first time camino starting holy thursday... ! advice pleasie

[whitefeathers]

Hello,

I've been readimg this fabulous forum and am hoping you lovely people can help me....

I have booked my flights today and am suddenly stricken with fear that im doing this at the wrong time, that it could be dreadfully busy... ( i arrive burgos on holy thursday)



this is my first time posting, ive been lurking around a bit trying to suss out ideas and
what-not for my camino.

this will be my first time ( or atempt!) at doing the camino, i'm going for the camino frances.

I a a 24 yo female who is hoping her feet will not give up on her!!

as i do not have alot of time, i intend to start in burgos ( after flying in to santander)

So i have a few questions i was hoping maybe someone more experienced could shed some light on?

firstly, hopefully i will be arriving in burgos in the afternoon of holy thursday.

will i be able to get my pilgrims passport on such a date? will it be very busy there?

Also, where should i stay for my first night - will i be able to stay at an albergue
even if i have not been walking already that day?

next question: time , buses and mountains-

i would say i will proably have to take a bus for some of the way also due to time limits - im thinking
of cuting out 50 -100 km of walking. does anyone have any suggestions of where i should cut out?
if possible i would prefer to cut out some mountainous area, but i definitely want to be walking
the last 100 km!!

Albergues and money - i do not have lashings of cash, alas. am on a v tight budget as i have to save some money
fo visiting friends in malaga afterwards!
So i have been reading that most albergues are between 3 - 7 euro - however these websites have an array of dates on them,
i wondering does that still apply or have prices increased?

I certainly intend to stay at the cheapest possible places - to be honest i have stayed in alot of manky places
in asia and not much can surprise or disgust me anymore... so luxury is not a concern! dont mind noise either.

Oh yes and lastly - food! i am a vegan, and intend if possible to get by spending the least amount on food.
i do not care about hot dinners, or buying a meal in a restaurant.


when i was in spain before i lived on jars of chickpeas and fruit and hope to do the same again!

is there enough shops along the way each day to purchase said yummy items!!?


thanks in advance for any advice!!!

:? :!: :?

 

[sillydoll]

I have booked my flights today and am suddenly stricken with fear that im doing this at the wrong time, that it could be dreadfully busy... ( i arrive burgos on holy thursday)

Holy Thursday will be busy, festive, noisy, crowded, fabulously celebratory!


this is my first time posting, ive been lurking around a bit trying to suss out ideas and
what-not for my camino. this will be my first time ( or atempt!) at doing the camino, i'm going for the camino frances.

The camino Frances is the Jacobean route par excellence so enjoy it!


firstly, hopefully i will be arriving in burgos in the afternoon of holy thursday. will i be able to get my pilgrims passport on such a date? will it be very busy there?

You can get your credencial from the Cathedral or from the albergues in town. Yep - it will be busy!

Also, where should i stay for my first night - will i be able to stay at an albergue even if i have not been walking already that day?

It depends on the hospitalero on duty - some let people who are starting from there stay, others don't. If you arrive late, the albergues could be full by the time you get there.

next question: time , buses and mountains- i would say i will proably have to take a bus for some of the way also due to time limits - im thinking of cuting out 50 -100 km of walking. does anyone have any suggestions of where i should cut out? if possible i would prefer to cut out some mountainous area, but i definitely want to be walking the last 100 km!!

I would cut out the last 100km and walk in the mountains! but that is my choice. The two high places you cross are at Manjarin and at O Cebreiro. Make a decision once you are there. You might meet a great group of pilgrims and will want to walk those sections.

Albergues and money - i do not have lashings of cash, alas. am on a v tight budget as i have to save some money fo visiting friends in malaga afterwards! So i have been reading that most albergues are between 3 - 7 euro - however these websites have an array of dates on them, i wondering does that still apply or have prices increased?

Charges are going up to 6 euro for municipal albergues. Others charge between 5 and 10 euro. Federation albergues and some confraternity albergues are still donativo - which means donation, not free!

Oh yes and lastly - food! i am a vegan, and intend if possible to get by spending the least amount on food. i do not care about hot dinners, or buying a meal in a restaurant. when i was in spain before i lived on jars of chickpeas and fruit and hope to do the same again! is there enough shops along the way each day to purchase said yummy items!!?

I am a vegetarian and always managed to find salads, nuts, vegetables, fruit etc to eat. Spain is a carnivorous country so you'll struggle a bit being a vegan but you won't starve!


thanks in advance for any advice!!!

 

[lynnejohn]

Sil has addressed your questions comprehensively, but I just want to add a word about food. I am a vegan/vegetarian who has walked several caminos, and food is a very important issue. I am sure that you already know the amounts of protein and carb that your body needs, and perhaps in less strenuous conditions you could get by on nuts and chickpeas, veggies and fruit, etc., but that will not cut it when you're walking an average of 25 km per day.

I had to increase the volume of food, particularly protein. This is where I switched from vegan to vegetarian - I ate a LOT of cheese, eggs and legumes. When I didn't I became weak. So If you're not eating cheese and eggs I worry about getting enough protein for your muscles. Why don't you visit a nutritionist to work out how you're going to get enough to eat?

So, best of luck with your planning, and have a great walk!

lynne

 

[Anniesantiago]

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I have booked my flights today and am suddenly stricken with fear that im doing this at the wrong time, that it could be dreadfully busy... ( i arrive burgos on holy thursday)

Yup.. it will be crazy busy and SPECTACULAR!!!! You may or may not have difficulty finding lodging. I've traveled Spain during Holy Week and didn't have a problem. If the alburgues are full, try asking around at the bars for habitaciones. Surely you'll find some little grandmother with a bed for rent. Otherwise, go to the church and ask the priest and sleep in a pew! It will be fine I have slept outside on a porch even, in my sleeping bag... it will be fine.

You know, I usually tell people to NOT take a sleeping pad, but if I were arriving on Holy THursday, I might just say go to Walmart and buy a CHEAP blue sleeping pad ($6.50) that you can dump along the way without feeling bad. That way, if you can NOT find lodging, you can hunker down somewhere in your sleeping bag more comfortably.


I a a 24 yo female who is hoping her feet will not give up on her!!

Know that there probably will be days, especially at the front end, when you think your feet ARE giving up on you. Just stop and rest. Take GOOD care of those feet. The minute you feel a hot spot, STOP and put on compeed... don't let blisters develop before taking care of them. If you have to, take off your shoes and walk barefoot to avoid them. Take some Tevas to change into at night and in case your feet hurt on the trail. At night, soak them in COLD salt water, and rub them with Vaseline. Love your feet, they'll need it.

will i be able to get my pilgrims passport on such a date? will it be very busy there?

I'm not sure where to get a passport in Burgos.. someone else will need to answer... but yes, it will be crazy busy...

next question: time , buses and mountains-

Buses are easy to catch from almost all the villages and they are very inexpensive.
I agree with the last poster that O'Cebreiro is not to be missed. It is something you won't see anywhere else, so even though it's a hell of a walk, I suggest you do NOT cut that one out.

The section through Sarria and Samos is one of the most beautiful on the trail, in my opinion.
If you had to cut out a section of mountains, I'd cut out Manjarin, although it's a special place also, but I bussed past it my first Camino.


Albergues and money - i wondering does that still apply or have prices increased?

Sill addressed this - please don't stay for "free" because those "donativo" places depend on your donation to stay open. If you absolutely cannot pay, then please clean a toilet or sweep a floor or clean the kitchen.


Oh yes and lastly - food!

All along the way, hidden in private residences with no signs, are little tiny "tiendas" where you can purchase supplies like dried fruit, nuts, vegetables, fresh produce in season, fresh bread... you should do fine. Just take Lynn's advice and think about protein more. Some of the cheeses are great there, and what we did was to buy fresh eggs and boil them at the alburgue to carry on the trail to make sandwiches. Also the wine is VERY good and VERY inexpensive. The 2 euro bottles of wine are as good as $35 dollar bottles here in the USA. Great for picnics.

One rule to remember: NO TOCA LA FRUTA!!! Unlike here in the US, where you can squeeze the fruit to test its ripeness, these vendors buy small boxes of fruit and they do not allow you to touch it. You just point to the one you want and let the vendor pick it up. I never got a bad piece of fruit... just trust them.

The pastries are to die for... so if you change your mind about butter and milk, be sure to try the DELICIOUS pastries!!!!

If you like hot tea for breakfast, you might consider buying one of those little thingies that you plug in and put into your cup to heat a cup of water... and carry teabags... it's a coffee place.

That's all I can think of...