Hi Laurie,
I´m back for the Salvador (Cde Madrid, Primitivo as well). The Salvador WAS crowded, in my opinion. Although I think that crowded means different things to differente people... It was not crowded as the Francés, of course, but still all the albergues were full or almost full along the way! I always found a bed so no problem, but this Camino has gotten really popular I think. And hard: many did very short stages because of the terrain, there were many complaints about the hardships and suffering knees, feet and so on, and a few people giving up along the way, taking the train back home because they didn´t cope with the hilly parts. I understand them: I was REALLY suffering on this one...!
So I guess I recommend it because of the scenery, which is amazing. But it´s not as solitary as it once was, and as of the terrain it is really diferent from the Francés in that area, something that people coming from the Francés should be aware about...
More to come!
BP