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  1. P

    Bag Transfer on Invierno Route

    Manuel even called me when I hadn't contacted him about picking up my bag to make sure that I didn't need him to transfer the bag the following day. He and his wife were wonderful.
  2. P

    Will finding a bed be a challenge in May on the Frances?

    Generally, you need to have a reservation at the destination albergue for your bag to be accepted and held there.
  3. P

    How to address other Spanish speakers, Formal or Informal?

    The Peruvian was mistaken. In Argentina and Uruguay, they don't use vosotros; they use ustedes. I think the Peruvian was thinking about "vos," which they use instead of "tú" along with a different verb form, for example, vos tenés (not tienes), vos hablás (not hablas)
  4. P

    Do I need to pack waterproof trousers & jacket?

    Ultralight rain pants have to serve other purposes. I take hiking pants, rain pants, and hiking shorts. Note that I've done caminos only in the spring and fall, so I'm not necessarily making a recommendation for a summer walk. I generally walk in my hiking pants because the backs of my legs...
  5. P

    LIVE from the Camino Mass and food and sleep

    I found a daily mass in each town that was the end of an etapa on the Camino Francés. However, when I stopped in smaller towns, there was no mass due to the lack of priests, many of whom cover several parishes spread over a large area. Ask in your albergue, or check the doors of any church you...
  6. P

    Travel mug. Yes or no?

    Most cafés in Spain make the espresso right in the serving cup and then add the steamed milk from a latte pitcher. However, they can also make the espresso in an espresso pitcher and pour its contents into your mug and then add the steamed milk. You could say, "¿Me puede hacer un café con...
  7. P

    How to hike the Camino without falling (too much)

    To improve balance, strengthen core muscles. If you can stand on one leg for more than a couple of seconds, you can thank your core muscles. Note, however, that to strengthen them, you have to focus on them and actively exercise them. I'm not sure cycling or walking does much to strengthen...
  8. P

    ‘How’ do you organize your backpack?

    Do a search on Youtube or google search for videos on how to pack your backpack. Rei.com has several such videos. Here's one of them: How to Pack a Backpack--REI
  9. P

    Need help cutting down on gear/weight in my pack 🙏

    A couple of suggestions for reducing weight. 1) Merino wool really doesn't retain smells. I alternated two T-shirts for six days, allowing one to dry overnight while I wore the other to bed. Same with socks, but I alternated three pairs of silverlight socks over those same six days. At the...
  10. P

    Increasing protein consumption

    1. To track your protein intake, try using Carb Manager, an app available for Android or Apple. I got a recommendation for a much larger daily intake of protein, and carb manager help me gain a sense of what I had to eat everyday, at which point I quit using it A big plus is that the he app...
  11. P

    Favorite shirts?

    I wear Minus 33 Algonquin lightweight merino wool T shirts. On my first camino, I took 2 Ts and washed them everyday but got really tired to doing hand laundry daily. This last camino, I wore each one at least three days (merino wool really doesn't retain odors at all) over a week's time and...
  12. P

    LIVE from the Camino swollen painful feet

    Before you drink "masses of water" as recommended by others, check with a medical professional. All that water has to go somewhere, and it often ends up as water retained in tissue; in other words, excessive water intake results in swollen feet. That's what my doctor told me while I was on the...
  13. P

    Shoes for wide feet, want to avoid problems with zero drop shoes

    You might as well expect problems with your Achilles tendon if you switch from shoes with a heel drop to zero-drop shoes and immediately start walking long distances in them. As one poster pointed out, the Achilles tendon does not extend to its full length when we wear shoes with a heel drop...
  14. P

    Orisson Open?

    In April 2018, I had a miserable start of my Camino from St. Jean (in cold, non-stop rain via Valcarlos because Nap route was closed), so I did what you suggest: the day after I had arrived in Santiago, I traveled back to St. Jean and walked the Nap route to Roncesvalles. It was wonderful for...
  15. P

    What is the best way to check the weather on the Camino?

    I used plain old Weather.com on the Francés and Invierno last September and October. It gives hourly forecasts for the coming two days, so by searching for upcoming towns, I could get an idea of what to expect that day and in the days ahead.
  16. P

    Madrid Hotel Recommendations

    I've been going to Madrid for decades, and I recommend staying near the Puerta del Sol in the heart of the city. After weeks of albergues, I don't mind staying in a hostel in Madrid. This last October I stayed in Toc Hostel Madrid (reservations on Booking.com), and I really liked the people...
  17. P

    1 size larger

    Perhaps I haven't looked closely enough at all the posts, but I haven't seen a comment on the relationship between swollen feet and forced hydration and extra electrolytes. There are many threads on this forum in which posters caution against dehydration and recommend stopping every ___ hours...
  18. P

    How do you use such a small pack?!?

    Someone asked whether April/May weather can be as winter like as the OP suggested. The answer is definitely yes. I would not go without a sleeping bag; a silk liner would be not at all adequate. Even in 2018, blankets were not readily available in albergues. However, a 1k sleeping bag is...
  19. P

    Question (about walking poles) for older walkers

    Poles are helpful at all times on the hiking trail but only if you've learned how to use them correctly and taken the time to practice using them. I'm not sure of the value of buying poles in SJPP, for example, and using them the first time on the stage to Roncesvalles. Many walkers on the...
  20. P

    Compression bags for clothes packing?

    Years ago I found that clothes stuffed in dry sacks end up in a jumble each time I try to find a specific item. My solution is packing cubes, which I have used for years. They work perfectly with my backpack, which can be opened at the top like a dry sack or along the side like a suitcase...

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