You have seen the movie, you have read all the novels, now you want to walk "The Way" yourself - the Camino de Santiago. But you have questions, many questions: What does the daily life of a pilgrim actually look like? How big should your backpack be and do you need xyz? What is the best time to walk the Camino? Is it dangerous to walk alone, especially as a woman? What about the dangerous dogs you have heard so much about? Are there gender-separated showers and toilets in the pilgrim hostels? And when nature calls when you are on the trail, will there be outhouses or not? How can you prevent blisters and other health problems? Will you find enough places to buy food from or restaurants to eat in? And what about if you are vegetarian - will you find adequate food to keep you going? Do you need to speak Spanish to walk the Camino? Do you need to be religious and / or baptized to do The Way? Where does the Camino start and how long does it take to walk "The Whole Way"? And, and, and ... If these are your questions, then this book is for you. Read about what you need to know beforehand, what you need to take, and what you can leave at home - which is the most important bit! Read about how to prepare for the Camino de Santiago in a book written by two experienced pilgrims and hospitaleras that, between them, have walked more than 10,000 km / 6,000 mi on European pilgrimage routes in Spain, France and Italy and have looked after, over the years, ten thousands of pilgrims in over twenty different refugios (pilgrim hostels). Some of the many topics covered in this book are: Introduction into the daily pilgrim life - So that you know what to expect and what not. Movies like "The Way" are not always true to reality;-) Which way and when? - Choosing the right Camino for you, and yes, there is a choice! And choosing the right time to go, plus many insider tips on how to experience a somewhat quieter Camino, even in the midst of the pilgrim season. A detailed explanation of the few things you need to take, where best to buy them and what to look out for when buying them. And a longer list of things you don't need to take and the reasons why. A lot of practical background information covering pretty much every aspect of the pilgrim life. Plus pilgrim stories out of our real life experience to make it a more entertaining read and a large appendix with many useful addresses and texts. Also included is a free download link to a template that will allow you to create your very own, personalized packing list for your very own Way. If you are still unsure if this is the book you are looking for - just use the "Click to look inside" function here on Amazon to get a good impression of it. In all cases, we want to wish you a ¡Buen Camino! - A Good Way! And yes, you will pick up a few essential Spanish pilgrim terms in this book also ...
About the Author: S. Yates has not only walked more than 6,000 kilometres / 3,700 miles on European pilgrim routes in Spain, France, Italy and England, but has also helped pilgrims as a hospitalera voluntaria in more than 20 pilgrim refugios on the Way. She helped in Spain to train others for this task and providing continuous further training for them, especially with focus on First Aid, History of the Camino de Santiago, and Spirituality. Additionally, she has hands-on experience of renovating old houses into new pilgrim refugios and participated in "pilgrim preparation days" in England. She is, together with her husband Rev. Ricky Yates, a member of the Confraternity of Saint James (Great Britain). She walked her first Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago in 1999 and in the following years made foot pilgrimages to Rome and Assisi as well as walking regularly the Camino in Spain and France and taking care of pilgrims as a hospitalera. She now lives in the beautiful city of Prague and looks forward to walk The Way (Camino de Santiago) this year yet another time. Daphne Hnatiuk walked the Camino Francés for the first time in 2003, where she met S. Yates in Spain, and was infected with the incurable "Camino and Hospitalera Bug". Since then, she has spent many months over the past 10 years in Spain as both a pilgrim and a hospitalera voluntaria. She has walked Camino routes north, south, east, and west in Spain as well as in Southern France and Northern Italy and can often be seen with her camera and pen and paper in hand, updating English language guide books / web pages and taking pictures while walking the Way. She cherishes and thanks all the pilgrims with whom she has shared the Way and feels very privileged that they in turn have shared their hearts and their stories with her. When not on the Camino, Daphne lives in Vancouver, Canada where she keeps her Camino connection alive by editing guidebooks and answering the questions of future pilgrims.