I was 27 when I did the trip. I am no marathon runner!!! I guess I would consider myself in good shape but not toned. I don't get much exercise other than walking and climbing stairs (I loathe the gym), so if you ride your bike to work you'll be fine. Remember, there are all kinds on the trail. Some took their cycling very seriously and others, like myself, did it more for the adventure and to see the sights. We started in Puente la Reina and took 3 weeks in all. Some serious cyclers would laugh at our pace but I wanted to spend some time exploring the cities instead of racing through them. There was one day that I demanded we stay in a nice hotel so I could treat myself to a hot bubble bath.
As for the camera, you're not going to like my story. It was a nightmare. I took along my SLR and two lenses. On the bike they were fine- no problems with the road. The problems I encountered off the trail were sad. We were in Sahagun and realized we needed to buy blankets because of the chilly nights. At the store, we had the man cut the blanket in half so my husband and I could each have a twin size. As he was cutting them, he bumped my camera, which was on the counter, onto the floor. I almost cried. Needless to say, it was dust. I sent it home so I wouldn't have to carry it around anymore. In Astorga I decided to buy a cheap automatic camera because I thought it would be better than the disposable one I was using. Immediately after purchasing the camera,we went to the Palacio Episcopal by Gaudi. As I was purchasing the tickets, I set my brand new camera on the counter. Boom! The man handed me my tickets, hit the camera, and it plummeted to its death. Not even one picture on it. I went back and bought another one. A few days later, after staying at a hotel the night before, I went to get the camera out to take a picture. Nowhere to be found. I had left it in the hotel 30 miles back. There was no way I was riding 60 miles to get it and just moved on, purchasing disposable cameras for the rest of the trip. It was so sad! My pictures of Santiago are nasty. Luckily, since then I've been back to Santiago a couple of times to retake the photos I missed out on. The nice lady at the hotel sent my camera to me in Madrid. The last picture was of me in the tub! Point of the story- don't take your camera if it holds sentimental value. I'm sure no one would be as careless as I was but you never know.

Yeah. In fact, that sounds exactly like something I would do. i am terribly clumsy (bad depth perception or something, runs in the family), as well as being awfully absentminded. Just last Saturday I broke down and bought myself some clothes (while I wait for my shipment to get here from KC) and a nice bike pump. Then, I proceded to put the bag on top of the car - and drive off. Bye bye new purchases. never regisered til I got home...

DO you have any suggestions for a decent camera for a trip that wouldn't be outrageously expensive. I hate the disposables. I used to have a little Olympus, and actually got a couple of good photos out of it, but nothing really stunning - the nicest thing about it was the size. It was so small and light I could put it in my waist pouch.

That is some serious sad sack about the cameras! What a racha de mala suerte you had with that! Do you remember there being any albergues with internet access? I've thought about bringing my digital camera and just uploading the photos to e-mail or something...

Also, I don't believe you when you say your pictures of Santiago were nasty...that's impossible in a city that beautiful!!!

Nicole- We have one of those small Olympus cameras (Stylus?), and agree...very good and very small. I have a larger Olympus, but since I got the HP digital camera, I rarely use it. Saves on film space and cost too...

None of the refugios (sorry, I misled you by saying albergues) had internet access - at least the ones we stayed in. We were lucky to have hot water! Things may have changed in the last three years but I seriously doubt it. Many of them run on donations and whatever money they may receive from the Camino association. You may be able to find an internet cafe in some of the larger cities. I don't recall seeing any but I wasn't really paying attention.

Nicole- I think I've owned every small camera ever! I don't think any particular one was better than another. I had an Olympas stylus, Pentax, Minolta, etc. I bought my last small one two years ago. It's the Minolta Freedom Zoom 140EX. It had the longest lense I could find, that's why I bought it. It also has a glass lense unlike most others. But, the most important feature is the 5 year extended warranty!!! Won't make that mistake again! I've found that the camera (especially the small automatic ones) is not as important as the film and processing. Take the same negative to 5-10 different photo labs and have them all make the same reprint. You'll be amazed at the difference in color. If you have a mid-range automatic I'm sure it's fine.

Hee hee... I love the fact that they're called "refugios". That sounds like a lean-to with a thatch roof that barely keeps the cold out!

If you're wondering if your choice of season to make the trip was correct, go to www.crtvg.es and click on the O Cebreiro web-cam...I did last night and decided that I would NEVER go in November (at least not on bicycle!). It did look peaceful and beautiful, though.

Wow! That's crazy. Well, that pretty much sums up the whole village. The building to the left is a hostal/restaurant with a lovely couple running it. I stayed there once in April and got up to a blizzard. It was freezing but very peaceful and picturesque. The albergue was brand new when we stayed there. It was 1st class.
Thanks for the link.

If anyone else is interested, I've found a number of great sites about the camino, and got a great book for Christmas on the camino. It's the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago, by Davidson and Gitlitz. It's a great read and even if you're not planning a pilgrimage, it's chock full of history, presented in a palatable format. I can't stop reading it! On the other hand, I got a copy of another guide by William Melczer, which his horribly boring! The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela belongs on the "compostela heap". I recommend the former for usable information.

Anybody up for a pilgrimage in spring 2002?

Thanks for the recommendation, CaliBasco. I'm going to add The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago to my list of books to track down. I'm currently reading Davidson and Gitlitz's first book together, A Drizzle of Honey, which is quite good, although some of the information is getting repetetive. (Being a half-cookbook, half-history book, I guess that is an understandable danger.) I like their style, though. Good to hear they have another good book on Spain.

WARNING: I may have jumped the gun on the poor review given to Melczer's book. I was reading through it and found a redeeming quality this weekend: It has a good translation of the Codex Calixtinus, which is an early account of the road. I've enjoyed that part of the book, but the other recommendation is overall the better book. Just in case anyone's interested...

I recommend the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago (by Gitlitz and Davidson) and for those who will be traveling anywhere near the road. It has EXCELLENT information on the sites, sights, and history of the towns along the road. Since it was written from a walking pilgrim's perspective, it's very detailed. If you're going to be in Leon or Ponferrada, Burgos or Santiago, get this book. It may just help you plan a side trip to some of the smaller pueblos along the "Camino". Happy trails!

If you prefer to take a step back and see what someone would've written on the MadridMan board circa 1325 A.D., I suggest you read the translation of the Codex Calixtinus in Melczer's book. It is absolutely amazing to me what the authoer of the CC wrote about Spaniards, Gallegos and Basques. Those who received the harshest treatment? The Navarrese.