In 53 days we will be heading to Spain so I've slowly been picking up the training regimen. This past month I added 175 miles on the bike and 35 miles walking. Now it's really time to get serious. For the most part the body feels good, but my back is not used to the pack yet. The usual tension between the shoulder blades which should diminish as I carry it more. I had hoped to add Cathie's mileage here, but she has been pretty slow at getting in the training zone.
I reported in last month's entry about Pension Corazon Puro service of transportation from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port, but due to a family illness they have closed for the year. So with a little research on the Internet, I was able to figure out the bus system and we will be taking the bus from Pamplona to the start of the Camino. Booking accommodation in St. Jean was the next task and I found THIS B&B run by an English couple. My fellow pilgrim Len, from my 2015 Camino, had stayed there and recommended it to me. Speaking of fellow pilgrims, the aforementioned Len from Canada and Alex from Brazil, both of whom I walked with, paid a visit to my home in San Diego this past month. It is true that connections made on the Camino last a lifetime. We had a great time catching up with each other. You can read about their visit on my other blog, Gassaway's Adventures.
Now for a little practical information for those who have not walked the Camino de Santiago, are considering walking their own Camino or those who are just curious. In researching my last Camino, I purchased several guide books to compare them. Most, if not all guides provide you with descriptions of the terrain, some history of the area, distances between towns and lodging. By far the most popular guide used by many is John Brierley's A Pilgrim's Guide To The Camino de Santiago. Brierley has been writing this guide since 2003 with the most recent edition published in 2017. Divided into stages, the book allows for 33 stages or days to reach Santiago. Of course you don't have to follow it's recommendations to the letter, but many do. Because it's such a popular publication and many are following it's stages, those towns at the end of each day can tend to get crowded.
I preferred and used A Village To Village Guide to Hiking the Camino de Santiago by Anna Dintamin and David Landis.
It's better maps and for me a more understandable layout far outweighed it's slightly larger and heavier size. It too is divided into stages, but many of the daily end locations are different than Brierley's guide. I carried it in 2015 and will carry it again this year.
Another option is Wise Pilgrim, an app for both Apple and Android. Although I had the app in 2015, I never used it. But I rediscovered it in researching places to stay for this year's trip. It's easy to use and it's lodging suggestions include a link to the establishments website. Wise Pilgrim has also published a guide book for Kindle, but I haven't seen it so I can't say if it's any good.
Well, that's it for now, short and sweet. Gotta get out there and train, but we'll keep you posted on any news.
