• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

A to Z of the Camino Frances

R

Rinnes

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2016 and 2017
Hi Folks,
I am new to the forum but I thought I would throw this one out there. I am complying an A to Z list of advice etc about the Camino Frances for a project I am involved with and I have found it a fascinating exercise. However I am concerned that I might be letting my personal experiences skew the list. Hence the request for any suggestions, just the words or phrases. For example under P you might have Packing, Pamplona, Preparation, Puente La Reine,People, Pilgrimage, etc. My thought are that by throwing it open to a larger number of people, it will be more representative and in addition it will prevent me from missing the obvious. Thanking you in advance for any inspirational lists or even partial lists, even just grab a letter and own it! Sorry in advance if this causes any obsessive behaviour, I know I have been spending enjoyable days on it already. All the best.
Graeme
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Discover the Northern Camino!
Join our full-service guided tour of the Basque Country and let us pamper you!
Hi,
Just to clarify, I was asking for Alphabetic lists rather that just basic advice. I can put that down under P for Packing. Currently I am struggling with the letters D,K,Q,X and Y. No doubt some of you wordsmiths out there might have some ideas. cheers Graeme
 
Graeme, sounds good. I’ll put my thinking cap on. Cheers, Mike
 
D could be a list of do's and don't's.
K could be some general advice in point form starting with 'Know this...' or something similar.
X could be about Xuntas (the municipal albergues in Galicia) and things to know about them (e.g. that there are often kitchens but no kitchen facilities).
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
K & Q: Kings and Queens and Spanish history. Queueing up at albergues. Pocket Knives.

Z: Zebras. They look like horses but they are mean. There are some (very few) walkers who look like pilgrims but keep away.

D: Daily schedule.

X: I love Nick's suggestion of Xunta.

Y: Yes. What should you say Yes to. Also You and the Camino together.

Roland, Romans, Romanesque, Gothic, Geography.
 
Last edited:
First few that comes to mind...

D:
- (albergue) donativo,
- donation,
- dirty (dirt paths etc.),
- download (GPS tracks or guides...),
- dolor (Spanish for suffer ie. "Hai no gracia sin dolor" = No pain no glory),
- poli-deportivo (sports center) & tienda de deportes (sports shop),
- dinero (money)

K:
- kilo-gram/meter etc. (it's metric system in Europe after all),
- kilt (yes, some Scots indeed walk Camino in a kilt )

Q:
- questions (a lot with first-timers),
- quilt (many use them instead of sleeping bags),
- queso (Spanish for cheese, we use this word a looot while on Camino)

X:
- xunta (albergues),
- X-mas (yes indeed, hahaha),
- Xan XY (Galician for San/to XY) - EDIT: NOT CORRECT!!! See @Pelegrin post below.

Y:
- young (pilgrims),
- youth hostel (Spanish - Albergue Juvenil),
- Youtube (heaps of videos and vlogs on Caminos).

Ultreia!
 
Last edited:
Camino Inspired & Tested Gear!
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
- kilo-gram/meter etc. (it's metric system in Europe after all),
Then it would be metre - unless you're being poetic
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Jeff Crawley said:
- kilo-gram/meter etc. (it's metric system in Europe after all),
Then it would be metre - unless you're being poetic
Click to expand...
I appologize, non-native speaker over here
Both in English and Spanish...
 
Camino Inglés Walking Holiday - UK
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
EXPRESS BOURRICOT - Transport
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
Hey, ladies, no problem here whatsoever, let's not digress. I actually like to be corrected in (for me) foreign languages. It's learning everyday, isn't it? I mean "meter" is so very much in my everyday usage and it's just a thing of not being careful enough when writing in English. Actually, let's say it was a typo, eh?

Thanks for the link @C clearly . In Slovenian "meter" is used both for the device and the unit so my mistake might originated there.


PS (I also believe @Jeff Crawley meant nothing bad or nasty. I can read emoticons also And I used one in appology post also.)
 
Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
@KinkyOne
To quote from your post:
“In Slovenian "meter" is used both for the device and the unit so my mistake might originated there.”

In which case it wasn’t a mistake You are using “the metric system in Europe” ... hence my comment ...
that, and the fact that we native speakers of English are very fortunate in being able to use our first language on this forum (based, founded, and concerning a pilgrimage ... all in Europe).

C clearly said:
Hmmm. Let's dig a little deeper. Here is an interesting article on metre vs. meter. The strength of English lies in its flexibility, versatility and ability to change. Prescriptivists are doomed to frustration.
Click to expand...

Interesting article ... thanks for posting the link

Worldwide, there are many more English language students who are learning English US/Microsoft () than there are learning English (UK).

‘Everything Changes’ - nothing remains the same ...

Vive la différence
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, please keep them going, for all the letters of the Alphabet.
cheers
Graeme
 
Can I just say that I didn't mean to segue the OP's thread from A-Z to English vs International English.
If I were visiting the US I should be happy to use meter, color, neighbor and harbor and even aluminum (although that goes against American scientific practice) I just feel that if you're going to visit the area where the metric system was originated you should follow the local rules in the same way that US websites don't have to identify with .us whereas other nations do .es .fr .uk; British postal stamps don't include the name of the nation because they were the first to issue these and the French version of metre should be the preferred one because they set up the metric system.
My, dyslexic, younger daughter quite likes American/Webster spelling - she says it proves that dyslexia need not be a bar in linguistics.
 
Lightfoot Guide to via Francigena
The 9th edition the Lightfoot Guide will let you complete the journey your way.
C clearly said:
Hmmm. Let's dig a little deeper. Here is an interesting article on metre vs. meter. The strength of English lies in its flexibility, versatility and ability to change. Prescriptivists are doomed to frustration.
Click to expand...
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
(That was written by a Canadian by the way!)
 
Q for Queimada: stand well back if you want to keep your eyebrows and wait for the flames to die out before drinking
 
KinkyOne said:
First few that comes to mind…
X:
- xunta (albergues),
- X-mas (yes indeed, hahaha),
- Xan XY (Galician for San/to XY)
Ultreia!
Click to expand...

Xunta (Galicia), that was the creator of the current Camino de Santiago and therefore decided the albergues had a very cheap cost for the pilgrims, provides more services apart from albergues: guides, Apps, preparation of Xacobeo 2021, gravel on paths, etc.

XanXY : Do you mean Xan Luis ?
No, no. in Galician is San Luis, like in Spanish.

Xan is John in Galician
 
Altus 24 Liters daypack (DENON 24 H30)
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Pelegrin said:
...
XanXY : Do you mean Xan Luis ?
No, no. in Galician is San Luis, like in Spanish.

Xan is John in Galician
Click to expand...
Ooops, how that happened?
I think I know how or why... I remember the section of CF after Triacastela and it's going through San Xil and I simply morphed San and Xil into Xan.

Sorry for that big mistake. Thank you @Pelegrin to correct me (as you have all of us on many occasions re Galicia)!
 
S for Spanish languages. Plural. The ones that you encounter anyway. I would even mention French. Try to use the word Castilian/castellano over Spanish/espanol. The other big two you will hear are Basque/euskadi and Galician/gallego. Possibly mention Leonese.

A number of times I found that greetings in Spanish to Basques would just get me glares. I didn't see this when greeting Galician s though.

I mentioned French because, not only is it used in SJPdP, but in Arneguy. We stopped for lunch there at a restaurant where nearly everything was in French except for required safety signs like fire extinguisher and exit labelling which were in Spanish.
 
Last edited:
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Q is for “quinina”! Quinine in your fantastic Spanish Gin Tonic!
 

In Extranxeiro (foreigner) we have both sounds for X: Ekstransheiro . But most people (including me) say Estransheiro (that is easier for us).
Same in other words with X (ks): éxito, exame, we say ésito, esame.
 
Dennis White said:
Molinaseca a must!
Click to expand...
Dennis, my walking partner and I will be walking the same distance you walked in in 2018. Would appreciate any comments you have about that route and any highlights we should not miss. Best regards, Lynnette Pease
 
Last edited:
Camino Inglés Walking Holiday - UK
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
@lynpeas, you should edit your post to remove your email address, unless you like spam!
Members can contact you by private message. And if you spend a bit of time reading the forums here you will probably get most of your questions answered.
 
Hi Graeme,
Bit late picking up on this thread, however . . .

How about X for “extras” - those less than initially obvious items for inclusion in a
pilgrim’s pack?

For starters: extra pair of (boot) laces - for emergencies but to tie removed clothing items to pack; half dozen safety pins - as clothes pegs and attach drying clothing to pack; universal bath/basin plug - obvious reason, but basins often lack this (!); small plastic bottle - to top up with liquid soap as/when circumstances allow.

Additionally: suggest have access details to personal email account where are filed copies of key documents - e.g. passport, should it go missing; carry personal details and contact details- in case of emergency and not able to communicate.

I could go on here but am sure other pilgrims could add to these suggestions, some of which are obvious, I realise!

Paul
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
V:
-videos
-vlogs
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
lynpeas said:
Dennis, my walking partner and I will be walking the same distance you walked in in 2018. Would appreciate any comments you have about that route and any highlights we should not miss. Best regards, Lynnette Pease
Click to expand...
Sorry I'm so late replying Lynette. We had a 2 night break each 5-6 days so we walked 15 days and took 17 to SdC. Suggest 1st leg via Villa De Mazarife, we stayed at Tio Pepe excellent. We also booked everything in advance with 1 medium suitcase transported and all went to plan. There is lots you're going to miss as there is too much to experience. A 5 minute break can add a highlight or cause a missed opportunity. Savour the moment, that's why we are planning to do the whole Frances when we return.
 
G for GOD for sure

I could feel the kind and gentle touch by GOD on CF physically, mentally and spiritually.
 
Lightfoot Guide to via Francigena
The 9th edition the Lightfoot Guide will let you complete the journey your way.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Camino Photo

Most read last week in this forum

Similar threads

  • Tags travel-agencies/groups
    • Coming to the Camino Frances, a flood of tour groups
    Replies
    77
    Views
    7K
    Chizuru
    S
    Proximity of Hormilla to the Camino Frances
    Replies
    6
    Views
    1K
    Tincatinker
    LIVE from the Camino Day 5 of the Frances!
    Replies
    4
    Views
    1K
    SFHiker
    Menu
    Log in
    Register