email access on the Camino

[Ellen Grunblatt]

good info!  Thanks so much.  Ellen

----------
>From: Robert Spenger <rspengeraADELPHIA.NET>
>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
>Subject: Re: email access on the Camino
>Date: Sun, Feb 10, 2002, 11:24 PM
>

> 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
>