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M. Parker,
<p>I am surprised that you had so much difficulty on the Portuguese route.
My own experience in the Spring of 2001 was quite different. I found the
route to be well-marked except for the last 5 or 10 km going ito the city
itself. I do remember a couple of industry lined sections of highway, but
they were fairly short and the traffic was no worse than some sections
of the camino Francés; it was much less hazardous than much of the
route through in Portugal itself and parts of the Via Tolosa in France.
I did it in 6 stages, so each stage was rather short, only about 20 km,
so I didn't have to carry a lot of food and water and there were occasional
bars along the way that provided food and <i>servicios</i>. I can't speak
for the refugios, since I didn't stay in one. I checked in on the one in
Pontevedra, which was brand new and very impressive, even having its own
art gallery. I also checked out the one in Padrón, which was rather
basic and unattended. I did not see the one in Tui, since I had stopped
for the night on the Portuguese side of the Minho.
<p>The one discouraging feature was the complete lack of other pilgrims.
I had already experienced this to some extent in southern France and even
more so on the Portuguese route between Lisbon and Valença. I certainly
agree with you on that aspect of the route, but perhaps it will be different
in 2004, especially later in the year. It was definitely a lonely trip,
especially since I was traveling solo and have only a rudimentary use of
Spanish. It would have been quite different if I had a better command of
the language and/or if I were traveling with companions.
<p>regards,
<p>Bob Spenger
<br>rspengerausamedia.tv
<p>M Parker wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>there are stores in the larger towns for purchasing
food
<br>there are kitchens in the albergues....and yes, to carry water
for all day and lunch does add lbs., but it is necessary
<p>also, be prepared to use the wild for bathrooms.....there just aren't
the places to stop en route......, but there's advantages to that
too, i guess........more rural....
<p>the biggest problem was the long stretches on highway and in industrial
parks
<br>M</blockquote>
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