walking in a holy year

[walkabout]

Hi,

My name is Dorothy and I am planning to walk the camino for the first time in May. I am a little concerned about doing this in a holy year. Have any of you out there done that? Also, is May generally a busy month? I just don't want to get stranded without a place to stay. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Oak Hill Walkers]

Historically, May has about 2/3rds of the traffic of July and about 1/2 of the traffic in August in non Holy Years. But....2010 can expect approximately twice the traffic of a non Holy Year, mostly in July and August.

Be sure to bring a sleeping pad so that you can utilize floor space. You should be able to find a space, even if it's only a floor. I've heard that lots of places will make arrangements for supplemental spaces.

Stay tuned for better responses from Leslie and Covey.

[Covey]

A Holy Year will be busy, but if you stick to a few simple rules, you will be OK.

I always start walking at first light and aim to finish at 2pm, so I will probably "walk" for 8 hours and be checking in before the rush.

There are those who start way before dawn, wake everybody up in the albergue and then crash around the countryside using their torches and then seem to disappear! Come 5pm you see them in the queue outside the albergue looking for a bed.

The sensible thing is to start at dawn when you can see the yellow arrows, walk at a steady constant pace, stop regularly for a rest and coffee/tea and you will be surprised at how quickly you eat up the miles.

Being an old soldier, I walk for 50 minutes, rest for 10 and rest for 30 minutes after 4 hours with your pack and boots off. Usually I ensure that my rest periods coincide with arriving at a nice bar where I can sit outside and watch the world go by. This sort of regime will allow you to cover 25-30kms a day without a vast amount of effort.

People put a lot of effort in to planning in advance where they are going to stay, most of which is a complete waste of time. You can arrive in a town and find that the albergue is closed for a variety of reasons. There are usually alternative albergues which are the "private" albergues. They usually charge a little more than the official albergue but tend to be newer and have better facilities.

The golden rule is "a bed in hand is better than paradise in the next village". If you arrive somewhere around 2pm and are tired, grab a bed and don't listen to those telling you there is a better albergue "just down the road". It might be closed or full!!

Enjoy your Camino

[walkabout]

Thank you! This is very helpful.

[walkabout]

This is very valuable advice and I will heed it! Thank you so much.

[mammalama]

Excellent advice, thank you for setting me straight on this.

[viclindal]

I like to have my big meal early in the day.
What advice?

[Oak Hill Walkers]

Lunch is your best bet for a big meal 'early' in the day.

The midday meal, la comida as it is called in Spain is the largest meal of the day. It is definitely a large meal, usually with multiple courses. Traditionally, Spaniards have a 2-3 hour break from work or school in order to enjoy la comida and take a nap or siesta and the entire country closes up shop from about 2:00pm to 4:30 or 5:00pm. The siesta is a tradition that goes back centuries. When most people worked in agriculture and air conditioning did not exist, it is easy to understand why folks needed a large meal and a rest from the hot Spanish sun before returning to work outside. Everyone in Spain enjoyed this afternoon break, from school kids to shop workers and government officials. Most Spanish still enjoy the break and large meal, but life is slowly changing. Many people spend over an hour commuting to and from their work, making it impossible to go home for a meal and siesta. Because of this, Spanish government employees in Madrid now work a standard eight-hour day with a one-hour lunch break. Many large supermarket and retail chains in large cities no longer close for lunch either. Still, in most of the country folks close up shop and enjoy their meal and break.

• The Largest Meal of the Day
• Multiple Courses
• Eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 pm

Below is a sample meal that you might find on a menu at a restaurant or if you were invited to someone’s home for lunch:

• Vegetable or Seafood Soup
• Fresh Fish or Seafood, Roast Chicken or Lamb, Fried Potatoes, Rabbit Stew, etc.
• Green Salad or Vegetables
• Dessert - Flan, light pastry, fresh fruit or ice cream
• Coffee, Brandy and a Cigar

Bread is ALWAYS on the Spanish table. It is plentiful and fresh and used to mop up sauces. Spanish lunches are always large! Courses come one at a time, so pace yourself!
Since Spaniards love eggs and dairy foods, you will find that many desserts are made from fresh milk or cream. Fresh fruit is typical to see on the dessert menu, and may be served with a soft cheese. Don’t forget the coffee – You’ll probably need that after the big lunch!

[viclindal]

Wow that is complete and fantastic.
Maybe I am bit confused as you say it all closes down.
How do I get this meal if all closed.
For sure there is something I am not reading.
Vic

[Oak Hill Walkers]

I think that the siesta, which is from 2:00pm til 5:00pm, includes lunch time. So, if you're passing through a village that has a restaurant open, you should be able to order lunch from 1:30 to 3:30. At least that's my recollection from living in Spain for two years back in the early 1990's.

[Pavel]

During siesta time (1:00 to 3:00 p.m.) almost everything is closed except for restaurants, which serve comida at this time. Many times I arrived around 12 o'clock and had to wait for the lunch, because all local restaurants opened at 1 p.m.