Miscellaneous Practicalities and Preparations for the Camino Portugues
by Randy Renter,randy@3renters.com, April 2006

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Physical preparation. I thought I was in good physical condition and didn't need any particular preparation. I work out or walk for 1-2 hours several days each week. I've done hikes of 18+ miles with no problems. I also thought that my body would "get used to" daily long walks. Some of this was true, however on the long days of over 20 km my feet really hurt. I didn't have any blisters -- rather it was I think skeletal flexing of my feet through so many steps on those days. And I never got "used to" it.

Before one's pilgrimage, I think it would be good to test out the feet, pack, and everything else with one or two 35 km (22 miles) hikes with a fully loaded backpack.

Shoes or boots. I decided to wear running shoes instead of hiking boots. I had long ago stopped wearing hiking boots for back-packing in the Colorado mountains. I had found that my rarely used hiking boots sometimes didn't fit well and I only discovered it after I was "on the trail". However I always have current experience and confidence in the fit and comfort of my running shoes. I think there might be benefit in a steel plate in the sole of some hiking boots.

Other Gear:

Sleeping bag. I took a fairly thin bag and it was plenty even for the cool nights in early April -- really too much. The albergues furnish a blanket, but I think the expectation is that it's for extra warmth rather than primary bedding. I would look for some kind of very, very lightweight bag, maybe the thickness of a sheet. That would be much less weight and hassle to carry and with the albergue-furnished blanket would be great. (In summer time, a regular sleeping bag is way too much!)

Pillow. Most albergues furnished a sort of pillow that appeared to be clean, but I just couldn't rest with my face on it. I took a thin, small pillow case the size of an airline pillow and filled it with clean T-shirts and underwear.

Towel. Towels are not furnished at any albergues. I used a small (about 12" by 22") camp towel from REI. It was made of synthetic material, was very absorbent and dried fast. Perfect.

Jackets. I took an unlined nylon windbreaker with a hood. It was water resistant and provided warmth in the mornings and evenings. I also took fairly thick, but light in weight "fluffy jacket" from REI. This is made of Polartec that (I think) would dry quickly, and was quite warm, especially with the nylon windbreaker over it.

Rain gear. I took a water-proof coat and pants that I have used for Colorado backpacking, sometimes hiking for days in the rain. Even though it rained many days on the Camino, I never wore them and discarded them along the way to save weight.

Pants. I took two pairs of nylon pants purchased from REI. These are the kind that the bottom half of the legs zip off, though I didn't use that feature in April. These were perfect as they were somewhat rain resistant, dried fast, and light to carry. I also took a pair of thin flannel sweat pants (sort of like pajamas) that didn't weigh much and I liked to wear around the albergue after I showered. I also took a pair of jeans that I could have left home and lightened my load a bit.

Shirts. I took several T-shirts, short- and long-sleeved, and several regular long-sleeved collared shirts. These provided options for layering.

Socks. I liked heavy cotton socks best, because of their cushioning, thought they are totally impractical to launder in the albergues. I also had some thin socks that didn't feel nearly as comfortable. I would look for other options that are thick and soft, but dry fast.

Tissue. I took a few packets of tissue -- the kind that ladies carry in their purse. These came in handy several times as emergency toilet paper.

Flashlight. I took a small flashlight (holding 2 AA-batteries) and several sets of batteries. This was useful for reading in bed before falling asleep, and to avoid stumbling around in the strange albergue in the middle of the night. I also used it to read maps and the guide book on the way back to the albergue after dinner.

Water bottle. There is no need to take a water bottle. Every snack bar or grocery store sells bottled water. I carried a half-liter bottle and refilled it at the many free-flowing water fountains along the way. Brierley even notes where to find many of them.

Backpack. This might be the second most important possession, after shoes. Take the same kind of pack you would take on a moutain backpacking trip, though you shouldn't be carrying nearly as much weight in it. Like your shoes, make sure it fits your body and that you tried it out, fully loaded, on a long hike before your pilgrimage.

Fanny pack. I took a very small camera-sized fanny pack (or more accurately a belly pack). In it I carried my passport, pilgrim passport, money, credit cards, a small camera, a tiny diary, pencil, pen, a package of tissue, telephone card, important telephone numbers. I carried this small pack everywhere. I resisted the urge to take it off when I sat in a restaurant, etc., knowing that I'd probably lose it one of those times.

Books. I used these books:

A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Portugues, by John Brierley. This book is awesome and a necessity. Brierley clearly loves his subject and his readers. I felt as if he was my mother and my father. He gently nagged at me to rest for the long days, drink my water, leave my watch and iPod at home. He gave me all kinds of historical and technical details of each place. I can't say enough about this superb and essential book -- it is all you need for the Camino Portugues.

A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Fisterra, by John Brierley. This book is important if you might go on to Finisterre.

Portugal, Lonely Planet. This is a great guide book that I used for Porto and the Douro valley, however it was not necessary for the Camino Portugues.

1 novel

I also bought Portugal, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, before my trip and found it to be poor, and left it at home.

Albergues. Albergues are dormitories used by pilgrims to eat and sleep. I think they are created and owned by civic organizations in the towns along the Camino. Their existence demonstrates the commitment and support of the local population to the concept of pilgrimage. They don't charge anything but (very gently) encourage donations. It was amazing to me how nicely designed, built, and maintained these places were.

In Spain, they occur about every 15-30 km. I know of only two in Portugal, in Rates and Valenca. I think this is because in Portugal the route of the Camino has not historically been officially agreed upon -- there are many Camino routes.

They had one or more large sleeping rooms with 20-50 bunk beds, separate men's and women's restrooms and showers, a kitchen of varying capability, and maybe some common space for registering pilgrims, a "living room", etc.

The restrooms and showers are usually pretty small. If the albergue is full, it's likely that there will be a crowd in these places. The restrooms are usually clean and well maintained, but often run out of toilet paper. They never furnish soap, shampoo, or towels.

The mattresses are institutional type with a plastic cover but pretty new and comfortable. They furnish a similar plastic covered pillow and wool blankets, however I think they expect you to bring a sleeping bag.

Laundry drying time. I knew nothing about washing clothes in a sink, but it's useful for reducing the amount of clothing you have to carry. The only problem is that it takes a long time for this stuff to dry. Generally you enter an albergue around 5 p.m. and leave around 8-9 a.m., so any laundry has 12 hours or less to dry. I can tell you that cotton T-shirts, underwear, and socks do not dry that fast, at least not at night in April. I think synthetic and thinner cloth would dry much faster. Experiment before you travel!

Alternatives are to use coin-operated laundry equipment. I saw these in only one albergue and in one Santiago hotel (although I wasn't looking very hard). They don't seem to exist as "laundromats" as in the U.S. Hotels will do laundry, but only during the daytime, which means you would have to hang around for an extra day.

Language. I thought my tiny knowledge of Spanish would be useful in Portugal, but it was not. The languages aren't nearly as similar as I expected. Italian would be just as useful and Portuguese were more likely to know French than Spanish.

Spanish in Galicia, northwestern Spain, near Santiago, is pretty different from central and southern Spain. They use different words and pronunciations.

In the larger and more tourist-oriented towns, it's not hard to find somebody to speak English. And then there's always sign language -- the universal language! Throughout Portugal and Galicia, I found people to be very friendly, willing and eager to talk to an American. So many times, I had long conversations with locals who shared no language with me -- we talked about weather, family, the Camino, and of course George Bush!

Iberian time. Iberians operate on their own unique and inflexible time schedule:

Late mornings. Portuguese and Spanish don't get going until about 9 a.m. Even coffee places don't usually open before that time. Many hotels don't serve their breakfast before that time. If you get up and out before 9, you will have to go without coffee.

Late lunch. Iberians eat lunch between 1 and 3 p.m.

Siesta. Many (maybe most) businesses close between 3 and 5 p.m. Thankfully many snack bars and cafes stay open, but they probably won't serve any food.

Late dinners. Restaurants don't open until 8 p.m. This is usually after the albergue is closed, so it means that you must find another way to find dinner, or (where possible) have a "partner" stay in the albergue to open the door when you return. Snack bars will serve simple food (tapas or racions) before 8, but they usually don't have a menu, and you have to be able to tell them what you want, and they often don't speak English.

Money. ATMs are everywhere in Portugal and Spain, including even the tiniest village.

Telephone. I called home several times and used locally purchased phone cards to call the U.S. You can buy these at book stores, post offices, and internet cafes. (You can also buy something similar on the internet from nobel.com, though they are much more expensive.) To use one, you first dial a local access number, then your PIN, then the phone number you want to call, including the country code, etc. The best phone card I found was in Porto, and it had local access numbers for Portugal and Spain, no access charge, and the most calling minutes. I think I got over an hour for €5.

Learning to use the phone and phone card took a little practice. The Lonely Planet has general info.

Food. Iberians are carnivores for sure! A vegetarian will starve. Plan on eating lots of pork, potatoes, rice, sea food, and fish. After a week, I was craving some kind of vegetables. I did find some steamed spinach at one restaurant. I also started ordering a salad -- the best I found was simply shredded lettuce with maybe a couple slices of carrot. I did see some cauliflower in several produce stands and considered cooking it myself in an albergue kitchen or even taking it to a restaurant for cooking. I also started buying fruit at fruit stands, which was very good -- apples, pears, bananas, mangos, and grapes. Bakeries in larger towns can be fabulous if you have a sweet tooth like me.

You can theoretically cook in most of the albergues, however their capabilities vary widely. I sometimes bought some sliced ham and cheese from a butcher shop, a bread roll from a bakery, and an apple from a fruit stand, and made a meal of that. Small supermarkets exist only is the larger cities. If you're really gung ho to cook in an albergue, something like spaghetti might be possible.