Back in Ontario. wonderful camino - May 2 to June 4.

[gerrypm]

The pilgrimage was all I had hoped for. Fell in love with Spain. Will return with my wife, as a tourist, and revisit many of the places along the path. Nothing but help and kindness from the locals and from the other peregrinos. Weather - hot, cool, wet, cold, dry - any mixture one could want. Took my old, heavy, waterproof (gore-tex) boots and the weight was worth it. No feet problems and intact ankles and legs. Carried a pair of Crocs for afternoons and evenings - no weight even though they are truly ugly. Walked 12 to 34 km per day - averaged about 20+ km. One of the peregrinos told me that he had been advised "start the walk like an old man if you want to arrive in Santiago like a young man". When I got home my wife pointed out that the zip-off extensions to my pants that I discarded during my weight-reduction phase had come from pants that cost $150. Still make good shorts. I could have done the whole walk with one pair of pants. Camino is getting crowded - and I think it will get worse. Still, it was possible, on many days, to walk for hours and not see anyone else, or only in the distance. Used albergues sometimes, but mostly pensions, casa rurals, hotels. Reserve a day in advance and avoid the dangers of entering into the foot-race mentality. Light rainwear, a few changes of socks and underwear, couple of polyester shirts, meds and tooth brush, small jar of vaseline to allow a thin coat on the feet in the morning - moleskin for any "hot spots" on feet, roll of toilet paper, maps, water bottles (1 1/2 liters) - didn't need much else (notebook, pen, handkerchiefs - camera - pouch for passport, money, etc. - some other odds and ends). To all of the peregrinos - buen camino. Gerry.

 

[sillydoll]

Well done Gerry! I'm sure you didn't look anything like a wounded crab when you got to Santiago!!
How did the plans from Madrid turn out? Did you take a plane?

If you return with your wife I would recommend hiring a car from DoYouSpain. We booked one before we left for Spain and collected it in Santiago. An automatic, airconditioned Citroen C5 Auto, 5 door cost us 280 euro for 7 days.
We bought the Everest Mapa Turistico del Camino de Santiago road map and after a trip to Finisterre and Lugo followed the N120 back along the camino to Pamplona (with detours to Oviedo and Santo Domingo de Silos).
So pleased it all went well for you!
Hugs,

 

[gerrypm]

Hi - thanks for the advice on car rentals etc. I am hoping to do this next spring/summer.
Didn't feel wounded at all by the end of the the camino. I took the train from Santiago to Madrid. It was a great trip - only cost about 48 euros. Seven and a half hours, comfortable seats with lots of space. Cheers, Gerry.

 

[lisajs68]

Sounds like a great walk. My husband & I re really hoping to do the Camino next April/May. Can I ask what your budget was allowing for the pensions etc? We are likely to be on a pretty tight budget & would be interested to know approx. costs if refuges are full or whatever & we need to use other accommodation. Kind of worried by the constant talk of overcrowding. Cheers, Lisa.

 

[gerrypm]

Hi Lisa: Before I left, I was working on an estimated budget of around $4500 for the six weeks. I walked for about 5 full weeks, had a couple of days in Pamplona before starting and another 3 nights and two days in Madrid before returning home. It was a bit of a surprise when my wife did the arithmetic and worked out the real cost - came to about $7300. This could be cut down in some ways. My age (now 69) and medical history worked against me (I had bypass surgery 10 years ago - never a minute's problem since then, but the insurance companies do notice - and the longer it has been since your operation, the more they charge). The insurance came to almost $400. I spent $275 before leaving on a new 30 L Salomon back pack (very light and worth the hundred dollars), and some other stuff (back pack cover, couple shirts etc.). TrailHead and REI are like candy stores to me. Used Air Canada miles but there was still a $430 supplemental charge from them. Spent about a hundred dollars (internet from Canada) on the Spanair flight from Madrid to Pamplona (plus 20 or 25 euros for the taxi ride). The 48 euro train ride (think I was in 1st class) from Santiago to Madrid was a real bargain. You can walk to the Santiago station in 5 or 10 minutes. I got a hotel in northern part of Madrid - bit of a mistake because it costs a bit to get from the hotel to the central (most interesting ) parts of Madrid. While on the road: Couple or three nights in albergues (7 to 10 euros), a few pensions (about 20 euros per night) and Casa Rurals (my favourites) and hotels - up to about 60 euros - mostly in the 30 to 40 range. It is difficult to avoid slipping into the habit of equating the Canadian dollar with the euro. You see a 10 euro price tag on the meal and think that 10 bucks isn't too bad. In fact, you are paying about $17 or more. Taking 300 euros out of the ATM (sample size of 3) cost me about $495 CDN when it showed up on my bill. Wine is inexpensive - 3 or 4 euros gets you a very good wine - or at least a chance to try a wine that has the potential to be very good. You can pay less than a euro for a tetrapak of wine in a supermercado. Now and again we would blow 15 or 20 euros and convince ourselves that the Spanish are capable of producing good food - needed decent meat and fresh vegatables sometimes. The cost was not pain-free for me, but I still think it was worth it. The decision not to spend much time in albergues was a personal one. I realized that I did not want to get involved in the morning foot race to be out and heading for the next desirable place. I am a slow riser, need some quiet time, stretch, scratch my ass, shave, have shower etc. My usual hiking companion and I stayed in single rooms most of the time and phoned ahead to reserve; either the night before or in the morning (I bought a Spanish cell phone and used it to keep in touch with my sister, and assorted hiking buddies, and making reservations when there was no available pay phone). You could use the various "housing" alternatives (pensions, CR, hotels etc.) and save a lot (per person) by staying in doubles. And - many people really like the albergue life - many wonderful people, lots of good talk, etc. There are also places with rooms for two or for four people - not all are massive dormitories. The crowding, risk of having no certain accomodation, and the cold, often damp, early rush to get on the road were deciding factors for me. Crowding is a concern, and I know my own need for some privacy. Hence, spending the money on more costly accomodation. Crowding was not an issue on the trail. It is not like walking down a busy city street. You might see a dozen people ahead of you on a straight stretch, or, in the meseta or the forests of Galicia, you could go for hours in solitude. I am not a hermit and hiked with someone most of the time; the people you meet are a very important part of the camino. Don't know what it will be like in the next couple of years - I think there is a holy year coming up (2010?). I hope you do make the trip. I have rambled on in this message, but there are lots of other ways to economize that are covered in the discussions on this site. Cheers, Gerry.

 

[lisajs68]

Thanks so much for your detailed reply Gerry. I really hope we can do the Camino next year. We are not at all religious, but something about it really appeals. The age of it all perhaps - coming from Australia, we get pretty impressed by " old stuff".
Cheers, Lisa.