Gracias Mari!

I appreciate your comments. I think I would be fine, just that obviously it is more fun to go with somebody. But I have traveled by myself enough that I don't think it should be a problem. My DH is much more of a hiker/ athlete than me .I'm sure he would love any of these caminos but he and my son say they want to do it the "real way". Maybe they can meet me in Santiago.

The one thing I just realized from re-reading their itinerary for el Camino del Norte is that I don't think you get the Compostela . I'll have to ask them about this.

The dates will probably not work for me this year but I like to start planning early anyway so all this info is good food for thought. Maybe the delay is good as it will give me more time to break those hiking shoes!

Would you do it ever again?

Cruise, in a way YES, I would do it again. I would even consider doing it on my own (no tour; with or without DH). But as long as I am strapped down to a two-week vacation per year, I dont think I can fit it in my destination list!!! 18 years to my earliest retirment date............

Hello Marigross.

I am doing some research for my upcoming trip to Galicia and read this last night over a glass of wine. I must tell you how much I enjoyed it, particularly the Camino - I took every step with you :)

Thanks a bunch!

Best regards Ger

Thanks Ger!

I wanted to add a belated tip. We stayed at posada del cotero in helgueras, near the picos, and it was heavenly. Tiny, tiny town. Lots of cows.

Astur - Lots of cows! LOL! What an understatement ;)

The picos area is just a dream!

Oh yes, the cows!!! I remember up in Covadonga, they were even in the parking lot. They were oblivious to us!

Hello all. I need help re: the camino. My 73 year old mother in law is walking it next month and I am trying to find a walking map (small) for her that I can get before Sept 4th. Any ideas? She did the camino 2 years ago but without a map! Thanks. Theresa

Theresa,

Sorry, I can't help you with the map but just wanted to say that I'm in awe of your mother-in-law! Wow!

Have you tried googling it to see if theer is something you can download?

Hopefully, others will chime in with ideas!

Hi, Theresa,
I assume your mother in law is going to walk the Camino Frances -- starting point in Spain is Roncesvalles, about 800 km to Santiago. If that's the one she's walking, she isn't going to need a map, because the route is loaded with yellow arrows, and a map isn't going to have enough detail to help her find her way anyway.

She may already have a guidebook, but the book that most English speaking walkers take is published by the Confraternity of St. James and sold on their website, www.csj.org.uk If you're in the US, you probably have time to get it before she leaves. It's updated every year.

I think the thing that's most helpful to walkers on the Camino is not a map but a book with up to date info on accommodations and other facilities on the way.

And by the way, your mother-in-law will not be the odd guy out at age 73. The first time I walked it, I was 50, and I was one of the younger ones (in part, because it was early spring, so the young 'uns were all still in school). This past summer, I walked the Camino del Norte along the coast, and walked a lot with a couple in their mid 70s. On another camino we had an 80th birthday party for a walker. I hope she has a wonderful camino.

&quot;<i>I think the thing that's most helpful to walkers on the Camino is not a map but a book with up to date info on accommodations and other facilities on the way.</i>&quot;

100% True. Hope she has a marvelous Camino!

I forgot to mention in my last post that if you are thinking about walking one of the many Caminos to Santiago &quot;on your own&quot; (without paying a commercial venture to do the organizing for you), you should definitely check out some of the web forums where many of the people who are now addicted to walking the Camino post regularly.

They are great sources for all sorts of information and the sharing of personal experiences. I think the two most helpful are the yahoo group named santiagobis and the forum on www.santiago-today.com . This latter website is run by a &quot;non-walker&quot; named Ivar who lives in Santiago, and he is tremendously helpful. There are many regular posters who walk on a Camino every chance they get and you can count on getting good answers and moral support from them.

marking for later

es... did you know this is a very old thread, from back in 05?
Some information has changed since the posting have been made.

topping an older thread to read in more detail

Just wanted to add that you're a great writer, Marigross. You'd make anyone want to follow your itinerary.