March 7, 2022, start date for first time peregrino

[Moondance]

Hello my name here is Moondance,
starting March 7 questions...
I just bought Merrill Moab 2 vent hiking shoes, are these good ?
what kind of towel/ bath towel do you recommend ?
cannot decide if I should walk Frances or cia de la plata .
I have all the time I need .
any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated .
namaste.
buen Camino.

 

[C clearly]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! The forum has lots of information for you!

I just bought Merrill Moab 2 vent hiking shoes, are these good ?

They are good shoes, but the important question is whether they are good shoes for your feet. It is important for you to confirm this before you start the Camino. They should be roomy on your feet, and you will need to experiment with socks that provide the best fit and feel for you.

what kind of towel/ bath towel do you recommend ?

Whatever you prefer - but you will need to pack and carry it, and it should be something that will dry over night. People on the forum recommend everything from a facecloth-sized microfibre to a full size cotton bath towel! I sometimes take two small towels - e.g. a cotton dish towel and a 30 cm x 50 cm microfibre one.

cannot decide if I should walk Frances or cia de la plata

They are quite different. If you would like suggestions on this, you should give us a better idea of what you are looking for, your experience, fluency in Spanish, preferences and limitations.

 

[Moondance]

Thank you very much for your help.
I have a difficult time with languages , but I have been overseas several times . However , last time overseas ( Spain and France) was 2009. I always carry a phrase book and always look for experiences off the beaten path . In other words , I totally respect and want bathe in the culture and country I am in.
I understand the via de la plata can be monastic, which is fine with me . I have been incorporating monastic retreats / work / study programs into my yearly life since 1990.
I am sixty one years old . Divorced . No children . I have been longing to walk the Camino since the late nineties .
I will also tell you that my first Camino will not be my last Camino.
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Namaste
Buen Camino
moondance

 

[Grousedoctor]

I have now walked a couple Caminos in the Merrill Moabs. But, as C clearly stated, make sure they are the right fit for you and that you break them in properly. I have found that a good medium weight Merino wool sock works well. As you walk, pay close attention to your feet. Plenty of good foot care threads on the Forum.

Both routes are excellent choices for a Camino, but they are different. Like me, most people seem to walk the Francés as their first Camino. It was an extraordinary experience. However, and this is simply my POV, there are a lot of pilgrims on this route and at times difficult to enjoy the contemplative aspect of a pilgrimage. When I cycled the VDLP, I felt that I had that more individual rather than group experience. Even had I been walking, the path was quite solitary. In part, it depends on what you are looking for. You can bathe deeply into the Spanish culture on either route. I look forward, for different reasons, to doing both again in the future.

 

[Pilgrim1960]

Are your shoes at least a full extra size bigger???? This is so important. I would even go a full size and a half. Your feet will swell a great deal. That room makes the difference between losing toe nails or not.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I walked three weeks with the moab vents. They should do you fine but some shoes work well for some walkers and badly for others. Get plenty of training walks in them.

Before buying my moabs I noticed that my foot size had gone from a US 10 to an 11 both normally and after a really long hike on a warm afternoon before going to REI for the purchase. I tried the 11.5 and it felt good and I figured that my feet that had already lengthened weren't going to get much bigger. The 11.5 has worked for me. I may have gone with something bigger though if my feet hadn't gotten bigger.

Your socks should be snug on your feet and in your shoes. The less movement of socks the better your chances of avoiding blisters.

 

[lt56ny]

Get plenty of training walks in them.

They are good shoes, but the important question is whether they are good shoes for your feet. It is important for you to confirm this before you start the Camino. They should be roomy on your feet, and you will need to experiment with socks that provide the best fit and feel for you.

I think you are getting the general idea. Make sure the shoes you pick work for you and are comfortable and you have properly broken them in. I personally only wear trail runners. But that is my preference.

what kind of towel/ bath towel do you recommend ?

Everything you bring should be quick dry and ready to be packed hopefully a few hours after you wash them out in the albergue. Pack light. As light as possible.

They are quite different. If you would like suggestions on this, you should give us a better idea of what you are looking for, your experience, fluency in Spanish, preferences and limitations.

The Camino Frances and Via De La Plata couldn't be more different. Are you an experienced hiker? I do not mean just day hikes.
The Camino Frances for a novice (new) pilgrim in my opinion is a much better option unless you have done long hikes before. There is a town with cafes, bars, and albergues almost every 5 or 6 kilometers. The infrastructure is far, far better. You will need very little planning as you will always be able to find places to eat, rest and sleep. There will always be pilgrims to meet and experiences and friendships to share.

I just finished the Via De La Plata in December. There are long stretches and many days with no towns, no water, no food or services from when you leave your albergue until when you arrive at your destination at night. You have to bring your own food and find a place on the ground or a camino marker or stone to sit on to rest or eat. You can go all day without meeting another pilgrim or person. If you can't speak Spanish it will be uncommon to meet someone who can speak English. On the Frances not speaking a word of Spanish is far less an issue.
When I walked there were many albergues that were closed and I had to stay in alot of hostels and either walk shorter or longer distances because of this. How it will be in 3 weeks is anyone's guess.
If you want solitude and peace and have no problem being completely alone and are up to walking long distances if you must, and plan ahead so you know what is open to sleep and what you may need to buy, sometimes I had to buy food for 2 days because I knew the next village I came to may not have a market open when I arrive, then go walk the VDLP. It is a unique but in many ways very difficult camino to walk. But I am glad I did it. I am also glad I did it as my 6th camino and not my first.
Buen Camino
Check out Gronze.com below it will give you an idea of the Via de la Plata and distances. This is a great website. Open it in google chrome and it will translate to English. They also have a page for the Camino Frances.

Vía de la Plata | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

La Vía de la Plata (o Camino de la Plata) es el más importante Camino de Santiago desde el sur peninsular. Hoy en día se considera Sevilla como la ciudad de inicio, y el itinerario tiene su origen en distintas calzadas romanas que en el medievo aprovecharon los peregrinos. Se caracteriza por las...

www.gronze.com