Buying an albergue? Blister prevention, angry dogs… Camino Q&A Round 3!
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Round 3 of (attempting to answer) your Camino questions!
In this video I answer questions about:
-using Vaseline on my feet
-would I buy a property in Spain and turn it into an albergue?
-will I ever buy walking poles or just continue to use a stick?
-dealing with dogs (not the friendly ones!)
-will I make connections on the Camino even if I’m shy?
-how’s the wi-fi/do I need a SIM card for my phone?
-can I pick a favorite Camino? Is there one I wouldn’t repeat?
Share in the comments your technique for dealing with dogs, any blister-prevention tips, and can you answer that very difficult question: What’s your favorite Camino?
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Thanks for the video. Regarding the question of making connections. I walked for 2 weeks last June Leon to Sarria with my husband. I reflected in my diary after inviting a lone pilgrim to dinner with us: "I love the way the camino gives you "permission" to socially engage. I say permission, because where else do you see a solo person walk into a restaurant or a bar and invite them to join you?"
I also reflected later, "People are more open to building relationships on the Camino. There is no competition, just kindness and concern. Friendship develops quickly..."
Loving these videos, keep them up!
re: the introvert experience on the Camino, coming at it from the other angle, I'd say one fear for me was being 'trapped' into unwanted social interaction - particularly in the albergues. I found that people were generally really respectful of my space and that it wasn't difficult to have enough time to myself, even when physically surrounded by others. There are ways you can communicate to others that you're looking to have alone time - e.g. wearing headphones, staying in bed, etc.
As a runner, the vaseline hacks is crucial and absolutely works!!!
I definitely liked my walking poles. It seems like it relieves a little stress on the back from the pack. And it’s a comfort to know you have a dog prevention device. Although I didn’t have any issues with dogs.
Hmm yes, my wife was attacked by a dog while we were on the Camino de Invierno last month. I wish we had a stick, as she only narrowly avoided being bitten - the owner was literally 5 metres away and did nothing to call him off. But Nadine is right, it's not a huge or constant concern, and we also met dogs who happily walked along with us for upwards of half an hour!
Great video Nadine. Fellow pilgrim here :)
Dogs - they are a very real problem on the Camino Portuguese, especially Lisbon to Porto. There was one day where I almost quit the entire Camino, multiple aggression from rural dogs. I know of a few people who did stop due to the street dogs. Never had a dog problem on Frances or Camino de Madrid having said that :)
And haven’t we all thought of buying an albergue!
Thank you again for your videos x
A couple of thoughts, I used poles on my 1st and purposely left at the Muxia Albergue since I heard we could take them on the plane but I think they helped on steep inclines and going downhill. I’m going to try and not buy any on my next Camino, next month.
We did encounter dogs on the Norte but luckily we didn’t have any issues. I specifically remember walking down a road next to a farm house and there were several dogs in the roadway, a couple of big dogs, the one laying in the middle of this narrow road, didn’t even lift his head as we walked by but I was very Leary of them. Different experience compared to my walk about on the island of Crete where I had several encounters with several dogs and once a couple off dogs were within a few inches of biting me.
I love your enthusiasm and passion for the Camino experience, it’s so inspiring. ♥️
Also the meals at the albergues can be a great way to meet people when you are sitting together.
Hi Nadine. As always, your videos are always really insightful and wise. I never used vaseline myself, but in 2019, a German friend gave me a tub of Hirschtalg (deer tallow), and I've been using it before every hike ever since. I assume it works on the same principle, but I've never had a blister / serious hotspot one my feet heels since I started using it. I'm a firm believer in stick theory ... an Aussie friend gave me some poles for a long day, after I suggested he sounded like the Terminator coming up behind me with the poles and it wasn't for me, I've always been a stick guy! You're 100% right on dogs, I usually just put out my fist, they'll sniff it and move away. A bite to the fist really has minimal harm, but they don't grip in almost every case. (There's a beautiful Spanish Shepherd dog at San Anton (Between Hontanas and Castrojeriz - you can even see him on Google Maps!)
Like the new studio after the years under the stairs! The desk behind you is just like my mother's old desk which my elder daughter now has.
I love that desk! I still need to get things actually set up in the new place (so, that desk may move around), it's all a work in progress. I miss my little spot under the stairs, but I suppose change is good...
Great videos, thank you for doing them. Since you are so experienced on the various Caminos, could you consider a video on recommended/preferred travel options to/from the most popular routes?
Regarding SIM cards…if your phone accommodates an eSIM card I highly recommend that route. No fiddling around with switching SIM cards, just buy, load it up and awayyy you go! You can leave your existing SIM card in the phone and top-up as needed. I use Airalo but there are others too.
Thank you for this tip!! Last summer I briefly looked into an eSIM but for some reason I couldn't wrap my head around how it would work, but just now you and another commenter mentioned Airalo so I'm definitely going to look into this for my next trip (generally I've been okay with switching the SIM card, but on one trip my original one got damaged and when I returned home it didn't work! What a hassle!)
@@NadineWalks Yes, try it! Another nice feature is you don’t have to change numbers in contacts, WhatsApp or iMessage. I hope you like Airalo!
I used an eSIM on my trip to France last year. It was a game changer, especially when my home bank wanted to send a SMS every time I used my credit card and they only send it to my home SIM. Switching between SIMs was a pain but easy.
I did ask you this once before... although you've done the Camino and it's various routes all this time... what compels you to keep doing it. I wasn't sipping on coffee but eating dinner (chicken curry) while watching this time. Cheers and adventure on!
Thanks for the videos, super informative! I do have one question: is it possible to camp on the camino (wild campinig)? Thanks!
SIM Card. Thanks Nadine. I turn my phone off and try to avoid the temptation to connect. On my first Camino I bought a local SIM, Orange I think. That meant I had a different phone number which was a hassle and I lost $150 of credit that couldn’t be recovered when I went home. On my second Camino I just added a global roaming plan to my existing Vodafone account. It cost a few dollars extra per day if I made calls and nothing extra if I just used data. Plus all my kids and family could call or text on my normal number. It was cheaper and easier for me. Not right or wrong, just one way of doing things. ✌️❤️🙏🇦🇺
Hi Nadine, I have offered to offer advice to a certain wonderlusting lawyer, about dealing with dogs. However, if a dog is injured or worse, then not only does the pilgrim get it in the neck but so do, all the pilgrims that follow. The stones trick is an old one and may well work on rural dogs. Confidence around animals is more a threat to their perceived integrity.
I live in Europe so I have like 8 gb roaming abroad with my own sim but when I went to Portugal I got myself an esim with Airalo app with unlimited internet traffic that also worked well in Spain and friends could use too. You don’t need to switch your SIM card because it is a virtual sim and worked very well for me.
You're the second one to mention Airalo so I'm going to check this out for my next trip- an eSIM seems a lot easier than needing to switch out SIM cards!
Hi Nadine. so kind of you to answer all those questions. My husband and I also apply vaseline on our feet and it seems to be the right thing for us. I do not get blisters for that reason or just because my feet are so used to walk !! I will continue to use it as it works for me. A question. have you walked or will you walk Via de la Plata ? what's about the Voie d'Arles in France ? since you started doing Caminos, how many time did you go back in Spain/Portugal/France ? would you be interested in doing the Via Francigena ? Ok that is a lot of questions , no obligation to answer if you do not want to.
Hi there!
I'm thinking of doing Camino Norte this summer. It will be my first ever Camino.
So the question I have is, do you think it would be a good idea if I have reservations on some of the Albergues. I'm asking because I've heard that there aren't many beds to sleep on on Camino Norte (having in mind that I will probably be there at the end of August and beginning of september).
Also I've never found an answer to this: How do you wake up on Camino? Is there a morning alarm in the bedrooms?
Thanks in advance! :))
Hi Nadine. A quick question - in all of the caminos that you mentioned, you said nothing about the Camino Portuguese. I'm a bit curious about your thoughts about it. My wife and I are seriously thinking of walking it next fall. Thank you. We have certainly enjoyed your videos!
Nadine has a series on the Portuguese Coastal Route from 2022 here: czcams.com/play/PLYuyzT3VDG9luB9VLusyqn9V9Ayo-b0R4.html
Pretty specific question about shoes for the Camino. It will be my first time and I'll probably do about 10 days on the Norte starting from Irún. There are two 'trail runner' shoes I'm looking at - the Altra Lone Peak 6 and the Salomon XA PRO 3D v8. The Salomon seems to have a stiffer sole and I'm wondering if that's good to have on the Norte, which I gather is overall slightly more rugged than the Frances. I see good recommendations for both shoes specifically for the Camino, but I assume those are mostly for Frances walkers. Am I overcomplicating this or should I go with the more structured shoe on the Norte? Thx.
Hi Nadine
Another limited day on Camino question. If you had 21 days for a Camino and wanted to walk the French or Norte, would you make sure to finish at SdC or start at Irun/Jean Pied de Port? This means you start and don't finish, or start mid-way and complete a half Camino?
AT&T only charges you $10 for any day you use your phone, and the second person on your plan is only $5
I switched to T-Mobile and have free data all around the world. It’s liberating.
Dein Akzent ist immer noch da
Here's a question...do you keep a journal? Is there a voice memo app you use for dictating your journal?
Hi Nadine, I did not find my answer searching your different videos so I''ll ask here :) Did you experience a camino when it rained several days in a row? Did your Keen hiking shoes dried overnight? Would you still recommend water repellent shoes instead of waterproof so that the feet would not overheat during the dry days? Planing on a 2-3 weeks on Chemin du Puy starting mid-october and still can't decide on the waterproof or not :) Thank you so much for your time!
Thanks for a great question! And yes, I actually had several consecutive days of rain (on the Chemin du Puy, in fact!). I think I had three days of rain- two of those days weren't so bad, but on one day the rain was fairly heavy. But my shoes always dried overnight! And the most rain I ever walked in was my first day on the Camino Portuguese and I was soaked through and through. I thought for sure that my shoes wouldn't dry out overnight, but they did. I took the insoles out, which can help, and some albergues (many) provide newspaper, and if you stuff that into wet shoes it helps to draw away the moisture. I know that waterproof versus water resistant shoes can be a personal choice, but for me the water resistant shoes have always worked so well!
@@NadineWalks thank you for your answer, it gives me a good idea of the time it takes for the shoes to dry overnight 🙏
Dogs bark. That doesn't make them aggressive!
Apologies if you have answered this in another video - I know that you have mentioned in other Q&A videos that you don't need to speak a lot of Spanish to get by on the Camino - that knowing a few key phrases will do, but I was wondering since you are committed to going back to Spain and walking various Caminos if you have ever thought of learning/improving your Spanish to an actual conversational level and if not/why not? It would seem that it would be helpful as well as respectful to the citizens of a country that you love so much and are committed to returning to time and again.
I also wanted to ask you, how do most of the people go back from Finestere (do they use train or some other kind of transportation?). Is it possible to hitchhike from there to Barcelona for example?
There’s a bus that leaves from in the center of town that goes directly to Santiago every day. I think it costs about 10€.
Do you use your phone for taking pictures and videos, or do you carry a dedicated camera? I'm concerned that my phone battery will run down to empty by 12 noon each day and then you have to carry a powerpack as well, which also might run down before you get to your destination each evening. Also, is every Camino so well sign-posted that you do not need the GPS on your phone?
I took thousands of photos with my phone and not once did the battery die. Keep it in airplane mode while walking and only switch it back on when you need service. I suggest bringing a small cheap charge bank and charge your phone from that. There may be times when you don’t have an outlet near your bed and you won’t want to leave your phone plugged into an outlet where it can be stolen.
Thanks
Can you tell me where the sea glass beach was near Biona? We are traveling the costal Route this summer and would love to go there.
The sea glass beach is called 'Praia dos cristais de Silleiro', and it's on the stage between Porto Mougas and Baiona (more specifically, between As Marinas and Baredo). If you stick to the path that runs right along the coast, you'll go right by!
It's about 5/6km before Baiona
Thank you!!!
"WALKING"🚶♂️🚶♀️...it's complicated, i guess
Do you feel any Religious connection with the Camino or is it more for the human side of walking ?
Theft? Is it a problem?
I don’t like the stone example for dogs 😢
Love all your videos. Thank you.
I know, it's hard to think about advice that involves "pretend" throwing something at a dog to scare it off... but to me, if I'm in a situation when I fear that I'm about to get attacked, I think this could be a good technique for self-protection!
I put Vaseline on my feet before hiking and before sex. No blisters! 🤗
In Spain we say “perro ladrador, poco mordedor”. Dog who barks, doesn’t bite
I'll try to remember that the next time I see an angry, barking dog!
@DanielMartinez En Puerto Rico decimos “perro que ladra no muerde.”
Dogs shouldn't be a problem if you stick to the Camino. Let's face it, you're nothing special to them, they see lots of pilgrims each day. The only exception is dogs that might be working with livestock. Try shouting 'perro' and the shepherd might call the dog off.