ToxyTalk — #BUENCAMINObook

Kindness of Others “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” -Aesop I love Spain’s postal system! One mistake I made during my Camino experience is not trusting my ability to communicate in Spanish and to navigate the postal system. Before leaving for the Camino, I spent several weeks preparing boxes of supplies to send to myself in Spain along the Camino. I knew the post office would keep a package for a pilgrim for 15 days. I did not know how long it would take for the packages to arrive in Spain, so I sent them...

As I was researching online and starting to contact albergues and to make reservations, I discovered the website www.urcamino.com. This became my favorite source for finding albergues. I looked at detailed pictures, read reviews and all contact information and direct links were included there in one place. It was heavenly! I usually chose an albergue based on the rating system, location to accommodate daily miles and the sleeping arrangements. Sometimes I changed the whole route and plan if I discovered an alluring comment about a town and/or albergue. It worked really well, because I was so happy staying in every...

After reading several books and websites about the Camino, I started making plans. Sleep was most important, so I started planning the route and hiking miles based on albergues with a small number of beds in each room. Also, I wanted to hike completely across Spain from the border to the coast. I was excited to be in Paris, so I wanted some time there but also felt an urgency to get started hiking before the Camino holiday crowds in July and August. I had noted a few albergues and towns from the reading research that I really didn’t want...

“There is no better designer than nature.” -Alexander McQueen

I must admit that Stage 1 research may have caused some stress. There was so much written from so many different sources that said this was the most difficult section. I was sure that I wanted to take Route Napoléon (said to have been traveled by Napoléon but not verified as true) because of its stunning scenery and possible significant history depicted in the readings. It is a more challenging route because of the continuous climbing, the unpredictable weather and the lack of albergues/shelter. Once committed to the route, you just have to keep going and hope for the best....