Hi Cathie and Peter. I think it's around 3 weeks ago that Dean and I met you on the Camino although it feels so much longer.. We have since traveled to Lake Bohinj and are now in Croatia. I wanted to let you know how much we have been enjoying following your blog - and sympathizing/empathizing! Everything you describe is totally relatable to our experience. I am amazed at your endurance and stamina... You have not mentioned your feet once. Ours have taken all this time to heal after only 7 days walking from San Miniato to Buonconvento... Please tell us your secret... Great shoes? Great training? Great bandaids? Very curious. All the best, Kate 🙂
Cath's done a good job already from her perspective. My feet are squat little numbers - more of a Kiwi shape. I'm a sucker for online reviews, so before my first Camino I bought Salomon wide fitting shoes (not boots). They weren't waterproof and I found them great because they breathed well. For my second Camino I bought the waterproof GTX (Goretex) version. They were also good, but I didn't like them quite as much.
For the third Camino, over 950km (Camino del Norte) I bought La Sportiva shoes, which I really like.
I bought a second pair the same for the following year, but because the path across England looked far more boggy, I bought La Sportiva leather boots and they were probably the most successful of all - I had no problems whatsoever.
For this year, I did buy another pair of Salomon shoes, but decided they felt too stiff, so used the second pair of La Sportiva shoes - now two years old. They've been great.
Having said all that, I don't think there's a universal shoe type for everyone. Cath wore Merrel boots for all our previous walks and seemed to like them.
Nice to hear from you! Hope Croatia is a comfortable temperature. Concerning feet … I have very long narrow, and flat feet. This is what works for me on long walks:
- Injinji five toe socks which I wear as inners and then I wear the socks that fit over those
- a good quality foot cream like “gehwol” makes skin less likely to blister
How amazing that the place is littered with rubbish. I thought NZ'ers were bad at chucking rubbish on the roadside but sounds way worse in Italy, quite disgusting really.
Interesting how you found the entry to Rome. I visited 50 years ago as a young romantic. Did the Via 4 years ago and was so sad to see Rome again. Like you, the rubbish, bins overflowing, streets lined with cigarette butts, the smell, the homeless, not for me. Glad to leave. 😢
Hi Cathie and Peter. I think it's around 3 weeks ago that Dean and I met you on the Camino although it feels so much longer.. We have since traveled to Lake Bohinj and are now in Croatia. I wanted to let you know how much we have been enjoying following your blog - and sympathizing/empathizing! Everything you describe is totally relatable to our experience. I am amazed at your endurance and stamina... You have not mentioned your feet once. Ours have taken all this time to heal after only 7 days walking from San Miniato to Buonconvento... Please tell us your secret... Great shoes? Great training? Great bandaids? Very curious. All the best, Kate 🙂
Cath's done a good job already from her perspective. My feet are squat little numbers - more of a Kiwi shape. I'm a sucker for online reviews, so before my first Camino I bought Salomon wide fitting shoes (not boots). They weren't waterproof and I found them great because they breathed well. For my second Camino I bought the waterproof GTX (Goretex) version. They were also good, but I didn't like them quite as much.
For the third Camino, over 950km (Camino del Norte) I bought La Sportiva shoes, which I really like.
I bought a second pair the same for the following year, but because the path across England looked far more boggy, I bought La Sportiva leather boots and they were probably the most successful of all - I had no problems whatsoever.
For this year, I did buy another pair of Salomon shoes, but decided they felt too stiff, so used the second pair of La Sportiva shoes - now two years old. They've been great.
Having said all that, I don't think there's a universal shoe type for everyone. Cath wore Merrel boots for all our previous walks and seemed to like them.
Hi Kate,
Nice to hear from you! Hope Croatia is a comfortable temperature. Concerning feet … I have very long narrow, and flat feet. This is what works for me on long walks:
- Injinji five toe socks which I wear as inners and then I wear the socks that fit over those
- a good quality foot cream like “gehwol” makes skin less likely to blister
- blister patches to stick on the inside of shoes (see www.blister-prevention.com)
- currently wearing hoka speed goat 6, with gel inserts
As you can see I am almost a PhD in foot care 😂
And if you do get a blister, prick it with a sterilized needle and thread. Leave the thread in.
Never put Compeed on a blister!!!
Hope this helps 😊
How amazing that the place is littered with rubbish. I thought NZ'ers were bad at chucking rubbish on the roadside but sounds way worse in Italy, quite disgusting really.
Enjoy the last day on the trail on a bus 😊
So proud to say that on all of our NZ walks there has been very little rubbish 😃 along the trails.
Interesting how you found the entry to Rome. I visited 50 years ago as a young romantic. Did the Via 4 years ago and was so sad to see Rome again. Like you, the rubbish, bins overflowing, streets lined with cigarette butts, the smell, the homeless, not for me. Glad to leave. 😢
It reflects a bad attitude, no pride in being Italian. We'll be glad to bus through to Rome tomorrow.