Sacramento California Pilgrims

[Multipurpose]

Just wondering how many Sacramento CA pilgrims are out there. God willing I plan to start my El Camino in April 2017. Would be interested in hearing about your journey to Barcelona, which is where I plan to fly into and then take the train to France to start my journey. Or perhaps if you are starting the same time as me we can journey there together. I approach this part of my journey with a little trepidation as I haven't flown commercially since before 9/11, although I don't have a fear of flying. Keep in mind I will be 69 next year, but I'm still in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. I hike every weekend, sometimes in Desolation Vally, the Lake Tahoe area and near Lake Natoma on weekdays. Sometimes I hike entirely around the lake (11 miles) at a 2 1/2 mph pace. I already have all the hiking gear I'll need for the El Camino, so I'm not worried about that. I am Catholic and my church is St. Francis, that renegade Catholic church on 26 & K. Anyway would be interested in hearing from Sacramento pilgrims on a variety of subjects.

 

[Sorolla]

Hello multipurpose;
I hope you find mates from cali to start your adventure, but please dont worry if you finally start alone because you will find a lot of interesting people on your camino.
Enjoy and Ultreia !
Buen Camino

 

[kgilliam]

Just wondering how many Sacramento CA pilgrims are out there. God willing I plan to start my El Camino in April 2017. Would be interested in hearing about your journey to Barcelona, which is where I plan to fly into and then take the train to France to start my journey. Or perhaps if you are starting the same time as me we can journey there together. I approach this part of my journey with a little trepidation as I haven't flown commercially since before 9/11, although I don't have a fear of flying. Keep in mind I will be 69 next year, but I'm still in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. I hike every weekend, sometimes in Desolation Vally, the Lake Tahoe area and near Lake Natoma on weekdays. Sometimes I hike entirely around the lake (11 miles) at a 2 1/2 mph pace. I already have all the hiking gear I'll need for the El Camino, so I'm not worried about that. I am Catholic and my church is St. Francis, that renegade Catholic church on 26 & K. Anyway would be interested in hearing from Sacramento pilgrims on a variety of subjects.

Hi , this is my first post! I do not live in Sacramento. I live in Oregon but lived in Fresno area many years. I am looking forward to start my Camino Frances next year also. I havn't quite decided which month but April might work. I'm also Catholic and my Church is St. Francis as well. I'm 62 -working on getting in shape. I live in beautiful hiking terrain in Central Oregon. I'm looking into flights-best route, prices etc. flying from JFK to Paris then taking train to Spain looks cheaper than flights to Madrid. Maybe we can share info?

 

[vgen5122]

I am a Vacaville, Ca pilgrim. My husband and I won't be going until mid August of 2017, God willing. We are around the same ages, and we are also Catholic. This would be our second Camino, but we are hoping to land in Spain instead of France. This time we are going from Madrid to St Jean and start our Camino.
I wish you a great Camino experience. I can't wait to read about it in the forum. Buen Camino...

 

[JeepsNRoses]

I am planning for a Spring Camino as well. Although I am traveling from TX, connections to & from Europe and trains are essentially the same. After researching numerous combinations the best total cost with shortest layovers going and coming ended up being on American Airlines via Boston to Madrid then Bordeaux then short train to Bayonne & quick change to SJPdP. From Houston I have a connection in SC. Flying to Bordeaux saves the cost of the TGV from Paris, makes a nice jet lag stop & short trip to SJPdP. Other options I checked (Paris + train, Paris + flight to Bordeaux or Biaritz, Barcelona + train, United Airlines, Air France), all involved long return layovers and from $300 - $400 increase in cost due to train tickets. I haven't booked, but cost Houston to Bordeaux is around $1300 for next May leaving on Thursday flying back on a Friday.
Just offering some options in case they work for either of you.
Regarding air travel since 9/11, I have done my share without concern, but feel hesitant since more recent activity in Europe. I was a little relieved that my best travel option doesn't go thru NY, DC, O'Hare or Paris. I lived in Paris for several years and flew back to the States quarterly. If you end up behind a flight from certain countries going thru Immigration can take hours. Getting from CDG or Orly to one of the train stations is not difficult but is time consuming plus could be delayed due to any number of things. A delay going wouldn't be a huge impact but could be significant coming back.

 

[Mike Savage]

I too am Catholic and I moved to Salt Lake City 22 years ago from Sacramento and know more people from my previous church in Fair Oaks (St. Mel's) that have walked the Camino than I do here in Utah. Two of them just finished walking the Francés. If you have any questions or just want to talk let me know. I leave to walk the Portuguese route on September 8th and return September 26th.

Buen Camino!

 

[kgilliam]

I am planning for a Spring Camino as well. Although I am traveling from TX, connections to & from Europe and trains are essentially the same. After researching numerous combinations the best total cost with shortest layovers going and coming ended up being on American Airlines via Boston to Madrid then Bordeaux then short train to Bayonne & quick change to SJPdP. From Houston I have a connection in SC. Flying to Bordeaux saves the cost of the TGV from Paris, makes a nice jet lag stop & short trip to SJPdP. Other options I checked (Paris + train, Paris + flight to Bordeaux or Biaritz, Barcelona + train, United Airlines, Air France), all involved long return layovers and from $300 - $400 increase in cost due to train tickets. I haven't booked, but cost Houston to Bordeaux is around $1300 for next May leaving on Thursday flying back on a Friday.
Just offering some options in case they work for either of you.
Regarding air travel since 9/11, I have done my share without concern, but feel hesitant since more recent activity in Europe. I was a little relieved that my best travel option doesn't go thru NY, DC, O'Hare or Paris. I lived in Paris for several years and flew back to the States quarterly. If you end up behind a flight from certain countries going thru Immigration can take hours. Getting from CDG or Orly to one of the train stations is not difficult but is time consuming plus could be delayed due to any number of things. A delay going wouldn't be a huge impact

I appreciate your information Suzi. That seems like a good price. The prices I found to Madrid out of Redmond, OR are much higher. How did you find your fares. I'm so new to all of this but have plenty of time to work it out. I think I would rather go late May or September. I prefer cooler weather. I've read it can rain a lot in May.

 

[JeepsNRoses]

Kgilliam, I went directly to the airline websites and tried dates within a day or so of my desired start & end date. Also did a few searches on this forum "how to get to St Jean Pied de Port' as well as 'Paris to St Jean', same for Barcelona, etc. From experience I knew that early morning arrival works best for my jet lag, so checked trains and separate flights from various European cities. Finally narrowed it down to shorter flights and more comfortable connection timeframes. I can PM you the flights if you like. Fares seem to be within $20 or so for Spring and Fall dates as long as you stay within the less expensive days of the week. Mon - Thurs departure saves hundreds each way. I only have 3 weeks between projects, so dates are May 11-June 2nd (American didn't have a June 1st option for my itinerary). Actually just got approval today ... Yeaaaa.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

how many Sacramento CA pilgrims are out there

Sacratomato. The city of no water meters (back in the day). A fantastic place. A few treks in the Sierra Nevada will get you in shape. Barcelona is a bit far from SJPdP, but it is a lively city. Your choices will be to take a train up into France and head for Toulouse/Bayonne or head for Pamplona and the bus to SJPdP. Either will be an experience. Buen camino.

 

[kgilliam]

last night I came across an add for Kayak which had round trip flights from Portland to Madrid for 700 dollars round trip. Sounds to good to be true. I'm still deciding on month. If you only have three weeks, how far do you plan to go?

 

[JeepsNRoses]

last night I came across an add for Kayak which had round trip flights from Portland to Madrid for 700 dollars round trip. Sounds to good to be true. I'm still deciding on month. If you only have three weeks, how far do you plan to go?

Round trip? While I was searching I also saw ads for 'round trip' at low prices, but when I went to the sites the fare quoted was for each direction.

I want to walk 200 miles, but Burgos is my goal. Minus travel days and the Bordeaux days with my friend it leaves me 15-16 walking days. Planning to take it easy the first couple days (2 days to Roncesvalles) and maybe stay in Pamplona an extra day. Are you planning to walk the full Camino?

 

[kgilliam]

Hi Suzi, I'm not sure what I'm doing!LOL, but I'd like to go all the way to coast. Maybe I'll start at Pamplona or get brave and start from Sjpdp. I don't think I want to take Napoleon route. At this time I have no time constraints so I'm open. I'm reading books about other pilgrims camino experience. They are so good. I can't wait to go. One was A Million Steps and the one I'm reading now is A walk in Sunflowers or close to that. I've started shopping. I found a pair of Smartwool hiking socks at TJMax for half price. . I love a bargain.

 

[JeepsNRoses]

Hi Suzi, I'm not sure what I'm doing!LOL, but I'd like to go all the way to coast. Maybe I'll start at Pamplona or get brave and start from Sjpdp. I don't think I want to take Napoleon route. At this time I have no time constraints so I'm open. I'm reading books about other pilgrims camino experience. They are so good. I can't wait to go. One was A Million Steps and the one I'm reading now is A walk in Sunflowers or close to that. I've started shopping. I found a pair of Smartwool hiking socks at TJMax for half price. . I love a bargain.

Kgilliam, thanks for the reading suggestions! Between the forum, reading materials and watching 'The Way' and "Six Ways to Santiago' more times than I will admit to, I am keeping my Camino mindset flowing. If you haven't already, get SYates book, Pilgrim Tips & Packng List: Camino de Santiago. It's on Amazon. Might save you money to know what to get up front rather than appeasing Camino enthusiasm with near miss bargains. Although, who doesn't need another pair of SmartWool socks?! The guide I like the best (so far) is a newer one by Anna Dintamin, AVillage to Village Guide to Hiking the Camino de Santiago: Camin Frances. She outlines stops for a slow Camino & a fast one. I think there is a way to share Kindle books, isn't there? Maybe you can preview? Somewhere on the forum is a FF video of the Napoleon Route that makes it look very doable. I don't have the knees to do it in a single jaunt. Also want to savor the SJPdP to Orisson to Roncesvalles adrenalin rush and camaraderie at the start. Love your avatar

 

[Mike Savage]

If you are looking for books to read then you may enjoy my favorite book about the camino To the Field of Stars by (Father) Kevin A. Codd.

 

[kgilliam]

If you are looking for books to read then you may enjoy my favorite book about the camino To the Field of Stars by (Father) Kevin A. Codd.

Hi Mike, mucho gusto! Ha! Practicing my Spanish! I have a hold on that book at the Library. I found the other two books at the library also. I'm enjoying them very much.

We had some dear family friends named Savage. Leland and Nell Savage. They were from Tennessee. They had a son, Joe, who was in the band Tbe Box Tops who sang "give me a ticket for an Airplane." Any relation.? You never know.

 

[Mike Savage]

Nope, no relation that I know of but I sure would have enjoyed hearing The Box Tops in person though.

 

[Suzanne S.]

@Multipurpose ,
Hi! I'm in Fair Oaks. I walked in May 2015. There are tons of resources in Sacramento. There is a Sacramento chapter of APOC. Private message me and I will give you details!

Suzanne

 

[kgilliam]

Kgilliam, thanks for the reading suggestions! Between the forum, reading materials and watching 'The Way' and "Six Ways to Santiago' more times than I will admit to, I am keeping my Camino mindset flowing. If you haven't already, get SYates book, Pilgrim Tips & Packng List: Camino de Santiago. It's on Amazon. Might save you money to know what to get up front rather than appeasing Camino enthusiasm with near miss bargains. Although, who doesn't need another pair of SmartWool socks?! The guide I like the best (so far) is a newer one by Anna Dintamin, AVillage to Village Guide to Hiking the Camino de Santiago: Camin Frances. She outlines stops for a slow Camino & a fast one. I think there is a way to share Kindle books, isn't there? Maybe you can preview? Somewhere on the forum is a FF video of the Napoleon Route that makes it look very doable. I don't have the knees to do it in a single jaunt. Also want to savor the SJPdP to Orisson to Roncesvalles adrenalin rush and camaraderie at the start. Love your avatar

Hi Suzi, the book I'm reading that I am really enjoying is Sunrises to Santiago, by Gabriel Schirm. I'm going to check out the books you recommended too. I returned the Smartwool hiking socks. They were too big and had seems across toes. I bought a pair of Darn Tough hiking /trekking socks that are perfect. I'm still deciding when to go. Sales lady at REI suggested September for better weather but this September is very hot there. A pilgrim died from heat stroke. Why did you decide on April.

 

[JeepsNRoses]

Hi Suzi, the book I'm reading that I am really enjoying is Sunrises to Santiago, by Gabriel Schirm. I'm going to check out the books you recommended too. I returned the Smartwool hiking socks. They were too big and had seems across toes. I bought a pair of Darn Tough hiking /trekking socks that are perfect. I'm still deciding when to go. Sales lady at REI suggested September for better weather but this September is very hot there. A pilgrim died from heat stroke. Why did you decide on April.

Hi KGilliam,
Thanks for the book suggestion. I downloaded the Kindle version. Are the new socks double layers? My heart goes out to the family and friends of the man who succumbed to heat stroke. The article said he was out of water. I am sensitive to the heat which makes training during summer months for a September Camino unwise for me. Originally my May dates were driven by my IT project install date. In the process of planning the travel et al, I realized that I'd be starting from SJPdP on my late brother's birthday which I like. The project date has been pushed to September which rules out September. A couple folks I met raved about the flowers they've seen walking April & May. I love Spring & love the idea of being outdoors passing through Spring greenery and flowers. Someone posted about smelling roses all along the way in May which sounds Heavenly. Since I am stopping in Burgos, no hiking thru the Meseta, I am hoping to miss the high temps. Maybe the higher mountain peaks (not on the Napolean route) will still have some snow. Snow on the mountains, flowers in the meadows, roses in the gardens... I'd be over the moon.

 

[kgilliam]

Hi Suzi, the Darn Tough socks do not have double layers but are very smooth with good cushion. I tried double layered brand but did not care for the feel on my feet.
I'm starting to lean toward a May -June Camino as well. A sales clerk at REI suggested September because of snow on the Pyrenees and rain. She is on her way there now.

 

[jcat]

I'm from the Bay Area and went to College in Sacramento! I will be back on the Camino in April 2017, but only for another 5 days.

 

[RelajoRock]

Hello everyone.. I live in Santa Barbara CA and I plan to start my journey in April / May 2017. It will be my first time doing El Camino and I'm going by myself. First time in France, also. I'm on a budget and I plan on flying to Paris via LAX or SFO, and then find my way to SJPdP by train. I've been looking for cheap flights to Paris.. I found budget airline (WOW airlines), that would take you from LAX or SF to Paris for $199. Still confused about train service from Paris to SJPdP....still have to do my research about where the trains station are.. I need some guidance...like...ok..Im in Paris..now what??? hehehe..is the train station nearby? do I need to find my way into Paris from CGD? should I spend a couple of days in Paris?? etc.. etc..

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Hello everyone.. I live in Santa Barbara CA and I plan to start my journey in April / May 2017. It will be my first time doing El Camino and I'm going by myself. First time in France, also. I'm on a budget and I plan on flying to Paris via LAX or SFO, and then find my way to SJPdP by train. I've been looking for cheap flights to Paris.. I found budget airline (WOW airlines), that would take you from LAX or SF to Paris for $199. Still confused about train service from Paris to SJPdP....still have to do my research about where the trains station are.. I need some guidance...like...ok..Im in Paris..now what??? hehehe..is the train station nearby? do I need to find my waif y into Paris from CGD? should I spend a couple of days in Paris?? etc.. etc..

if I had time and were in Paris, I'd spend a few days (ok or a week) there but it's up to you. There are a LOT of opinions on how to get to SJPdP, try putting train to SJPdP, or something similar in the search box. I flew DC to Barcelona so I can't help with that. You may want to check out the local Santa Barbara chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino
Buen Camino!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Hello everyone.. I live in Santa Barbara CA and I plan to start my journey in April / May 2017. It will be my first time doing El Camino and I'm going by myself. First time in France, also. I'm on a budget and I plan on flying to Paris via LAX or SFO, and then find my way to SJPdP by train. I've been looking for cheap flights to Paris.. I found budget airline (WOW airlines), that would take you from LAX or SF to Paris for $199. Still confused about train service from Paris to SJPdP....still have to do my research about where the trains station are.. I need some guidance...like...ok..Im in Paris..now what??? hehehe..is the train station nearby? do I need to find my way into Paris from CGD? should I spend a couple of days in Paris?? etc.. etc..

pg 66 of this handy work by a forum member: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...avel-information-for-the-lost-pilgrim-v3.250/

and the closest APOC chapter to you: http://www.americanpilgrims.org/santa-barbara-california-chapter

 

[kgilliam]

Hello everyone.. I live in Santa Barbara CA and I plan to start my journey in April / May 2017. It will be my first time doing El Camino and I'm going by myself. First time in France, also. I'm on a budget and I plan on flying to Paris via LAX or SFO, and then find my way to SJPdP by train. I've been looking for cheap flights to Paris.. I found budget airline (WOW airlines), that would take you from LAX or SF to Paris for $199. Still confused about train service from Paris to SJPdP....still have to do my research about where the trains station are.. I need some guidance...like...ok..Im in Paris..now what??? hehehe..is the train station nearby? do I need to find my way into Paris from CGD? should I spend a couple of days in Paris?? etc.. etc..

 

[kgilliam]

Hello RelajoRock, I'm a senior, live in Bend, Oregon and I am also planning my camino alone in April/May 2017, most likely after Easter. I think it might be too crowded before? I would also like to fly into Paris, spend a day or two there then catch a train to SJpdp. Is that price with wow one way? I'm also considering one way only so that I can go with the flow and not feel rushed to return on a certain date. I would like to visit some other countries while I'm over there. I was told to be very careful about who you booked your flight with you have to check out the restrictions and conditions for those prices. I have found round trip flights out of Portland Oregon for 700 Plus. I don't think it's difficult, from what I've read, to catch a train to a town near SJpdp.

 

[RelajoRock]

Hi There Kgilliam. I just read horrible stories/reviews about flying WOW airlines. Base price on wow air is 199, with a layover in Iceland then to Paris, but they charge for everything, from luggage to water!!! Seems using that airline is not the way to go.. Im now considering not flying into Paris at all. Flights to Madrid (Norgewian) seem to be cheaper in other airlines, than flying into CDG. Then a couple of trains to SJPdP. Anyone here have experiences to share about getting to SJPdP from Madrid? Any other options (cheap, since I'm in a budget) getting to SJPdP from California? (LAX of SFO) Is LAX to Madrid then finding my way to SJPdP by train the best way to go? Any suggestions? I appreciate any responses.. Thank you...

 

[Mike Savage]

From Salt Lake City I flew to Madrid (connecting flight in Dallas) then flew from Madrid to Pamplona (you could take a train.) In Pamplona I was picked up at the bus station by Istvan from Corazón Puro and brought to their Pensión for the night including dinner and breakfast. The next morning Istvan drove me and two others to SJPdP where I started walking. I believe it was 45 Euro for the pickup/dinner/lodging/delivery to SJPdP.