<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4611.1300" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001><FONT
color=#0000ff><snip> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001> </SPAN>But it was Sunday, mid-afternoon, no
taxis, no nothing. <BR>I had yet to understand or acclamate to the
siesta. <SPAN class=210140814-05072001><FONT
color=#0000ff> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001><snip></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001> </SPAN> I practiced saying "where can I find
a taxi stand, please" as <BR>people walked by. Finally, I knew i couldn't
sit there forever, so I <BR>approached a man with his family<SPAN
class=210140814-05072001><FONT
color=#0000ff> <snip></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001>From a different message:</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Are you fluent in Spanish, i.e. can you carry on a
conversation in Spanish beyond the bare necessities of asking directions,
ordering food, etc.? </FONT> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001>A
couple very basic practical counsels for anyone planning to do the
Camino.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001>1)
Basic cross-cultural understanding: While it is important to focus on the many
aspects that seem most pertinent to an extended hiking
experience (will the refugios be open? boots or shoes? ) it would also
behoove you to read a very basic travel guide type book (Fodor's, Frommers, etc)
to give you some feel for what to expect regarding local customs, etc. Some
things, like the siesta are true for most of the country. You can look up the
bigger towns (Burgos, Leon, Stgo itself) and find out specifics like museums,
history, etc. that you might want to learn about. You should be aware of things
like museums being closed on Mondays, etc. so that you won't plan a day based on
a place that ends up closed when you get there. Many good guidebooks also give
basic information about religious and other holidays that may affect your plans
(number of tourists in city, banks closed, etc.)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001>2)
Foods: You'll also learn about regional foods if you read some of the travel
guides based on specific regions--Many years ago when the "Friends" newsletter
had just started I had the occasion to communicate with several pilgrims who
were doing the pilgrimage in stages over various summers, primarily to enjoy the
gastronomic delights of France, but then they decided to continue across Spain
just to say they'd done the whole route. Well, after their first stage in Spain
(through Navarra) they complained vociferously to me about the lousy Spanish
food they'd had. Come to find out, they had ordered paella almost every day
because they "knew" it was the national dish of Spain; I pointed out that they
had missed entirely the gastronomic delights of a whole region by ordering what
is really the "Sunday noon special" of many parts of Southern Spain, but
had never tried "trucha" (trout), "sopa de pescado" (fish soup) or many other of
the local specialties.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=210140814-05072001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=210140814-05072001>And
finally: (continued in 2nd message to avoid line limitations)
--Maryjane</SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>