Answering your Camino Questions with Efrén: Q&A (Walk with Efrén)

Efrén Gonzalez has walked the Camino de Santiago multiple times - and in many different ways - since his first Camino in 2017. We were lucky enough to meet up with him when he passed through Ourense on the Via La Plata, and he answered a bunch of our questions about his favorite Camino gear, memories from the walk, his favorite places along the Camino, and what's next for his fantastic channel, Walk with Efrén.
If you want to see three pilgrims geek out on the Camino, this video is for you.
Make sure you check out Efrén's channel: ‪@Walk_with_Efren‬
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🎵Music
TrackTribe: “Watch It” / audiolibrary
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:59 What's your favorite Camino Place?
02:56 What's your favorite way to do the Camino?
03:34 What's your favorite Camino?
04:41 What was it like when you started your KZbin channel?
05:55 What's your advice for new pilgrims?
08:47 Why are you walking the retorno?
10:42 What's your favorite Camino gear?
16:25 What's next for Walking With Efrén?

[@cyranoEibar]

I have seen several videos of Efren and his drone images are shocking, perhaps better than some TV in Spain, he is brave. Thank you for bringing him to your channel and interviewing him.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Glad you liked it! His videography is top notch.

[@lizannejoubert5170]

What a fun video?!! Thanks for sharing.🎉

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@mrtony1985]

Love Efren's videos. Best camino vids on youtube by far imo

[@CruisinwiththeColemans]

Great conversation between 3 amazing fellow pilgrims!! ❤

[@benata51]

The Legend Efrén González.!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Right!? In the flesh!

[@TheGingerVicar-iu4mb]

loved every second of this - 3 people who truly demonstrate the Camino spirit! thanks for the video -

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@keithakers7223]

Hhhheeeeellllloooooo Pilgrims!😃 Two of my favorite Camino channels coming together! Thank you so much for this!!

[@DaysWeSpend]

So glad you loved it! We had so much fun getting together.

[@marisa2551]

Como la vuelta del Camino de Rocio, me imagino que la vuelta de Santiago tendrá unas memorias muy especiales. Si no conocés la Romería de la Virgen de Rocío, es algo único y espero que lo disfrutes en el futuro. ¡Olé Efren para compartir tu arte con el mundo. ¡Viva Los Cubanos Lindos!

[@DaysWeSpend]

❤

[@catherinemccarthy2022]

Love this ❤! Both channels are brilliant, informative and funny! I love watching especially when preparing for a Camino. Just back from Santiago with a group of 9 friends. There is no way for me to quantify what the impact you have made on my planning and how this fed forward to the amazing experience we had together. I can't express how grateful I am to the three of you. ❤❤❤❤

[@DaysWeSpend]

Wow, thank you so much! We're so glad we could help you out. That's a lot of why we make these videos.

[@catherinemccarthy2022]

@@DaysWeSpend I ordered my beer like a boss! 😂

[@DaysWeSpend]

@@catherinemccarthy2022 HAHA. That's awesome!!

[@craigkimble1467]

Awesome to see you all together 😊 luv both Channels. We Are headed back in Mid-May, cycling from Pamplona while wife walks from France, then I will train back to León meet my daughter and walk to Santiago 🎉 Buen Camino ❤

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! Sounds like you have an incredible adventure planned!

[@jcd3072]

Great Q&A !!!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you!

[@markmclaughlan8460]

Great interview with the legend Efrez Gonzalo what an inspiring chap 👣 Buen Camino!

[@markmclaughlan8460]

*Efrén

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you!

[@WaypointofView]

Really great video, thanks for sharing!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

[@billkrueger9305]

great stuff! have followed you all for a while now! keep walking! many thanks!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much!

[@NadineWalks]

Such a fun and entertaining video! I loved getting to see the three of you together and can just imagine how much more laughter you all shared. Thanks so much for filming this and sharing with all of us!

[@DaysWeSpend]

We laughed so much. Next time we've got to get you in a collab video!

[@genevievelariviere84]

So nice to see you having this conversation together, a fan of both your channels! ❤

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! We had such a great time making this.

[@KF0999-yg2sn]

So good to see you all together!❤

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks! We had a great time.

[@kiprmatik]

Love you guys

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you!

[@thetrailneverends100]

Two of our favourite youtube channels in collaboration, what a joy! Seems you've had instant chemistry ❤ Good and interesting interview ⚜️👣

[@DaysWeSpend]

We definitely did! Glad you liked it. We had so much fun meeting each other.

[@maribelgonzalez4555]

so nice to see Efren my homeboy lol on an interview. super fun video.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@mistreated]

Great marriage of two top-notch content creators. Nicely none

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much!

[@Andy-Mesa]

Neat, my two favorite pilgrim KZbinrs in one place :)

[@DaysWeSpend]

Awww, that's awesome!

[@kayakerjer]

Thanks for the video! Starting my first Camino in two weeks. I have celiac disease and could not get comfortable with gluten free food issues starting in Le Puy so it will be the Camino Frances for me starting in Saint Jean Pied de Port. Just finished the Rota Vicintina in Portugal as a warm up. Efren has been a great source of information and encouragement every step of the way. Thanks so much for all you do!

[@ericsemple4820]

I walked in 2022 and a friend we met from Germany was same situation. He managed very well to find gluten free options which I witnessed as we had a lot of meals with him.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks for watching! If you speak a bit of French, the Via Podiensis could be a good place to be with celiac disease. The gites all take pre-bookings and you can request that your dinner has no gluten. We actually ate a lot of rice with our dinners in France. Buen Camino!

[@kayakerjer]

Thanks for the tip on trying to book directly. In 2023, I tried to book through a tour company (Utracks) and they were not able to reach out to the Gites directly to arrange gluten-free food. They also warned me that in many of the smaller towns, on many Sundays and Mondays the restaurants would be closed, the grocery stores would be closed or would not have gluten-free food even if they were open. This has been a problem for me in the past when traveling in rural France so I took their warnings seriously. It has not been a problem in Spain, which is why I opted for the Camino Frances this year. My wife speaks French, and if all goes well with my 2024 Camino, we may try Le Puy again in 2024, but this time booking directly. I have a miam miam do do guide which should be enough to get me started. Based on your experience arranging gluten free food along this route, any tips on how to approach this?

[@DaysWeSpend]

@@kayakerjer We didn't arrange any gluten free food ourselves, but we met people who did have other food allergies and had no issues. There are often places that you can cook your own food, too (such as the communal gites). With your Camino experience and French language, you probably won't have major issues. There may be days you'll need to plan ahead (ie Sunday and Mondays) but the Via Podiensis has increased in popularity so there are more places open now than a few years ago. You can also check places out on Gronze.com and the Wise Pilgrim app.

[@tombatty8645]

Great

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks!

[@DavidSteveExploring]

Thanks for the video. My three favorite video bloggers. As part of figuring out where I’m going to walk next, I always check out Shawn, Lainey, and Efren. Going to walk Frances (again) this year (to Sarria) then Invierno (Monforte to Santiago). Wishing you all the best.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! That's a fun Camino plan! Have you walked the Invierno from Ponferrada to Monforte? It's a very very beautiful section.

[@DavidSteveExploring]

We considered walking the Invierno from Ponferrada, but kinda scared of aggressive dogs. We have a friend who walked it with no problems, but I’m kinda shy about it. We are going to take a day off in Ponferrada and visit las medulas as a day trip. Always on the lookout for new walks. So far we have completed Frances, Francigena (Italy), LePuy, and Primitivo. We subscribe to your channel and are also considering a non-lucrative visa (so thanks for that as well). Again, enjoy you both and look forward to your next video.

[@DaysWeSpend]

@@DavidSteveExploring Thanks so much! Your day trip idea sounds really fun. It's a good alternative. We did have issues with the big dog when we walked the Invierno, but at least it was only once.

[@kenthompson5758]

Great collaboration. I agree with Efren altra olympus all the way! I am going back to do 1st wk of the norte and then the Primativo from 20th of May. So hopefully the weather will be better than you had on your one! Just saw Samblismo is not opening this year. Can you guys do a video of the hardest days on the caminos. No one really seems to do those. Then are surprised by how hard a section is like the steps at Pasai or Mondeno climb on the Norte or comming into Grandas de Salime downhill. All the best for your next trip/vid. Btw the old train near the station Ourense is cool

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thank you! Sounds like you have a great Camino planned. I wonder why Samblismo isn't open this year?! It's one of our favorites. Thanks for the video idea!

[@gregoryhageage6362]

I’ll just add this video to all of the others that I’ve enjoyed and learned from on your channel🤙🏽 Efrén mentioned in passing about folks doing caminos by donkey. Have you all ever seen any pilgrims caminando con burros? And even tho’ he wasn’t doing a camino, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book called Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes (~1879). I found out about the Via Podiensis after reading his book and then checking out maps of the area, discovering that the VP was to the north.

[@DaysWeSpend]

The donkey families in France on the Via Podiensis are really cute. There are quite a few of them from Le Puy to Conques. We've never seen any donkey pilgrims in Spain (yet). Thanks for the book recommendation! We'll check it out.

[@danlindner7115]

0:11 I love how you overlay the title and blur out Efren as he points to himself. 😂 You two are the best!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Hahaha. that was _slightly_ unintentional.

[@andyalam5074]

No Jarra? Come on guys 🥃

[@DaysWeSpend]

HAHAHA. Next time. 😜

[@musingwithreba9667]

So I need to somehow get fired from my job so I can just go spend the rest of my life walking caminos! Ok! Sounds like a plan 👍 I also need to fit in a bunch of backcountry 🏕 long trails as well between caminos 😁

[@DaysWeSpend]

Haha. That's a good plan.

[@03085716]

strange seeing two channels meet

[@DaysWeSpend]

lol. Worlds collide