Been there, done that

[Ben Olas]

Yes and no.  The bigger cities will have it, like Pamplona, Leon, and
Burgos, but small places like Los Arcos may or may not.  I will get my maps
and then give you a better idea of what we found along the way.  The bigger
cities had large establishments with many computers, whereas some places
only had like one or two computers at the combo grocery/library/video
stores.  Both of us are in the IT industry, so 6 days without internet
access was tough at first but then we got used to it.  Also, Spain has some
really trippy business hours so some places will open really late (after you
are already on the road <sob>) or not be open for days at a time.  I had a
digital camera with a USB card reader that got fried in Leon when trying to
FTP some pictures home (169 pictures, the first 2 and a half weeks of our
trip gone!!!).  The really well to do setups would delete your profile every
time you got done and would not give you the option to install additional
software, so you didn't have to be too concerned about spyware or your
passwords to email accounts being stolen.  Some of the smaller places were
so virus'd out that we really limited our usage.  One place gave us free
internet access in exchange for getting all the porn off their computers.
Alot may have changed in a year, so there may be even more available now.

Ben

>From: Atina Diffley <atinagoeaFRONTIERNET.NET>
>Reply-To: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
>Subject: Re: Been there, done that
>Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 17:16:24 -0600
>
>Hi Ben -
>
>I'm hoping to walk the camino in February.
>
>Is there a lot of public access to internet along the way?
>
>atina
> >
> > Hello All,
> >
> > Oct. 2002 my girlfriend and I did the Camino starting in St. Jean Pier
>du
> > Port and finishing in Santiago de Compostela (4 weeks total).  I was
> > listening to some music today that reminded me of the camino, so I
>decided
> > to re-subscribe to the listserv.  I would be happy to answer any
>questions
> > anyone would have about the experience or our preparations.  There were
>a
> > number of very helpful people here who also have websites (can't
>remember
> > them at the moment though, although E.O. Peterson rings a bell) that I
>found
> > invaluable.  Some things that I would HIGHLY recommend above all else is
> > proper shoes and socks, and ESPECIALLY in Galicia some decent rain gear.
>  We
> > had some U.S. military issue rain ponchos that fit over ourselves and
>our
> > gear, but if we do it again we will have pants, jackets, and backpack
> > specific covers.  Waterproof/goretex shoes are a plus, and a good pair
>of
> > Gators to wear over your shoes to keep out water and mud really made a
> > difference (one again, especially in Galicia).
> >
> > After 10 days straight hiking with few to no rest stops, my feet looked
>like
> > ground beef.  I cannot stress how important taking a break occasionally
>and
> > taking off your shoes is.  There are plently of bars/cafes along the way
> > where you can take a break and get a cup of vino, or just crash anywhere
> > along the trail.  Be social, try learning some simple Spanish.   You can
>get
> > by without knowning the language, but any little bit helps.
> >
> > Getting off my soap box, one final thing.  Keeping in mind that the
>camino
> > is not about how much pain I could take was an invaluable lesson I
>learned
> > (finally!!!) in Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
> >
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