New arrival to this list... with questions!!

[Robert E. Spenger]

Jennifer,

I did the Arles route last year, and , yes, much of it is hiking paths.
I followed the guide put out by the London-based Confraternity of Saint
James. Often I stayed on the paved road when the designated route
(GR653) seemed to be unnecessarily circuitous. One of the stretches that
I enjoyed the most was neither on the paved road nor the "official
route," but was on the hiking/biking path alongside the Canal du Midi. I
was on this for almost a whole day and it took me into the center of
Toulouse. As a Californian, I had never seen a canal lock in operation
before, so it was a treat to watch and photograph the whole process when
a  large canal boat went through one of the locks. On a number of
occasions, the paved parts were quiet country lanes with very little
traffic. Often I could see a more or less parallel major highway in the
distance, but there were only a few places where I had to walk on a
highway with heavy traffic. On leaving Toulouse, on the recommendation
of the guidebook, I took a bus about ten miles to the outskirts of the
city.

France does not have a refugio system like the one in Spain, although
there are some establishments that cater to pilgrims. I often stayed at
cheap hotels or at a chambre d'hote. Since my command of French is
negligible, I  got in the habit of asking the proprietors to call ahead
to make reservations for my next stop. I hope that this information is
useful to you.

Robert

Rémi Loyer wrote:

>  Hi everyone,    My name is Jennifer Bruce.  I live in Calgary,
> Canada.  Last September I picked up a magazine at the hostel in
> Seattle... and there I found an article on the Camino.  I am a student
> of anthropology and history and my passion is travel... so this seems
> a dream come true.  I am planning to do the Camino on Sept 1.  I will
> be travelling on my own and have a few questions.  I am pretty sure I
> will start in St.Jean... however, I am also pondering starting in
> perhaps Arles, or Toulouse.  Does anybody know if these ancient routes
> leading in from France still exist as a path - as opposed to highway?
> I didn't really have any concerns regarding the Camino until I read
> the book by Shirley MacLaine... now I am afraid of these 'dogs'.
> Should I be concerned enough to bring rabies vaccinations?  Any other
> vaccinations?  I guess the real question for everyone, is... what is
> the one thing you brought or didn't bring that would be indispensable
> for a modern day pilgrim.  That is all for now.  I thank you for your
> time.Jennifer BruceJenJenacadvision.com
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