REVIEW of Camino Via de la Plata

September 23

REVIEW of Camino Via de la Plata

 In comparison to our first camino in 2010 (the French Way), the camino Via de la Plata was so different. At times more enjoyable because there were fewer peregrinos competing for accommodations, but also with disadvantages. For example there were fewer churches and chapels open during the day and evening on Via de la Plata and therefore less opportunity for spiritual reflection. Also in 2010, the French Way was our first camino and we were in awe with our entire experience, which was more spiritual, and it was the encouragement of other peregrinos that helped us to overcome challenges. On the other hand, this being our 5th camino, Via de la Plata was more of an adventure - trekking where fewer people go. It too was an awesome experience! Planning has already begun for next year.

LIKES

The weather was good for most of the camino

Accommodations were generally good 

Restaurants usually had a daily menu on average 10euros that were always plentiful (food and drinks)

Most people in little towns spoke little to no English, hence forcing to communicate in Spanish 

Met lots of peregrinos from Canada, US, England, Ireland, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Holland, Russia, S. Korea, Australia, New Zealand

Road walking reduced distances and avoided muddy trails on rainy days

DISLIKES

Really bad rainy days and raining all day

Some hotels had no heating

Sometimes difficult to dry gear

In some stages there were few rest stop locations

Not all towns have cafes open in the morning and sometimes we would go 2-3 hours without a coffee break

Carrying too much water and food that is not used

Road and rail construction required lengthy detours

Road walking was not fun, spending too much time looking for cars rather than enjoying the scenery

Way finding out of some towns was challenging

Schedule not flexible and could not spend more time in interesting towns

WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY 

Bring better rain gear

Bring waterproof trekking pants

Bring long-sleeve shirt

Check all gear and only bring what was used, and try to replace with light weight towels and sheet

Schedule more slack time and additional time at the end

Convert to a single hand device for phoning, gps, photos, blogging, language speech translated and Camino app.

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