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  1. oursonpolaire

    Small (4-5 kg which is about 10 pounds) dog -- should I bring her?

    All you have to do is not be in Spain for the National Day (October 12) and the Feast of Saint John the Baptist (24 June). Are Forum members aware of others? But the more I think of it, the more the journey seems unfair to your dog. There is a good chance that he will return thanking God that...
  2. oursonpolaire

    Top 15 Small Churches On The Camino

    Santa Maria Salomé, in Santiago de Compostela, on Rua Nova-- a good example of a small neighbourhood church and one of the few places (is it still) with an early morning mass. There are likely other churches dedicated to the mother of Saint James, but this is the only one I know.
  3. oursonpolaire

    The price of coffee in Spain and the perplexing economics of it

    A friend of mine who joneses after it tells me that it is easily found at Costco.
  4. oursonpolaire

    The price of coffee in Spain and the perplexing economics of it

    I was in Australia last year and can assure you that they don't know how to make a bad cup of coffee. They have espresso machines in gas stations.....
  5. oursonpolaire

    The price of coffee in Spain and the perplexing economics of it

    In those years when I had to do a lot of driving in Ontario and Québec, Tim's provided a decent standard (although not a high one!) for road coffee. Many mom&pop stops along the way featured the weak and bitter coffee which we ended up with during WWII, to which all became accustomed. If you...
  6. oursonpolaire

    New rule reported: 2 stamps per day within Spain [awaiting confirmation]

    Au contraire!! First, the albergues are part of the spirit of the Camino, and the most reliable source of sellos. Any sello from accommodation serves the Camino Office's need to know that you were actually in that place. And in most places, the cafés are the restaurants are the bars, and the...
  7. oursonpolaire

    How Much Should You Budget Per Day?

    Can't answer that as I'm not on the ground-- others might be more helpful.
  8. oursonpolaire

    How Much Should You Budget Per Day?

    In our training sessions, we would occasionally be able to see that some of the would-be pilgrims were Strapped For Cash-- our suggestion, which I have repeated along the way, is that donativos existed by gifts and support. Those who honestly could not contribute with cash (and it happens)...
  9. oursonpolaire

    How Much Should You Budget Per Day?

    Like some others posting, I have run into far, far, far too many pilgrims who have assumed that it meant free. In every training session in which I have helped, I joined with other veterans in making clear that this was not so. I wish the assumption were odd: sadly, it is not so.
  10. oursonpolaire

    The price of items in bars and cafes

    I am not certain if I would call it stupidity, but rather a shock/surprise that in Spain some issues are just not critical or relevant in ways which they are in one's home country. As an example, buying coffee in Ottawa my eyes (of Loyalist and expelled Scottish crofter provenance, and...
  11. oursonpolaire

    CF… So strange… any explanation?

    There is much in village and community life which will always be a mystery to outsiders. You may have discovered a very good example.
  12. oursonpolaire

    Old School

    During those golden hours of vermut artisinal in cafés before the evening mass, I was accustomed to write letters -- this attracted the notice of pilgrims then and now, and I began a few friendships by explaining this acitivity. And I still do, although I have developed a practice of devising...
  13. oursonpolaire

    What do you do on a rest day

    I usually opt for a short walk (10km sounds good) and a nice room. This gives time for a few errands and perhaps one place to look at, followed by a good menu de dia and a restorative siesta. A drink in the plaza followed by a mass in the local church, and an interesting meal, then to bed and...
  14. oursonpolaire

    Disfrutar named best restaurant in world.

    Just get a sello from the restaurant so that the Pilgrims' Office know that you have not been assigned the Camino as a penance, but undertake it in a spirit of joy and thanksgiving.
  15. oursonpolaire

    The Pilgrim’s Guide to Etiquette

    I'm sure that this is the logic which is used. The response is that there is a great geographic space known as America, a portion of which is the United States of America. For some years I have sat on the sidelines of this discussion, sometimes at international governance circles, but more...
  16. oursonpolaire

    The Pilgrim’s Guide to Etiquette

    This is more of a bugbear for some Latin Americans, who correctly point out that anyone from North or South America is an American. Of course, they create their own bugbear by referring to those from the US as norteamericanos, leaving the unfortunate canadienses on a floating iceberg somewhere...
  17. oursonpolaire

    Sello (stamp) Obsession: Is there a medical term for this?

    Quite correct (unless they are a contract outlet) but the neighbouring ayuntamiento or puesto de Guardia Civil will jump to service.
  18. oursonpolaire

    The Pilgrim’s Guide to Etiquette

    Here is a copy of the Mindful Pilgrim document, which arose out of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims' first Coordinators' Meeting last year. I am not certain, but I believe it is being distributed to new members with their credentials. Some people my find it of interest.
  19. oursonpolaire

    Sello (stamp) Obsession: Is there a medical term for this?

    This is a great idea but I would suggest in future that, when faced with the perennial issue of the closed Correos office, to get your stamps at a tobacconists (the nicotine-yellow T sign). Get a bunch at one time and feel comfortable explaining to the tobacconera (?) why you are doing it and...
  20. oursonpolaire

    Has the dog “policy” on the Camino changed?

    There never was a policy-- the Camino only has one policy, that for the last 100km before Santiago, you must collect two stamps a day if you want a Compostela. Market pressure is clearly creating more accommodation spaces for dogs and dogowners. The wisdom of taking dogs on the Camino stays...

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