Starting in Tours april 2016

[Helen Mannersjö]

Hello Peregrinos

Me and my wife did our first camino last spring, VdlP and we loved it. Our plan is to walk again in the spring 2016 and this time from Tours in France and continued on Camino Norte and Primitivo. My question is.. does anyone know how and where to get a starting stamp in Tours ?
I dont speak french so I havent find any maps or information that I understand. If someone know anything that would be of interest for me, please let me know. And excuse my sometimes bad english

Buen Camino everybody and Happy Christmas, Happy New Year and a happy life for all of you.

Take care

Helen

 

[pudgypilgrim]

You can get a stamp and a rough map at the cathedral in Tours, but I would strongly urge you to learn as much French as you can between now and April. After Tours until you get to Bordeaux you aren't going to find many people who speak English, even in the tourist offices, except maybe in Poitiers. I did find a blog a year or so ago written by an English girl who started in Tours who used couchsurfing.com to find places to stay with people who spoke English.

Your English is just fine, incidentally. But you will get a lot more out of the trip if you can learn at least a little French before you go.

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

You can get a stamp and a rough map at the cathedral in Tours, but I would strongly urge you to learn as much French as you can between now and April. After Tours until you get to Bordeaux you aren't going to find many people who speak English, even in the tourist offices, except maybe in Poitiers. I did find a blog a year or so ago written by an English girl who started in Tours who used couchsurfing.com to find places to stay with people who spoke English.

Your English is just fine, incidentally. But you will get a lot more out of the trip if you can learn at least a little French before you go.

Thanks a lot. I have just tryin to learn some Spanish

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Even if you don't learn much else, try to be sure you can understand the difference between à droite (turn right) and tout droit ( straight ahead), even when spoken quickly. Since you're already a polyglot it should be easy to pick up a little basic French between now and then, at least much easier than it is for people who only speak one language, like most of us Americans.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Tours, I like that. I agree that you should learn as much french as possible, not only for practical reasons but also to be able to exchange a few words with people you meet in the villages. I couldn't imagine doing the Camino without french in France or spanish in Spain...

Do you know when you will reach the border Spain/France to go on the Camino del Norte? Jag tror att jag startar nån gång i början av juni, i Irún i så fall.

/BP

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Even if you don't learn much else, try to be sure you can understand the difference between à droite (turn right) and tout droit ( straight ahead), even when spoken quickly. Since you're already a polyglot it should be easy to pick up a little basic French between now and then, at least much easier than it is for people who only speak one language, like most of us Americans.

Tours, I like that. I agree that you should learn as much french as possible, not only for practical reasons but also to be able to exchange a few words with people you meet in the villages. I couldn't imagine doing the Camino without french in France or spanish in Spain...

Do you know when you will reach the border Spain/France to go on the Camino del Norte? Jag tror att jag startar nån gång i början av juni, i Irún i så fall.

/BP

I am not sure how long it will take us to reach Irun. Men vi har ingen tid att passa

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

We probably change our plans. Everyone tell us that it is a problem that we dont speak French. So right now is the plan to start in Alicante and do the Ruta de La Lana and then walk on to Via de Bayona to Irun and then continue on Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo.
After that should all my extra kilos after Christmas be gone

 

[SYates]

Not speaking French makes it a tad bit more difficult, but not impossible! SY

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Not speaking French makes it a tad bit more difficult, but not impossible! SY

We just save it for another time
Enjoy vdlp , I thought it was wonderful.

 

[huguet jean luc]

Hello I live with 40kms in the south of Turns, and it is very pleasant to make the way of Compostelle starting from Turns. The city is beautiful and there is the superb Loire river. then people are hospital; there are not too many people, one eats good things and Poitou with all the Romanesque churches it is really superb. For English it there moreover it than one says it who leparle, but it is necessary to go towards people. they know that American released France in 1944 with the allies. they often learned English but one does not practise it much then needs partel slowly but the jlangage of the smile and the heart makes the rest

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Hello I live with 40kms in the south of Turns, and it is very pleasant to make the way of Compostelle starting from Turns. The city is beautiful and there is the superb Loire river. then people are hospital; there are not too many people, one eats good things and Poitou with all the Romanesque churches it is really superb. For English it there moreover it than one says it who leparle, but it is necessary to go towards people. they know that American released France in 1944 with the allies. they often learned English but one does not practise it much then needs partel slowly but the jlangage of the smile and the heart makes the rest

Thanks for your nice answer. Do you know if the Camino from Tours is well marked ? Beacuse I havent found any english guidebooks for this Camino.

And I smile a lot

 

[huguet jean luc]

Yes it is well signposted markup GR (hiking) and is the GR 655, it is marked in red and white and easy to understand. There is a guidebook published by the French Federation randonneée trails to Compostela towers mirqmbeau number 6552 The maps are accurate.
For accommodation there are in each department a pilgrims s associatons why know the peronnes addresses that you can receive or bed and breakfast knowing the needs of walkers to Compostela.
They are volunteers structures that of Touraine has a website http://www.compostelle-tours.org/ and there is a hotline 33 07 70 63 10 00
I am one of those volunteers

 

[huguet jean luc]

Feel free to ask questions, we like to discover our region

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Feel free to ask questions, we like to discover our region

Thanks a lot. I guess we would like to ask some questions further ahead in our planning. Thanks to you we now hold on to our first plan and start from Tours probably in the end of March or beginning of April. I am not really sure of the weather at this time of year but I think it will be okay ?

Buen Camino

 

[huguet jean luc]

In April the natureis beautifum and there is not too much rain and you are innsapin in May it is a pleasant season not too hot with nature in bloom, but there are some fewer accommodations , Is better can be arranged by preparing these first steps before having contacted accommodations between Tours and Poitiers, we can help you there we also have a facebook: Chemins de Compostelle en Touraine

 

[WearyBoots]

In May 2015 we walked from Tours to Bordeaux, then caught a train and bus to Santander and walked the Camino del Norte. In France most of the places we stayed the hosts had some English and were keen to try it out. The route is well marked and we used the GR guide which seemed to be reasonably up to date and accurate. Be aware that the route in France is extremely flat, so this is not the one if you are a hill walker.

 

[andyvi]

bonjour everyone, i begin my camino from paris march 29th. can i get a credential from notre dame? does anyone know of a map shop or book shop where i can pick up a guide or maps? thanks andy

 

[mspath]

bonjour everyone, i begin my camino from paris march 29th. can i get a credential from notre dame? does anyone know of a map shop or book shop where i can pick up a guide or maps? thanks andy

Hi Andy,
See my answer in the Conversation mode.

 

[lovingkindness]

bonjour everyone, i begin my camino from paris march 29th. can i get a credential from notre dame?

Bonjour, @andyvi.

Here's a link to La Société Française des Amis de Saint Jacques de Compostelle in Paris. They have changed address since I visited in 2014. Back then guide books were on sale and credentials were available, too. Perhaps they still are...
http://www.compostelle.asso.fr/

At Notre Dame de Paris I was able to get my credential stamped by a priest after mass . The stamp is an imprinted one not in ink.

Bon Chemin,
Lovingkindness

 

[Kanga]

The last time I got a credential from the Amis in Paris it cost me an arm and a leg - I had to join their association. Hopefully things have changed since then, as I note the Cathedral authorities are demanding that no-one charge more than 2 euros.

 

[huguet jean luc]

the guide FFRP TRAIL TO COMPOSTELA BRUSSELS PARIS TOURS BY GR655 gives very good cards and switched by well- marked trails in red and bmanc 655 gr .ces roads are secure and not too asphalt. The assocition Compostela 2000 paris gives good complement to onfirmations in receptions