 2 Weeks

    Toiletries yes. No need to bring a sleeping bag, assuming you're not planning to start anytime between now and October. The albuergues aren't like hotels- they don't provide soap, toothpaste, etc, for the pilgrims.
  20. KariC

    What do I need to know to get by?

    I used to be pretty good at Brazilian Portuguese, but hadn't used it in a while, so checked out Pimsleur Language on CD from the library - European Portuguese version - to familiarize myself with the European accent and get that part of my brain reactivated. It would be a good series to listen...

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