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Chimpy
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Reply #140 on: June 12, 2019, 07:09:12 PM

The Churchill Bunker museum is a must see and relatively new.

Yeah it is pretty cool. It is also right in the middle of a lot of stuff since it is in the basement of Whitehall.

Oh yeah, the British Museum is worth going to see how the Victorian era Brits literally plundered the cultural landmarks of large swathes of the planet. The pamphlet they give you about how they won't give the marble facades off the Parthenon back to Greece because they stole them fair and square is quite fun.

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Khaldun
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Reply #141 on: September 07, 2019, 03:32:48 PM

Anybody here ever walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain? I'm considering doing it next year, the "French Way" from St.Jean-Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. About 30 days of walking, give or take. Seems more reward than the Appalachian Trail etc.--history, food, wine, a bit of spiritual exploration and cleansing.
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Reply #142 on: September 08, 2019, 09:31:59 AM

Anybody here ever walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain? I'm considering doing it next year, the "French Way" from St.Jean-Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. About 30 days of walking, give or take. Seems more reward than the Appalachian Trail etc.--history, food, wine, a bit of spiritual exploration and cleansing.

My sister did about two thirds of it last year with a group of friends.  IIRC they just gave themselves a few weeks to walk as much as they could, and didn't make optimal time due to having cheapass shoes and needing occasional breaks to let blisters heal, but it was by all accounts a very rewarding experience even though they didn't finish the entire trail.

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Teleku
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Reply #143 on: September 08, 2019, 10:18:36 AM

Ever since I did the Kumano Kodo in Japan (the only other UNESCO pilgrimage trail other than Camino de Santiago), I've been looking into it.  Actually met some people who had done it while I was hiking Kumano Kodo.

You should have plenty of opportunity for good food and wine as you say.  I think the main downside (from my own personal point of view) is that apparently the vast majority of the trail is walking alongside road.  This is understandable as the ancient paths people walked on were the main roads, so obviously they are now paved highways.  Same thing on the Kumano Kodo, but I'd say maybe only 20% of the hike was along what is now paved roads, with the rest original trails and stone paths in the mountains.  It skews in the other direction I'm told, which is unfortunate because I enjoy the isolation and natural beauty (though again, scenery is supposed to be great anyways on the Camino).  Other issue to be ready for is that, especially for the route you are choosing, it will be filled with 1,000 of your best tourist friends along for the hike.  If you are happy to be staying in hostels every night with random people from around the world though, obviously this probably wont be a downside for you.  But you'll probably want to try hitting the transitional seasons between off and tourist seasons to avoid everything being sold out and expensive.  The trail isn't hard at all by all by most accounts, and is just across flat or hilly land, which is a plus.  Kumano Kodo was founded by insane mountain worshiping Japanese monks in a very rugged area of Japan, so of course the trail just goes straight up and over mountains instead of going around them like a sane person would do.

I can say from my only week long experience of doing the Kumano Kodo that this sort of hike is super fun and really rewarding, and despite some of the drawbacks I see for my own personal enjoyment, I'm still considering the Camino some day (though I don't think I'll ever have 30 fucking days of time to blow for it while I still work for a living).  Though, one great thing about the Japan trail was that they have a system in place where I just hand a delivery company my main backpack of stuff and tell them the places I'm going to stay.  I took a small tiny day backpack that I just threw my toiletries, some underwear, and an extra shirt or two, plus some bottles of water for the hike.  At the traditional in's I stayed at, you're provided a yukata and basically lay around on tatami eating and drinking like a samurai all night, so you don't need sleep cloths or anything.  So I hiked with almost zero weight being carried around.  When I got to the Onsen at my mid way point, my bag was waiting for me in my room.  I swapped my dirty stuff out for my clean, and when I checked out, my bag went on to my end destination point.  When I checked in, it was there waiting for me, and then I packed it all up and got on the train the next day out.  Not sure if the Camino has similar services (And its a lot more tricky over the course of a month than just one full week), but let me tell you that its a lot more enjoyable to hike 30 KM in a day barely carrying anything than it is carrying a months worth of clothing.   awesome, for real


"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Samwise
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Reply #144 on: September 08, 2019, 10:53:55 AM

IIRC the smart way to handle laundry on the Camino is to bring only a couple spare set of clothes and rotate/wash each night (generally in a sink at a hostel, hang-drying overnight).  My sister did the walk in the summer so they had no desire to carry a month's worth of clothes...

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Khaldun
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Reply #145 on: September 08, 2019, 07:54:08 PM

If I can swing this, I'd probably start around May 15, which I gather is before the big crush of people. I also might choose to do the alternative northern route that goes along the coastline, which isn't as crowded, apparently.

Another alternative thing I'm mulling over that is less dramatic is doing the Kerry Way in Ireland. Just something that's 15-20 miles a day that isn't just about mountainous isolation, I think.
lamaros
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Reply #146 on: September 09, 2019, 05:29:46 PM

Everyone who knows I'm going to Spain in a few weeks keeps recommending it.

Friends partner is currently walking it, she's paying someone 4 euro a day to deliver her bag to her next stop and just walking along taking instagram photos.

There are so many different routes possible, I'm sure you could do some part that's enjoyable and not too long if you didn't think the French Way would work?
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Reply #147 on: September 10, 2019, 08:37:14 AM

I've never had a lot of luck with drying my clothes in Europe. YMMV.

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Reply #148 on: September 10, 2019, 11:08:05 PM

I've never had a lot of luck with drying my clothes in Europe. YMMV.

I live in Europe and also own a clothes dryer, and yet I agree with this statement.

"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Reply #149 on: September 10, 2019, 11:26:31 PM

Yeah, the dryers in my apartment in both Poland and Russia took like 3 hours per load.

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Samwise
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Reply #150 on: September 11, 2019, 11:40:18 AM

Are most European dryers condenser models (as opposed to vented)?

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Teleku
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Reply #151 on: September 11, 2019, 06:07:27 PM

Yes.  When I first got to Warsaw legit took me hours to figure out I had to drain my dryer to get it to start working again.   awesome, for real

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Cyrrex
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Reply #152 on: September 12, 2019, 12:50:53 AM

Yep, condensers.  They are fine when they work, but not great.  Sometimes 3 hours to dry stuff, and then it isn't super dry.  Mine is currently pissing me off, something must be stuck in the internal plumbing somewhere....I guess it collects the water that is cast off and pumps it into the container (that you have to empty).  Well, something is wrong with mine so that it is not really pumping the water into the container.  No idea where it's going!  I doubt this will end well! 

"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
Mandella
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Reply #153 on: September 12, 2019, 10:09:29 AM

Curious question from a naive American, do you Europeans favor the condenser models due to energy use, or some other reason?

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Teleku
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Reply #154 on: September 12, 2019, 10:32:37 AM

I always assumed it was just that none of the apartments are built with the infrastructure for it.  Fewer people live in modern houses than America, and even when they build something new the momentum is already there for everybody using the condenser models, so they don't.  Advantage of those is that you can just take the dryer and plug it into the wall in any room, instead of having to setup a special 'laundry room' like we do.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Reply #155 on: September 12, 2019, 10:42:24 AM

On another note!

This thread reminded me that I would love to do another hike like the Kumano Kodo.  While the Camino is tempting, god knows when I'll have enough time to do it.  So I was wondering if anybody has suggestions for a 1-2 week hike like that in Europe (or elsewhere)?  Main goal is that I'd like to just hike all day (can be 30K or more) and stop to sleep in whatever little town, at an Inn/Pub, instead of camping.  Seems like there should be a lot of cool places in Europe for that.

Khaldun already mentioned the Kerry Way, which is an awesome suggestion.  Though I've already done a day trip around the ring of Kerry before via car, so it would be nice to see something different.  Are there any great paths in Scotland like that?  Seem like it would be pretty.  I haven't dived deep into this yet, but curious if anybody has any suggestions or feedback.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Cyrrex
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Reply #156 on: September 12, 2019, 10:42:55 AM

Yeah, the only reason that can be called an “advantage” is for the very reason you state:  shit just wasn’t built for stuff like this.  Last place I live before this, we installed a normal dryer...and the way to do that is by drilling a fucking hole through your external wall.  And that dryer still sucked.  Condensers are something you buy because you have no choice.  No way are they more efficient in the real world, it takes fucking hours to dry a small load.

It can universally said that the following things absolutely fucking suck in Europe:
-Household appliances of every sort
-Plumbing and sewage
-Electrical installations
-Flooring
-the average car


"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
Khaldun
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Reply #157 on: September 12, 2019, 11:33:35 AM

There is a really short way to do a version of the Camino, by the way--you walk for four days through southeast England and get on a ferry that goes almost to Santiago itself. It's an actual pilgrimmage route so that's not cheating per se. The Portuguese route is also short(er) than the French Way if you start from Porto--about 14 days.

There's a walk along Hadrian's Wall in northern England/southern Scotland that takes about six days. West Highland Way in Scotland takes about six or seven days and that's supposed to be great. Was thinking about that one too.

Tour du Mont Blanc in the Alps is more demanding--I've had some friends do it. Popular too.

You can also always do a section of the Appalachian Trail--say, just through the Smokies or the Blue Ridge. That mixes being in the wilderness with occasional town stays for restock plus cabins. Have to carry a heavier pack though. Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierras is almost pure backcountry and really challenging in most segments.

I think there's a couple of coastal trails in British Columbia/Vancouver Island.

If you had enough money to get a guide and a system for being supplied, there are groups that hike the Skeleton Coast in Namibia along the edge of the Namib Desert. That's always seemed like an amazing trip but it's expensive.



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Reply #158 on: September 12, 2019, 11:41:20 AM

I spent a day in Carlisle once to break up a long train ride and walked about an hour's worth of that Hadrian's Wall trail before circling back to town.  Could definitely see myself going back and doing the whole thing someday.

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Teleku
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Reply #159 on: September 12, 2019, 11:53:53 AM

Rad, thanks Khal.  And yeah, Hadrians wall has been in my sights.

Though just to be clear, I’m interested in..... I don’t know what he term for it is.  Town hiking?  Multi day non-camping hiking?  I grew up in California and hiked a lot growing up.  For my entire life, hiking was going deep into the mountains and camping away from any civilization (I have hiked portions of the pacific crest trail, yeah). 

This is awesome and I loved it, but as I age and also enjoy civiliazation/sight seeing, I started to wonder about combining the two.  Just hiking without some big backpack all day until I got to some village and then sleeping in a comfy bed with an awesome local meal.  I finally did this just 2 years ago in Japan when I hiked the Kumamo Kodo, and loved it.  So I’m interested in more things like that.  Trail can be as rugged as possible (Kumano Kodo was just up and down the sides of mountains the whole way), but want to be able to end in some town for the night.  As an American, this mostly cuts out the US, heh.

I don’t actually care much about completing an official pilgrimage.  I just walk everywhere in my normal life, so the thought of walking 30 km’s a day in one direction, getting drunk in the evening, then doing it again for a week straight is oddly appealing to me.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Mosesandstick
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Reply #160 on: September 12, 2019, 02:03:50 PM

I've done the West Highland Way (photos) and thought it was an amazing experience. I've also done most of the North Downs Way (photos and more), which runs close to and crosses over parts of the historic Pilgrim's Way. Both of these trails are "National Trails" and happen to have towns along the way so you can have the day-packing experience and have your gear ferried. Happy to answer any questions on both trails if you have any!
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Reply #161 on: September 12, 2019, 04:30:39 PM

Yeah, I did backcountry hiking when I was young, and I had been contemplating doing the Appalachian (not the whole thing, I don't have the time and maybe not the desire/will/feet) but I suddenly realized: I don't want to be up in the fucking mountains 3/4 of the time for that long a time. Or if I did, I'd want it to be really fucking serious mountains like the Sierras or the Rockies--and I know from a three-day backcountry thing not that long ago that that really might wipe me out, that's for super-fit older men. I want to walk and see a place at ground level and I have the time, but I want to be among people, in cities and towns and villages, etc. Hence the Camino. But the Kerry Way and some other loops in Ireland have you in pubs every night almost, and so do most of the other UK trips.

There's also a pilgrimmage route through France to Rome that apparently doesn't have the great accommodations that the Camino routes have (great meaning "hostels where you aren't going to get murdered or leave with bedbugs") but that some people recommend, the Via Francigena. If I were going to do a segment of it, I'd say that Reims to Bensancon might be wonderful--that cuts through Burgundy, lots of small towns, great food, etc. After that you're up into the Alps, you'll have to deal with the insane price of things in Switzerland, etc.
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Reply #162 on: September 12, 2019, 04:35:12 PM

There's also a pilgrimmage route through France to Rome that apparently doesn't have the great accommodations that the Camino routes have (great meaning "hostels where you aren't going to get murdered or leave with bedbugs") but that some people recommend, the Via Francigena. If I were going to do a segment of it, I'd say that Reims to Bensancon might be wonderful--that cuts through Burgundy, lots of small towns, great food, etc. After that you're up into the Alps, you'll have to deal with the insane price of things in Switzerland, etc.

I wonder how similar it is to the route Hilaire Belloc took in The Path to Rome.  Which is easily my favorite work of nonfiction about somebody walking a lot.

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Reply #163 on: September 12, 2019, 06:22:39 PM

Yeah, I'm not sure if he walked the same route exactly? But kind of similarly I think judging from what I can see about the book, which I haven't read.

It's the complicated thing about these modern-day versions of pilgrimmage routes. Basically there were a few major destinations (Santiago de Compostela because allegedly St. James' relics were there, Rocamadour, Rome, and if you were a really big boy, Jerusalem), etc. So the routes that we talk about today were the result of people basically walking out their door at a point in their lives where they felt they had some money/resources and some need to go on pilgrimmage. Not the same level of singular commandment as in Islam, so the economies and routings were a bit more disparate. But as such, there is no single 'route' in any of these things--just some common points where pilgrims tended to come together and follow some sensible common routings.

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Reply #164 on: September 13, 2019, 09:14:13 AM

I've done the West Highland Way (photos) and thought it was an amazing experience. I've also done most of the North Downs Way (photos and more), which runs close to and crosses over parts of the historic Pilgrim's Way. Both of these trails are "National Trails" and happen to have towns along the way so you can have the day-packing experience and have your gear ferried. Happy to answer any questions on both trails if you have any!
Wow, that does look great!  Also ideal, as its a length I can do within a week or so.  I had seen some mention of it when I was first looking around at this stuff, but never really looked that closely.  I do believe that may be my next hiking vacation.

I guess main questions are:  1.)  How much of it is path and how much of it is hiking along road?  2.)  How crowded was it when you went (is it super touristy?)  3.)  I'm sure I can look this up, but in case you know, what are the ideal seasons to hike it?

Whole thing looks exactly like what I was hoping to find.

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Reply #165 on: September 13, 2019, 11:21:02 AM

There's also the Pennine Way which takes you through some of the best scenery in England and a brief bit of Scotland too after it crosses Hadrian's Wall. It's all footpath, mostly fell walking terrain, no roads. It's reasonably popular in the summer, and stretches of it in places like the Peak District and Lake District National Parks will be more touristy with day trippers rambling along the more easily accessible bits.

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Mosesandstick
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Reply #166 on: September 13, 2019, 01:44:33 PM

Wow, that does look great!  Also ideal, as its a length I can do within a week or so.  I had seen some mention of it when I was first looking around at this stuff, but never really looked that closely.  I do believe that may be my next hiking vacation.

I guess main questions are:  1.)  How much of it is path and how much of it is hiking along road?  2.)  How crowded was it when you went (is it super touristy?)  3.)  I'm sure I can look this up, but in case you know, what are the ideal seasons to hike it?

Whole thing looks exactly like what I was hoping to find.

1. Most of it is on paths. There is one extended bit that is on an old cobbled road, but there is no road traffic. You'll occasionally have to criss-cross roads and maybe the odd rural road.
2. Nope. Apart from both ends, it's reasonably quiet. There are more crowded bits, but also places where you'll feel pretty isolated. At one point you walk through the area that inspired Skyfall.
3. Usual preference is as hot as possible, but avoiding the midge season. Which I think means either early Summer or once it starts hitting Autumn.

The usual route also finishest at Fort William. From there you can go on a day hike (or less if you're quick) up the UK's talllest mountain, Ben Nevis.

The West Highland Line, a train route, which goes a similar path to the West Highland Way, is often considered one of the world's most beautiful rail journeys. It's a perfect way to return from Fort William to Glasgow.

Penine Way is definitely on my to-do list. There's never enough time for hiking :)
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Reply #167 on: September 16, 2019, 07:56:24 AM

Thanks for all the info!  In the back of my head I knew there had to be some great path to hike in Scotland like that, but hadn't actually looked into it because I knew my next trip would be a long way off.  Pretty sure that will be it, as it checks off every box I'm looking for.  God knows when it will ever happen, but certain I'll do it!

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Mosesandstick
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Reply #168 on: September 16, 2019, 09:34:36 AM

Sounds like a plan! If you have any other questions, now or later, I'd be happy to help.
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