pondering a walk of the Camino de Santiago

[sray]

Hi, Leslie,

As I become more familiar with 'threading',etc., messages/questions will surely appear very readily....until then...

First observation: Leslie said not to wear boots, but rather 'walking shoes'...this is most contrary to all that I have read.....please elaborate.

Second: what is typical 'pilgrim food' served at the various inns?
Do walkers carry any food, besides water?

Thank you for the 'CaminoForums' Sray

[Leslie]

Hi,

My preference is walking shoes on the Camino Frances, though i would say most people walk with walking boots. This is simply my preference.

I wear walking boots every weekend when walking in the hills of Ireland and I need them. The walking can be rough, muddy, very wet, and very uneven a lot of the time - none of this is the case if you are walking the Camino Frances during the dry months of summer.

Really it is all down to personal preference - during the winter I would recommend boots.

[Sil]

I wore New Balance All Terrain shoes when I walked in May 2002 and also in June/July 2004. In September 2007 I wore HiTec V-Lite boots and was grateful to have them as we started off in torrential rain which lasted nearly 4 solid days. Some of the muddy paths almost sucked the boots off our feet!
Very few camino 'inns' (I'm presuming you mean the shelters (albergue, refuge, refugio, hostel) provide meals. The exceptions are the smaller, private or church sponsored albergues like those at Eunate, Tosantos, Granon, San Bol, Hospital San Nicolas, Manjarin etc.
On the caminos you will often find that cafe-bars, small private inns (posadas) and even hotels, provide a 'Menu del Peregrinos'. This is usually a 3 course menu for about 10 euro.
The first course - Pimer Plato - could be soup, salad or tortilla Espanol (potato omlete).
The Secundo Plato is usually a choice of meats - pork, beef or chicken with chips or salad.
The desert is often an ice cream, a fruit (sometimes just an orange or piece of melon) or a tartlet of some kind - Santiago tart in Galicia.
You will very rarely find vegetables on offer and the Menu del Peregrinos can become monotonous.
Many albergues have kitchens and communal cook-ups can be fun. Some kitchens are poorly equipped but you can usually make a salad or cook a big pot of pasta and a salsa to share and it is much cheaper to cook your own food. Pilgrims often leave half used packets of food like lentils, rice or pasta behind rather than carry them so you can often scrounge ingredients in the albergue kitchens.
August/September are the harvest months and there is an abundance of fruits. We ate wild bramble-berries from Roncesvalles to Finisterre. Although it is not a good idea to steal fruit from orchards or vine-yards, there are often wild figs, chestnuts, apples and vines along the road sides.
Pilgrims do sometimes carry food. A couple of Madelenas(cup cakes) for breakfast with the first coffee stop, or fruit, nuts, cheese and 'pan' (bread) for lunch. Even a vegetarian (like me) doesn't have to starve whilst walking el camino!

[sray]

Hi, Sil, thank you for your feedback. As for hiking shoes.....I'm hoping not to encounter much, if any, rain.....lasts two weeks in May and June.
I'm a picky eater.....but the Pilgrim meals sound doable, if boring as you suggested. Are there stores along the way to buy fresh lettuce, etc.?
How many times have you covered the 'Path'?