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  1. thewalkingkat

    Recommended starting place between Villafranca del Bierzo and Sarria

    That’s why languages are fun. :D The German “ein paar” translates to “a couple” as well as “a few”. “Einige” can be “a few”, “a couple” and “several”. I guess it’s just all the same to us. ;) (Sorry for the off-topic!)
  2. thewalkingkat

    Alternate route advice

    It‘s after you cross the highway. You need to turn left into the first street after crossing. Regular camino goes straight ahead. Edited to add: it’s actually just about half a km after leaving Orbaneja Riopico.
  3. thewalkingkat

    Recommended starting place between Villafranca del Bierzo and Sarria

    That’s why I wrote „if that’s an option“ and didn’t suggest how many days that would add. No one was suggesting 30 km days. I don’t know how many days „a couple of days“ is (5 days would still be a couple in my head), nor do I know OP‘s ability. Edited to add: I just looked up the definition...
  4. thewalkingkat

    Weight, Heat, Humidity

    I wouldn’t worry too much about the distances. It seems daunting at first when you’re used to walking 5 km on average to think about walking 20ish km every day for a month. But remember: this is your only job on the camino. This is all you do. You can take a break every hour if you need to...
  5. thewalkingkat

    Recommended starting place between Villafranca del Bierzo and Sarria

    Ponferrada is easy to reach by train, if that’s an option and it has a templar castle to see. That‘d be 90-100 km to Sarria, depending on which route you take after Triacastela.
  6. thewalkingkat

    Alternate route advice

    That is true. I believe this was the only time on the Frances last year when I actually had to use my GPS to find the turn, even though I knew it had to be there. On my first Frances in 2016 I missed it as I wasn’t using GPS back then.
  7. thewalkingkat

    Spanish alternative to Gehwol blue?

    In France, I used a brand called Nok as an alternative, which was excellent. I‘m not sure if it’s available in Spain, too.
  8. thewalkingkat

    LIVE from the Camino Getting contact lenses shipped in Spain

    Would it be an option to buy the contact lenses in Spain, for example in Pamplona? I did that in France since I was walking for three months and didn’t want to carry a three month supply. Bought a new pack at an optometrist in Le Puy, I just needed to pre-order for pickup on the next day...
  9. thewalkingkat

    Advance train tickets

    Bayonne is actually a lovely place and well worth an overnight stay.
  10. thewalkingkat

    Advance train tickets

    Yes, prices are often cheaper when you book early. Another thing to consider is that on long-distance trains, you can only book a ticket if there are seats available. No seats left = no bookable tickets. They do not oversell trains like they do here in Germany where you can book a ticket...
  11. thewalkingkat

    most scenic section appox 50-75km

    That is absolutely understandable and I know that people like this exist. I have met them. I also get that the sheer mass of people who come to Spain nowadays puts a strain on the infrastructure and that with huge numbers, the number of non-behaving folks increases. I find it a bit difficult...
  12. thewalkingkat

    most scenic section appox 50-75km

    Mh, I don’t have any first-hand experience with dogs in the gîtes. I guess you‘d have to ask individually if they allow it.
  13. thewalkingkat

    most scenic section appox 50-75km

    Does it have to be in Spain? If France is an option, the Via Podiensis has many amazingly beautiful sections (you can find it on Gronze as well), and if I remember correctly, you should mostly be able to do 15 km stretches (but please double check). For example, you could start in Navarrenx...
  14. thewalkingkat

    German Jakobswege, Via Scandinavica, experiences, and how to continue!?

    That was my experience too. I took the Via Coloniensis and actually met two pilgrims who were also going towards Santiago, they were doing it in stages though due to time constraints. I have also hiked stages of the Via Coloniensis as day hikes every now and then - never any pilgrims, only...
  15. thewalkingkat

    Weight, Heat, Humidity

    A few thoughts regarding heat with the background of having walked through France in the July/August heatwave in 2022 and the Frances in a very hot September of 2023: In 2022, I had about 8 weeks of basically constantly 30-38°C (85-100 F) with no rain. While I do support the "start early...
  16. thewalkingkat

    Tipping?

    I always tip at least a small amount. For very small purchases, I'll round up to the next 50 Cents or the next Euro, if it's a bigger meal, about 10%. Another factor for me is how long I've been sitting there. If I take a long break, use the restroom, fill my water bottles, have received a free...
  17. thewalkingkat

    Low-hanging fruit

    For me, it’s a hard no, no matter where the fruit is hanging. I‘ve seem too many people walk straight into vineyards and taking massive amounts of grapes (in both France and Spain) AND then reason that it’s okay since they only take a few and there’s a whole vineyard full of grapes. Seriously...
  18. thewalkingkat

    German Jakobswege, Via Scandinavica, experiences, and how to continue!?

    Just a heads up: watch out for the publishing year when shopping for guides for the lesser walked routes. As the demand isn’t massive, they aren’t updated as frequently as the guides for e.g. the Spanish caminos and the accommodation info might not be up to date.
  19. thewalkingkat

    Your most valuable stamp

    My favourite stamp also isn't an actual stamp. It's from a private accomodation in northern France in a part where there are very few pilgrims. It's run by a couple in a tiny village who have been hosting pilgrims for many years. One of them is an artist. They collect your pilgrims passport at...
  20. thewalkingkat

    German Jakobswege, Via Scandinavica, experiences, and how to continue!?

    I’ve also done a different route out of Germany (Cologne - Metz - Dijon - Cluny). Between Beaune and Le Puy, my accommodations were a mix of camp sites (I carried a tent), private rooms, hostels and hotels. Really a bit of everything and very friendly people all around. I did get a pilgrim...

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