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Just keep a respectful distance if possible and don't pet them. One of my favorite memories from my Camino Frances last year was walking in the middle of a herd of large gentle cattle on the road out of Sarria. There were about 20 pilgrim walking in the road with the cattle. With exception of a...
I would recommend you give Pamplona a try. I don't think it's crazy unless there is a festival there. It's a beautiful city with an incredible food scene. I stayed on a nice albergue with little sleeping pods, washers and dryers and a very helpful staff.
You can buy Hokas in the me major cities along the way. I walked with two friends who envied my Hokas and bought them in Burgos and Leon. Not sure if they have every model available. I wore my Hoka ATR Challengers the entire way. I bought new insoles in Burgos. By Santiago the soles were still...
Thank you for this detailed report. I walked the Camino Frances last year and will walk the Portuguese starting in Porto on August 28.
Your experience will be very helpful to me on my Camino.
I walked the CF last fall and used a 36L Osprey. It was plenty big and helped me from over packing. You will find many helpful resources for choosing a pack and packing lists from community members.
Buen Camino
I used Holafly last fall becausey US T-Mobile international plan didn't provide me with data outside of major cities. It was worth the cost to have data to use for maps and contacting albergues.
Trail runners are a great option, they're lightweight and dry out quickly, especially if you remove the liners at night.
I think the secret to zero blisters for me was a generous application of Vaseline every morning before walking, and wool socks.
Wool dries faster than cotton. I had two pair...
Bom Caminho! I plan to start in Porto on late August. I walked the CF last fall and thought that I would be "one and done". After being home about a month I was ready to return.
I wish you guys the best of luck. Make sure to enjoy every step, and look back when you leave a place. I often found...
Henrik,
You will get a lot of great advice on this forum. You can be as social or not as you wish. My only advice is to walk this journey in your own way, at your our place.
Good luck and Buen Camino!
I'm sure everyone has their own motivation, but the Compostella was rather anticlimactic for me. I'm fact, it is still rolled up in its cardboard tube. What I like to show people is my passport and the many varied stamps. Those are the most important memories for me. But to each their own.
Food is not a problem on the Camino. Try everything. I had a pinxo of tuna on a pickle, surprisingly delicious. Look ahead the night before to make sure there are places which will be open. Siesta is still a thing and you may find yourself walking through a town with delicious scents of food...
I walked the CF in September and October. I was in the meseta in Mod September and It was possibly my favorite part of the Camino.
The weather was good, sometimes a bit hot in the afternoons. It is certainly not all flat, not boring.
The is a sign along the way which says "Without the meseta...
Great question. After reading a lot of information about Camino and Appalachian Trail hikers I opted for Hoka ATR 6 trail runners for my CF last fall. I also wore wool socks every day. After rainy days, including the big flood on September 2nd, I took my insoles out every night to allow my shoes...
Hopefully the local clientele do not care about poor reviews and will patronize this local business. I was a bit grumpy a few times when I was hungry or thirsty and nothing was open. I just mumble to myself about my poor planning. We are merely visitors in their town.
I walked the CF last year with Wright socks and Darn Tough. Both were comfortable in hot and cold weather. The only downside I found with Wright socks is that they took longer to dry than my wool Darn Tough socks.
I arrived in Madrid from the US at about 6:30 am. I booked a train from Atocha to Pamplona around 1030 to give myself time to get through arrivals and get to Atocha. Realistically I could have taken an earlier train since it didn't take too long to get through customs and get to Atocha.
I slept...
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