email access on the Camino

[Robert Spenger]

Ellen,

I found the tourist offices to be very helpful in finding the cybercafes and
other internet access places (e.g. the public library in Burgos was well
equipped and there was no charge.) Often the T.O. clerk would provide me with a
city map and mark where we were and where I could find the cybercafes. I see
that Bill warned that some do not open until 8 in the evening. I did not have
that problem in Spain; the main problem everwhere was crowding in the early
evening when all the kids were there playing games.

As he indicated, the French keyboards are devilish to use; two major pairs of
keys were switched - I think that they were A and Q plus M and the
colon/semicolon combo, but my memory is fuzzy on that. Also, the numbers were
the upper case positions, with the characters like a and # in the lower case. I
was continually using 2 instead of a in the e-mail addresses.

The worst problem I ran into was a very slow computer on Oloron, where the keys
were labeled with the usual French characters, but it was wired like our
computers. It kept refusing to recognize my password. I didn't know why because
I could see only the bullets. Finally, in frustration, I typed out damn! in the
name space. When it came up dq;n!, I realized  what was happening and ignored
the letters inscribed on the keys. Since my password had an A in it, the
computer was getting a Q instead. After that I just typed by memory. The
Spanish keyboards were no real problem. There were only a few subtle
differences, like a special key for ñ, but most everything that I was using was
in the place that I expected.

Occasionally in all three countries, France, Spain, and Portugal, I had to ask
others what some of the computer directions meant, since I know only a little
of each of the three languages. In almost every cybercafe, there was someone
who knew enough English to help. In one case -too much. In my very first
cybercafe - in the Latin Quarter in Paris, the young man in charge was very
fluent in English, having spent a year at school in London. But he could not
make heads or tails of my California English. I realized later, that I had
assumed too much. His English skills were so good that I didn't try to speak
carefully and distinctly, but just rattled on mumbling and swallowing half my
words like any good Californian.

regards,

Robert

Ellen Grunblatt wrote:

> Hello--I'm a new subscriber from Maine.  I'm planning to walk the Camino for
> 6 weeks beginning at the end of March.  I'm trying to figure out ways to
> stay in touch with home, and was wondering if anyone had successfully used
> email on any kind of regular basis while they walked.  Specifically I'm
> wondering if there are any cybercafes in the larger cities, or if anyone has
> used a Palm w/modem to stay in contact state-side, or any other suggestions
> people might have.  You  can reply to me personally at aplsosamainewest.com,
> though I can't believe I'm the only one with this question.  (tried
> researching the archives w/o success).  Thanks for any help or advice with
> this.
>
> Ellen