Bought our tickets yesterday

[pierrenaples]

We are doing the Camino Frances from SJPP in mid September, we are planning to go to Mont Saint Michel and Lourdes a few days each first and then stay a few nights around SJPP before getting started. We are coming from SW Florida and departing from Miami and landing in Frankfurt Germany and then on to Pamplona for a day or two.

We found for us the prices were starting to climb possibly due to the war in Ukraine effecting fuel costs. It was surprising that in two weeks they went up $65 each for the first leg. We chose Frankfurt because we may skip the second flight to Pamplona and see friends nearby.

The other thing that surprised us was that in Google Flights putting Miami as our starting point and putting Pamplona as our destination the price one way was $300 each, it goes nonstop to Frankfurt has a 3 hour layover between flights to Pamplona. If we asked for Frankfurt as the destination it would go thru Lisbon and be more by roughly $50 each. The same was true with Paris or Madrid.

We are leaving the return fight open until we see how we are doing along the Camino, we plan on doing the Finisterre and then travel to Fatima and depart from Lisbon. If we have extra days may do a few days in Barcelona too. We can’t wait and are diligently training with our foot ware and loaded packs with increasing length and weight carried. So far so good, we haven’t tried walking in the rain yet but that’s coming too.

Buen Camino.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

If you have time for more walking a recent thread gives you an idea on how to use it, walking from Lourdes to SJPdP.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/lourdes-as-an-alternative-starting-point-to-st-jean-pied-de-port.73082/

No matter what you do have a wonderful trip.

 

[Charles Ross]

We are doing the Camino Frances from SJPP in mid September, we are planning to go to Mont Saint Michel and Lourdes a few days each first and then stay a few nights around SJPP before getting started. We are coming from SW Florida and departing from Miami and landing in Frankfurt Germany and then on to Pamplona for a day or two.

We found for us the prices were starting to climb possibly due to the war in Ukraine effecting fuel costs. It was surprising that in two weeks they went up $65 each for the first leg. We chose Frankfurt because we may skip the second flight to Pamplona and see friends nearby.

The other thing that surprised us was that in Google Flights putting Miami as our starting point and putting Pamplona as our destination the price one way was $300 each, it goes nonstop to Frankfurt has a 3 hour layover between flights to Pamplona. If we asked for Frankfurt as the destination it would go thru Lisbon and be more by roughly $50 each. The same was true with Paris or Madrid.

We are leaving the return fight open until we see how we are doing along the Camino, we plan on doing the Finisterre and then travel to Fatima and depart from Lisbon. If we have extra days may do a few days in Barcelona too. We can’t wait and are diligently training with our foot ware and loaded packs with increasing length and weight carried. So far so good, we haven’t tried walking in the rain yet but that’s coming too.

Buen Camino.

I'm a bit surprised that travel prices would be going up. I would think, if anything travelers would be changing their plans given the crisis. If you don't mind some advice: Re: Lourdes. We are going there in April; mainly because it is an easy flight from Dublin and an easy train ride to SJPdP. We were going to spend a night or two there but a friend who has spent some time there said 'skip it'. The only value he said was seeing the amazing number of stores there selling 'plastic Mary statues made in China'. If you intend also to visit Fatima you probably attach a deeper religious meaning to this visit than I, so there's that! Re: pack weight. In 2018 I hauled a cooking stove and fuel across the Camino Frances; never used it. my pack only weighed 23-24 pounds but it was 7-8 pounds too much! We start in in SJPdP on April 12th or so. I'm going to have about 15 pounds: Sleeping bag, 4-5 pairs of socks, underwear, long pants and a couple of tee shirts and long shirts, and the 'Moon' CdS book by Beebe Bahrami. We saw, in 2018, people with 40 + liter packs, full and also front packs! They looked really, really stressed. We are in our 70's and not terribly fit. We gave ourselves 30 days to walk from Pamplona to Santiago and were only able to do about 40% of the walk. We can walk 25 km in a day but we can't do it every day! This time we are giving it 50 days total and if we can't do the entire 780 km, fine. We would probably skip the last 100 km as it is reputed to be a bit of a circus anyway. Re: reservations. We did not make any and did just fine walking in May. The availability of food and lodging along the Way is just amazing. I think what helped is that we were not on a 'program'. If we started walking at 9:00 and came across a beautiful place in a few hours, we stopped and stayed. Overall, it was one of the most enjoyable, interesting, low stress travel experiences I've ever had. I could go on, but I'll end it here. Buen Camino.

 

[pierrenaples]

I'm a bit surprised that travel prices would be going up. I would think, if anything travelers would be changing their plans given the crisis. If you don't mind some advice: Re: Lourdes. We are going there in April; mainly because it is an easy flight from Dublin and an easy train ride to SJPdP. We were going to spend a night or two there but a friend who has spent some time there said 'skip it'. The only value he said was seeing the amazing number of stores there selling 'plastic Mary statues made in China'. If you intend also to visit Fatima you probably attach a deeper religious meaning to this visit than I, so there's that! Re: pack weight. In 2018 I hauled a cooking stove and fuel across the Camino Frances; never used it. my pack only weighed 23-24 pounds but it was 7-8 pounds too much! We start in in SJPdP on April 12th or so. I'm going to have about 15 pounds: Sleeping bag, 4-5 pairs of socks, underwear, long pants and a couple of tee shirts and long shirts, and the 'Moon' CdS book by Beebe Bahrami. We saw, in 2018, people with 40 + liter packs, full and also front packs! They looked really, really stressed. We are in our 70's and not terribly fit. We gave ourselves 30 days to walk from Pamplona to Santiago and were only able to do about 40% of the walk. We can walk 25 km in a day but we can't do it every day! This time we are giving it 50 days total and if we can't do the entire 780 km, fine. We would probably skip the last 100 km as it is reputed to be a bit of a circus anyway. Re: reservations. We did not make any and did just fine walking in May. The availability of food and lodging along the Way is just amazing. I think what helped is that we were not on a 'program'. If we started walking at 9:00 and came across a beautiful place in a few hours, we stopped and stayed. Overall, it was one of the most enjoyable, interesting, low stress travel experiences I've ever had. I could go on, but I'll end it here. Buen Camino.

We are planning on carrying about 20 lbs each, I'm training now with a out double that just because we have no hills here.

Once we get there we aren't in any sort of rush either. Looking forward to the adventure and sites.

 

[trecile]

We are planning on carrying about 20 lbs each,

I would definitely try to cut that down to around 15 lbs or less. Remember that you can only wear one set of clothes at a time.
Leave the "just in case" items behind - there are stores in Spain where you can buy anything that you need.

 

[Kathy F.]

i walked from Lourdes to SJPdP to SdC in 2015. I arrived in Lourdes during the evening. It was rainy and many, but not all, stores and restaurants were closed. While wandering around, too excited to sleep, I came upon an evening Mass held in a grotto along one of the paths near the Church. It was quiet, there were few people, many using umbrellas, and it was a very peaceful way to begin my journey.

The next morning, the garishness of Lourdes set in. I, too, was taken back by the number of plastic Virgin Marys with a screw top crown for holy water. YIKES!! Thousands of plastic rosaries, holy nightlights, refrigerator magnets, etc. There was one small store run by nuns that I found where I spent some money. The rest, blah.

The procession to the Cathedral that night was something to see. I was moved by the devotion of the faithful who came for their miracles. I just prayed for a safe journey and peace for my friends and family. For the record, I am a devoted and practicing Catholic.

The adventure to SdC was all I had hoped for and more. I was in my late 60’s at the time and it was my second Camino. I aimed for 20 Km a day, almost always did more but started purposefully slow. I stayed extra days in some cities and still made it in about 40/50 days, more energized than when I had started. Talk about miracles!!

 

[Texasbelle]

I'm a bit surprised that travel prices would be going up. I would think, if anything travelers would be changing their plans given the crisis. If you don't mind some advice: Re: Lourdes. We are going there in April; mainly because it is an easy flight from Dublin and an easy train ride to SJPdP. We were going to spend a night or two there but a friend who has spent some time there said 'skip it'. The only value he said was seeing the amazing number of stores there selling 'plastic Mary statues made in China'. If you intend also to visit Fatima you probably attach a deeper religious meaning to this visit than I, so there's that! Re: pack weight. In 2018 I hauled a cooking stove and fuel across the Camino Frances; never used it. my pack only weighed 23-24 pounds but it was 7-8 pounds too much! We start in in SJPdP on April 12th or so. I'm going to have about 15 pounds: Sleeping bag, 4-5 pairs of socks, underwear, long pants and a couple of tee shirts and long shirts, and the 'Moon' CdS book by Beebe Bahrami. We saw, in 2018, people with 40 + liter packs, full and also front packs! They looked really, really stressed. We are in our 70's and not terribly fit. We gave ourselves 30 days to walk from Pamplona to Santiago and were only able to do about 40% of the walk. We can walk 25 km in a day but we can't do it every day! This time we are giving it 50 days total and if we can't do the entire 780 km, fine. We would probably skip the last 100 km as it is reputed to be a bit of a circus anyway. Re: reservations. We did not make any and did just fine walking in May. The availability of food and lodging along the Way is just amazing. I think what helped is that we were not on a 'program'. If we started walking at 9:00 and came across a beautiful place in a few hours, we stopped and stayed. Overall, it was one of the most enjoyable, interesting, low stress travel experiences I've ever had. I could go on, but I'll end it here. Buen Camino.

I will have to skip your friends advice regarding Lourdes. Yes I imagine there will be a lot of trinket sellers, however I am going because I believe in the power of miracles, and I go to visit the beautiful Cathedral built to honor Our Lady and to fit the thousands of people arriving there to pray to God and for healing. It saddens me that someone would say there is no value there wow....sad.