Ticking Down to Departure Time

Okay, my loyal readers, I am getting down to the wire: In one month and one day I will depart for Moncton, and there to get on a plane, and fly (via Montreal) to Paris CDG.  I will arrive on the morning of the 14th, from there, I get on the train for Bordeaux and transfer to Biarritz.  I will likely spend the night there, and I will be jet lagged to death.  The next day, the final push to St Jean Pied de Port; about an hour by train.

Once I am there, I use the day to wear off the jet lag, and pick up various incidentals such as my pilgrim credential and a utility knife for such things as slicing bread and cheese on the road.  Also pick up stuff my lunch the next day and a couple of bottles of water that I will refill along the way.  After that I am booked into Gîte Le Chemin vers l'Etoile for the night and on the morning of the 16th,  I set off on The Camino De Santiago.

There are many ways of "walking The Camino":  There are at least 5 different routes to Santiago de Compostella:  The Camino Englis, The Camino Portugues. The Camino Frances, The Camino Primativo and the Camino Nord.  I chose the Camino Frances because it is the most popular route and as such it is the best marked and with the most amenities - such as alburgues (Hostels). cafes, fountains with potable water, and shops to replenish my supply of trail mix.    There are "walking tours" that offer "a taste"of the Camino which are sort where you stay in 5 star hotels, and everything is planned (check out the National Geographic tours.  There are services that will ferry your backpack from alburgue to alburgue (which a gentleman of my acquaintance can't seem to get though his head that  I WON'T be using).  As I am not that infirm (the jury is still out on aged) I plan to carry my own backpack.

The point that I am making is that this is NOT the Pacific Coast or the Appalachian Trail which I wasn't looking for anyway

So with that, I offer two differing views of the Camino:

10 Reasons Why El Camino Santiago Sucks

 And:

Why do Adventure Snobs Hate The Camino de Santiago?