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Practicalities of Walking the Camino in Spain, France, and Portugal

1/13/2016

Hiking the Camino -- Almost Everything You Need To Know

Again this year, for the 6th time, we will offer the popular Camino-preparation class through the Santa Fe College Community Education program in Gainesville FL.The course is designed for people considering hiking the Camino. It is full of practical advice and information from the trail. More than half of those who have taken the class in the past have subsequently walked a section, or all, of the Camino.

The class will meet on three consecutive Tuesdays, February 2, 9, and 16 from 6:30 to 8:00. If there is interest, we will lead a training walk at San Felasco Hammock the following Saturday, the 20th.

This class is eligible for Senior Waivers.

The class will cover the topics we think will help you make your plans and those people have requested in the past, including:

To sign up, click the link below and search on "Camino".

Registration Link

Where and what is the Camino?

Why walk it?
Can you do it? Really?
How can you deal with your time, strength, and preference constraints?
Where do you start and how far do you walk?
How do you get to Spain and then to where you want to start walking?
What does it cost?
How do you get physically ready for the walk?
Where do you sleep?
What do you eat?
How do you make reservations each night?
Which are the right guidebooks and web resources for planning?
Can you hire someone to do your planning or be a guide?
What should you bring? – All about backpacks, passports (two kinds), phones, cameras, Ipads, Kindles, shavers, medicines and first aid, clothing, boots, walking poles, sleeping bags, towels, and more.
What do you do if you decide you can’t or don’t want to carry your backpack?
How do you get euros and how much cash do you need?
How much Spanish do you need and where can you learn?

There will be plenty of time to talk about whatever the folks in this group want to discuss. We will have a short set of photos each of the three nights to give a feel for what the trail and villages are like. We will highlight differences of the experience in France, Spain, and Portugal, all of which have major sections of the trail. Come and join the fun.

This is our tentative agenda:

Session 1
Where and What is the Camino
Why walk the Camino
Can you do it? Really?
Planning Your Camino: Part 1

Where you'd start and how far you'd walk
How to get there, how to get around in Europe
Costs, training, where to sleep, what do you eat

Sesssion 2
Planning your Camino: Part 2

Passports (two kinds), phones, cameras, Ipads, Kindles, shavers, medicines and first aid
Backpacks, clothing, boots, walking poles, sleeping bags, towels
Transport services for backpacks
How to get euros and how much cash do you need
Learning Spanish

Show and Tell----Gear and Backpacks

Session 3
Customizing your Camino to Fit You

Making reservations
Finding the right guidebooks and web resources for planning
Hiring someone to do your planning or be a guide
All the coolest places to stay, regardless if for you "cool" is a modest B & B, a lively grown-up version of a hostel, or even a ruin of a 5th century convent with no electricity or hot water!

We are very much looking forward to meeting you and talking all about the Camino.

To sign up, click the link below and search on "Camino".

Registration Link

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Training Again

1/6/2016

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Here we are again, walking in nearby neighborhood parks, getting in shape for our next Camino adventure. Where will it be? We still don't know, but when we decide we plan and hope to be ready. In the meantime we're preparing to once more offer our annual class for Camino aspirants at Santa Fe College here in Gainesville. Every time we have done it has been fun for us and the participants.

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Practicalities of Walking the Camino in Spain, France, and Portugal

Hiking the Camino -- Almost Everything You Need To Know

Training Again

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