Anne100
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino del Norte, Sept.-Nov. (2013)
1. The Spanish people are overall fantastic. Friendly, welcoming, warm, cheerful, supportive. They might think we're a little crazy for doing what we do but they are polite about it. 
2. That alleged "hallowed respect" for peregrinos, though? Nah. Haven't seen it nor experienced it. Most people are busy with their own lives and frankly aren't all that concerned what yet another person with a backpack is up to in Spain, and there are lots of folks traveling with backpacks who aren't peregrinos.
3. This is not the Camino for you if you dislike steep ascents/descents or barking dogs.
4. Make sure you budget some time to spend on the incredible beaches. I-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e. And I say that as a native Angeleno.
5. The Spanish countryside is nothing short of gorgeous: beautiful and green, smart homes with neat gardens, cows, sheep, horses... I never tire of it. The weather has been nearly perfect, too. We've been lucky to have summer weather in September and even October.
6. Don't burn incense in the albergues. Please. Just don't do it. I know it smells bad in here sometimes. Take a shower, do laundry, leave your boots outside, wash your pack if you were clever enough to choose one that can be easily washed and dried... but don't burn incense.
7. Please don't hog the kitchen and its supplies. When you're in a group remember there might be others who would like to use a fork and a plate and maybe the stove while you're spending an hour preparing a grand meal for you and your ten friends.
8. Smoking isn't as bad as I expected but it is ubiquitous. A smoker has absolutely no qualms about blowing smoke right in your face as you're huffing yourself and your pack up a hill, either.
9. There's a still bigger air pollution problem I didn't see mentioned before I left for my Camino: artificial fragrance. This is a country that loooooves its perfume, cologne, scented laundry products, you name it. There was a particular fragrance so popular in Irun and Bilbao that I could taste it while walking down the streets. It was so strong I found myself rinsing my mouth out several times. Be forewarned if you're sensitive to things like that.
10. The Spanish are devoted to recycling but strangely indifferent to animal welfare. You need to be stoic if stray/feral dogs and cats in various stages of ill health, or animals chained and caged, or left exposed to the elements, sometimes without food or water, are distressing to you. It's unfortunately a common site.
11. Soda in a bar-restaurant will cost four or five times what it costs in a market. Same for a salad.
12. They really know how to do Mass in Asturias. Either that or I just happened to stumble upon some special services.
13. I would like to officially thank every Spanish teacher I ever had. Even a little Spanish goes a long way. They're really forgiving of any language mistakes so go ahead and give it a try, but don't be surprised if someone simply responds in English anyway. I have occasionally found excellent English speakers in some pretty out of the way places but don't expect it! I think this would be a more difficult adventure if you didn't know any Spanish at all. Not impossible, but more difficult.
14. I wish I had learned a little German before I left, even just the basics so I could exchange pleasantries with my fellow peregrinos who are German - I have met many. Plus, their guidebooks are way, way better than ours.
15. Even if you don't spend much time in the albergues make it a point to chat with a few other peregrinos now and then. The countless "where are you from/when did you start//where did you start/how far are you going/how much does your pack weigh" conversations get tedious but there are often interesting personalities waiting to reveal themselves behind them, and your fellow peregrinos can have useful news and scuttlebutt about things like closed or full albergues, bedbugs, upcoming not-to-be-missed sights and so on to share.
16. I love my tent and have used it many times. No regrets about bringing it or my stove.
17. This is a mop. Learn it, live it, love it:
2. That alleged "hallowed respect" for peregrinos, though? Nah. Haven't seen it nor experienced it. Most people are busy with their own lives and frankly aren't all that concerned what yet another person with a backpack is up to in Spain, and there are lots of folks traveling with backpacks who aren't peregrinos.
3. This is not the Camino for you if you dislike steep ascents/descents or barking dogs.
4. Make sure you budget some time to spend on the incredible beaches. I-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e. And I say that as a native Angeleno.
5. The Spanish countryside is nothing short of gorgeous: beautiful and green, smart homes with neat gardens, cows, sheep, horses... I never tire of it. The weather has been nearly perfect, too. We've been lucky to have summer weather in September and even October.
6. Don't burn incense in the albergues. Please. Just don't do it. I know it smells bad in here sometimes. Take a shower, do laundry, leave your boots outside, wash your pack if you were clever enough to choose one that can be easily washed and dried... but don't burn incense.
7. Please don't hog the kitchen and its supplies. When you're in a group remember there might be others who would like to use a fork and a plate and maybe the stove while you're spending an hour preparing a grand meal for you and your ten friends.
8. Smoking isn't as bad as I expected but it is ubiquitous. A smoker has absolutely no qualms about blowing smoke right in your face as you're huffing yourself and your pack up a hill, either.
9. There's a still bigger air pollution problem I didn't see mentioned before I left for my Camino: artificial fragrance. This is a country that loooooves its perfume, cologne, scented laundry products, you name it. There was a particular fragrance so popular in Irun and Bilbao that I could taste it while walking down the streets. It was so strong I found myself rinsing my mouth out several times. Be forewarned if you're sensitive to things like that.
10. The Spanish are devoted to recycling but strangely indifferent to animal welfare. You need to be stoic if stray/feral dogs and cats in various stages of ill health, or animals chained and caged, or left exposed to the elements, sometimes without food or water, are distressing to you. It's unfortunately a common site.
11. Soda in a bar-restaurant will cost four or five times what it costs in a market. Same for a salad.
12. They really know how to do Mass in Asturias. Either that or I just happened to stumble upon some special services.
13. I would like to officially thank every Spanish teacher I ever had. Even a little Spanish goes a long way. They're really forgiving of any language mistakes so go ahead and give it a try, but don't be surprised if someone simply responds in English anyway. I have occasionally found excellent English speakers in some pretty out of the way places but don't expect it! I think this would be a more difficult adventure if you didn't know any Spanish at all. Not impossible, but more difficult.
14. I wish I had learned a little German before I left, even just the basics so I could exchange pleasantries with my fellow peregrinos who are German - I have met many. Plus, their guidebooks are way, way better than ours.
15. Even if you don't spend much time in the albergues make it a point to chat with a few other peregrinos now and then. The countless "where are you from/when did you start//where did you start/how far are you going/how much does your pack weigh" conversations get tedious but there are often interesting personalities waiting to reveal themselves behind them, and your fellow peregrinos can have useful news and scuttlebutt about things like closed or full albergues, bedbugs, upcoming not-to-be-missed sights and so on to share.
16. I love my tent and have used it many times. No regrets about bringing it or my stove.
17. This is a mop. Learn it, live it, love it:
