Postscrip

Postscript

Home again-- wow, is my bed comfortable!  I am so glad to have been able to do this pilgrimage.  I was so happy the Visa card from the Credit Union worked.  The debit card did not work, but the credit card did.  I unblocked it for Spain, before I left, so they knew I would be there for about a month.  You can get 300Es cash every few days-, and it worked well for us.  The Albergues usually charge about 5-10 Es per night per bed.  They sometimes will do laundry or add breakfast-- usually the breakfast was between 1.5E to 3.0 for coffee with toast and jam.  Usually we would get eggs later in the morning, with bacon or ham for Andy.  That would be another 6-8E. A real meal at midday was usually about 10E.   They were usually two courses,  then dessert, and always with french fries and bread.  At night we would usually get a bocadillo (sandwich) for about 6-8E.  The hotels were usually 50E for a room, sometimes less, and once in awhile a little more.  That fantastic room in Muxia was 50E.  Sometimes private families would put people up for 10-20E.  The car rental for 5 days was 320E.  You can take a bus to the airport from downtown Santiago to get to where they rent the cars.  It is important to know that they won't let you take it across the border, so we had to turn it in in San Sebastian.  We took the slow train to the border, that last day in Spain, Sunday, and from the border a French train to Biarritz.  This was not hard, and there were frequent trains.  Originally they told me there is only one bus on Sunday from San Sebastian, so I was worried about it;  but the train was fine, and ran about every hour.
I was happy to go to the beach after the pilgrimage, to decompress, and help my feet heal.  The car made it possible to see the whole western tip in a day-- so two to three days was generous, but it was nice there.
My poles for walking had wonderful tips-- little feet, which were great on the stony irregular ground.  Andy had to replace his rounded rubber tips twice-- we found them at a sports' store for 2E.  They wore right through.  I loved having the poles, and I think I was saved from several accidents by the increased stability on downhill slopes.  There were 4 tourists who fell on their faces and 1 had to go to the hospital for a head injury.  We were told 3 people died on the day we came down the Pyrennees.  Don't underestimate the descent, and be prepared for rain and mud, and try to spend the night at Orbisson, if you are my age or slow.  I met 3 men in their 60s who were 4x faster and better at hiking than I am, so it was not just age-- but I am slow, and the uphills were hard for me.
Send in the mail from St. Jean whatever you absolutely can do without until later.  If you have stuff you won't need til Pamplona, mail it to the main post office in Pamplona.  If you have stuff you really need for the end of the trip, mail it to Santiago.  They will hold mail for people.  We ended up with heavier packs because I didn't want to waste a day waiting to go to the post office, and it made the climb over the Pyrennees worse.  I had the clothes I had worn on the plane, and a jacket I really didn't need.  We mailed the extra clothes from Pamplona to the hotel in Santiago.  In general, you probably only need a pair of pants and two shirts.  I had a  very light vest, which was great-- two big pockets,  and it served for a cover-up for going to the bathroom in the Albergues.  The silk undershirt washed well and dried quickly, and I wore it every day.  I had 3 spandex-nylon undershirts, and alternated, and wore all 3 on cold days.  The yoga pants were also quick to dry, and easy to take on and off, and because they were 3/4 length, they did not easily get dirty around the ankles.  The socks were good-- 3 pairs of hiking socks, alternated.  Also 3 pairs of silk sock liners.  The liners are easy to wash and dry, and every few days I would wash the wool ones, and hang them from the backpack with safety pins to dry.  3  quick-dry panties.   Cotton nightgown was important for me-- I felt more modest in the Albergues with something on, and I used the vest as a cover.  Some people walked around in underwear.  The poncho for rain was important, and the big hat and the little hat.  The little hat was good for windy days.  
The cell phone was hard for me.  I never got the airplane mode thing to work.  We waited for trying to find free wi-fi places. Andy was so much better at figuring out how to do it all.   I posted onto the blog from the "notes' when I could.  I could have avoided taking a journal if I had known how to use the notes before I left.  The suntactics solar power charger was great, and it would be smart to take a universal charger, but every night, everyone was looking for a place to get electricity, and the hostel owners didn't like having to give everyone access. 
Later I will write out what I think is a good pacing plan, modifying what Brierly puts in his book.  In general, I think going on a bus around the big towns is a great idea.  I also think it is important to give time to see some things-- which is hard if you get in late, are exhausted, and need to go early in the morning.  We blew it in Astorga, as we were "on a roll" and didn't stay long enough to see the place.  This is easier for the people who walk fast!  Also, there are bicycle people-- many were from the Netherlands, or northern Germany, and were doing a 2500k round-trip, exercise-based trip.