Nutrition and Local Hours

[Crawley, Jeffrey]

Hi Doug,

Certainly there is less of an opportunity to shop on Sundays although they  might just be open for shorter opening hours ie the afternoon instead of all day.  But then Spanish opening times tend to be different anyway, the panadaria might be open at 7-7.30 but the supermercado isn't open before 10am, closes for a long lunchbreak, reopens at 4pm and stays open until late.  The first rule of Spanish opening hours is that there are no rules! There is more of a tendancy, at least in larger towns, for chain supermarkets to be open longer: Al Campo doesn't usually close for lunch, same with Carrefour and even some of the Dia chain.

Trail mix style dried fruits and nuts can be found in Frutos Secos (candy stores if you live west of Ireland) where you can pick and mix your selection - the bags tend to be small and fragile you might want to transfer it to a larger, more durable ziplock bag. You might also find them in a Tabacos - Castrojerez has a good one opposite the Spa supermarket up from the refugio.

Small towns may have a panaderia where you can buy bread, pastries even alcohol, some have nothing - San Juan de Otega (or is it Orbigo - I'm not near a book to check at the moment - the one that used to serve garlic soup) just has a small bar.  Listen out for the loud hooting of the bread van before lunchtime.  Buy whenever you get the opportunity, cheese will sweat even in September, ham both serrano (like Palma ham) and Jamon de York travels OK but no use if you're a veggie. Spanish bread is good, pan integral is wholemeal and, if you keep it in that plastic supermarket bag you saved, it will still be edible the next day unlike the lovely French baguette - beautiful fresh, a blunt weapon when stale.

Refugio kitchens (and not all have them) are variable: Puenta la Reina was good as was Portomarin, Ponferada too but you weren't allowed to cook in it! Aruza has a fine big kitchen, well designed with two gas ranges but lousy gas pressure and practically no pots or utensils!  Some refugios make coffee or tea in the morning: Burgos and Castrojerez for instance, Rabanal does a free breakfast.  Often you'll just want to be on your way (frequently before first light - take a mini torch like a mini-maglite) and grab a drink and croissant at the panadaria.

There's a lot to be said for September, the kids are back at college, it's harvest time, the weather is generally OK (see previous postings, look at the Repsol web site for weather records) and if the contract I'm working on doesn't get better I may well join you! Just be prepared for wetter days (poncho/wetgear) and the occasional muddy boot day - be warned that refugios fill up quicker on rainy days when people opt for a short walk in the hope that it will be better the next day.

Hope this helps.

Jeffrey

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Tustin [mailto:pelicanaINNERCITE.COM]
Sent: 13 May 2003 02:01
To: GOCAMINO
Subject: Nutrition and Local Hours


In previous postings people have mentioned restaurants and stores all being
closed on Sundays. Is this generally true, and if so, what about meals and
trail-food on those days? On the other days, during what hours can one
count on places being open?

Do most towns have places to buy dried fruit and nuts, bread, cheese, etc.?
How much of a "stash" should one carry?

How much cooking is practical in the refugios? Can one make a cup of tea
before departing at first light?

I understand from privious postings that 2004 is a special religious year
on the Camino, and there will be more people. True? For this reason I am
planning to begin around the first of September, 2003. Will most of the
Summer crowds be gone by then, and when I finish by mid-October, will the
weather still be reasonable?

These archives are fantastic, and again, I extend my heart-felt gratitude
to all who have sharred their experiences. Planning for the pilgrimage
would be very difficult without all this practical information.

Doug Tustin