CAMINO JUNKIE

WINTER - WANKERS AND WORKING ODD JOBS

2008-10-11T16:05:00.013+02:00

Its been 5 weeks since I last posted anything on the Forums – so here is synopsis of interesting posts and discussions:

www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm

Is it possible to walk in January?

Well, of course you can – and in December or February – but the real question is, do you want to?

A similar question was asked on Santiagobis:

Reply: Walking in the winter is nice and quiet. If you are lucky the weather is reasably (sic) good. However, do not cross the Pyrenees in winter, because the fog will disorientate you. Do preferably not walk the Primitive Route (from Oviedo) alone, because no help will be available in case of an emergency. You phone might not work.

I walked alone from Burgos to SDC in January 2008 and the weather was good!

Reply: I walked alone from St. Jean Pied-du-Port to Santiago in January/February 2007 and loved it. Very quiet, not many people out there. Jack's right about the Pyrenees, I suppose, although the January day I did it was so nice I wore shorts. Sunny, and you could see for miles everywhere. Having said that, the weather changes quickly, and I think the day before and after had fog, and a couple people got lost. One woman on the day I crossed the Pyrenees got lost simply because it was so beautiful and she was looking at the scenery and missed the trail turn-off!

How many pilgrims walk in Winter?

796 pilgrims got a certificate in December 2007

306 pilgrims got a certificate in January 2008 (44 less than 2007):

240 walked the camino frances and of those,

56 started in Sarria

26 in O Cebreiro

25 in Ponferrada

20 in St Jean

18 in Roncesvalles, Leon and Astorga

12 in Burgos

Etc, etc, etc

703 pilgrims got a certificate in February

552 on the camino frances

146 in O Cebreiro

125 in Sarria

56 in Tui

50 in St Jean

37 Roncesvalles

28 in Leon

25 in Ponferrada

Etc, etc, etc

What does it take to walk in winter?

One reader posted: “ …..the weather is very different in different parts of the country and at different altitudes.

In addition, you need to consider the marker system. In some places the markers are on stone posts which are elevated about 3 feet or so above the ground. In other places they are above head height as are most signs. But in many places, the yellow arrows are painted on the rocks on the ground - obviously not useful when covered with snow - and some of those places are among the most remote of the journey.
Yes it is possible (although may not be advisable) to walk the camino in January, but please remember that people have died of exposure on the camino when they were unprepared for winter weather conditions. Research carefully, be prepared for the reality (clothes, footwear, directions, etc) and listen to the locals. They know when it's safe to cross the mountains although will no doubt think you're crazy for trying.
Buen camino.

Another post:

You will find information on winter pilgrimages at: [www.csj.org.uk]
[www.suekenney.ca] Sue walked the camino in Winter - she would love to tell you about it so you could contact her.The main difference, besides the weather, is that some of the refuges are closed, your pack will weigh more due to heavier clothing, if it does snow the yellow arrows are covered, you might be alone for many hours and kilometers on the trail.

Amsterdam to Santiago: Cor blimey!

Reply: Pelgrimspad

www.wandelnet.nl publisher Stichting Wandelplatform-LAW
[www.wandelnet.nl] - contact - slaw@wandelnet.nl- Pelgrimspad 1 Amsterdam - 's-Hertogenbosch
& route=166 - Pelgrimspad 2 's-Hertogenbosch - Maastricht (Visé - Belgium)
- 2008 reprint Pelgrimspad 2 with lists of (mail & phone) addresses of tourist offices (vvv), public transport, B&B, pensions, campings, (small) hotels, etcetera, etcetera. Beautiful detailed Dutch ordnance survey maps 1:25.000 and international white-and-red waymarking. A lot of pilgrim's information in Dutch. This is a really wonderful pilgrim's path connected at Visé to the Chemins de Saint-Jacques through Belgium and France; you'll be surprised!

Foot problems:

Reply: Many people get blisters. There are so many factors that you will have to do a bit of research on the Internet about it. A good source of info on problems incurred when hiking or running is at this site:
www.vonhof.typepad.com

Ryanair:

Domestic flights in Spain from November that will make getting back to a major airport easier for many.

Ryanair have announced 4 new routes within Spain from Madrid from 18th November. Twice daily each flight.
Madrid - Alicante Madrid - Palma Madrid - Santiago Madrid - Valencia

Arles Route:

We just got back from walking about 200 miles on the Arles Route. I've put together quite a bit of information for planning a walk on that route - I think the most info that is available on any English language site. Anyway, I thought some of the English first language pilgrims who are planning that route would find our new web page very helpful [www.backpack45.com] .
Ralph Alcorn

Santiagobis: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Santiagobis/

Posts are still down:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2008 221 163 252 120 120 75 170 174 140 56

2007 64 361 399 406 319 316 212 306 173 183 148 75

Question? Is this a camino forum or a recipe exchange? No less than 6 recipes uploaded in 5 weeks:

Calamares.doc
Pechuga de Pollo a la Naranja.doc chicken with orange slices

Salmon filled chicory leaves.doc salmon filled chicory leaves

Sauteed garlic Mushrooms.doc garlic mushrooms

Tapa de queso y nueces.doc tapas of cheese and walnuts

Tortilla with chorizo and cheese.doc tortilla with chorizo and cheese

St James in Brittany:

To know more about the ways of Saint James in Brittany, visit the web site of the Breton Association of the friends of St-James of Compostela: http://www.saint-jacques-compostelle-bretagne.fr/santjakez-accueil-en.htm
http://www.lescheminsdumontsaintmichel.com/spip/index.php

More posts on Plastic Bags, Cell-Mobile phones, and the two most interesting topics were – toilet seats and wanking!!

14 posts on toilet seats!! An innocent question about why there are so many Johns with no seats set off all sorts of opinions – as well as a detour thread about not being allowed to use the Johns in the albergues when they are closed.

Dear Lynn – the Organiser - was quite indignant:

I think the reason for the dearth of toilet seats in the bars is obvious: they want to discourage those long visits! Bar owners want us to stop in for coffee, breakfast, lunch, a drink, etc. but not just for the conveniences. Can you blame them? Of course, the bathrooms are available to paying customers, as they should be.
What is unconscionable to me is when hospitaleros refuse to allow pilgrims to use the toilets in the albergues during the off hours. Their whole reason to exist is to serve pilgrims!

unconscionable, adj: shockingly unfair or unjust

A flushed response from Rebeka:

Maybe I´m cranky, but I hardly think that a hospitalero´s only reason to be is to "serve pilgrims." That´s way too close to the idea that servants exist only to serve their masters... or that pilgrims somehow are entitled to be "served" by the volunteers at the albergues.

Who would have thought that a sanitary subject could be so interesting!?

And the wanker?

Well, this peregrina warns everyone about the pervert lurking and jerking on the path – which naturally sets of a few anxious replies – only to be told off by a Sheila (Trudy from Australia) in no uncertain terms:

I'm a little wary of people who join a group just to post a warning message. It seems you've joined two Camino forums solely for this purpose. The same message was also posted on Lonely Planet's travel forum. In fact, only your 2nd message to that forum the first being posted earlier in the year, before your pilgrimage, asking very pointedly about safety on the camino for women walking alone.

So?? What’s your point Sheila?? Jealous??

Anyway, the Patsy from Miami came to her defense:

I think it is beautiful when pilgrims write NOT only asking for suggestions, advice...but when this pilgrim takes the time to write his thoughts...from smoky internet bars...with other pilgrims breathing behind their necks waiting for the computer.....and .when he shares his memories with all of us back home and in this particular instance when he/she warns about being a bit careful.....pay it forward sort of thing. Patricia de Miami.

Others have also reported being flashed by this jerk off.

"Just as I walked out of Melide I got my laugh. And I laughed for a loooong time. I start to understand the concern some women have of walking alone. I was greeted by a man who had his trousers down at his ankels... he was holding his ...Biiiiiiip in his hand... and he asked me if I was interested in him helping me getting a Buen Camino...!! - But this man is harmless... I was told later by other pilgrims when a man passes he pretends to pee and when a woman passes she gets the same offer I got."

http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com

The most interesting post (besides the ‘how to get to…) was this one by Rebeka Scot for an online hospitalero course. Be interesting to see if she can pull it off.

Being Hospitaleros: a Proposal

Bed bugs continued to raise their nitty little heads and now has no less than FIVE topic headings on this forum. Surely the moderators can condense them all into one?

"Xunta de Galicia chooses to Fumiage their albergues"

BED BUGS-How Not to Get Them!

Bed bugs on the Camino

Bed bugs alert

bed bugs

Weather:

It is getting cold on the Camino...

Stats: Not official yet but there was this post:

There has been a small increase in the number of pilgrims receiving the Compostela in August. In 2007 there were 27140 and this year the number is 29723.

New Guide to Camino Portugués - volunteers needed!

Johnny Walker has been enlisting the help of forum members to log and comment on short Camino routes like the Ingles, and Portugues.

Camino de Invierno to be official route

The Diario de Leon reports that official waymarking with granite plinths of the Leon/Bierzo section, from Ponferrada to the border with Galicia, is starting today.

Re: Today is a great day for the Camino Frances!!

Javier Martin reported that 1000’s of people have walked from Monte de Gozo to Santiago against the Polygon development in and around O’Pino and Lavacolla.

Working odd jobs: Can you or can't you?

I am wondering how easy it might be to find some work and odd jobs along the way at the small towns? Also, is it possible to do work for stay/food arrangements at the albergues/refugios and restaurants? FYI, I am a citizen of the UK (and the US) and therefore, believe I have the right to work in Spain. So an EU citizen, do I still need to go about getting an NIE or would my citizenship suffice?

11 replies:

Yes you can

No you can't

Yes you can but a N.I.E number is required (Numero de Identidad de Extranjeros)

In Villafranca del Bierzo I met several people who were picking grapes for a bit and Jato let them stay in his albergue for free, inlcuding food. All were foreigners. Grape picking season would be in September.

I can reply with an unqualified YES to this excellent question.
We live on the Camino Frances, and we´ve employed several pilgrims (some may call them "drifters") for up to two weeks at a time, doing carpentry, painting, and other big projects we couldn´t handle on our own. Perhaps because it is "under the table" and unskilled work the going wage is rather low: about 5€ an hour plus room and board, but we´ve never had anyone turn it down who needed some money to keep going. There is an entire "underground economy" like this along the caminos, and we see a couple of these workers returning now and then when they need a spot of work. Up to now, they´re really good, hard workers, too, long as we don´t give them beer to drink early in the day.

EU citizen allows you to work in Spain. However, no employee... may or can hire you for a paid job as the NIE are for tax reasons... Unless you take a job like the one Rebekah mentions or if you choose to help out on voluntary jobs... then no... then you do not need it.

To get a Spanish NIE you first need to have a Spanish address. You can use your friend´s apartment or whatever, but it´s got to be a Spanish address they can send documents to.

Take your pick!!

Pilgrim deaths:

A pilgrim from Saragossa dies near Sangüesa
A man has a heart attack and dies in the albergue at Sahagun
A man collapses on the hill after Castrojeriz and dies
A man dies in Foncebadon.

RIP

PURGATORY - PERMETHRIN - AND PLASTIC PACKETS

2008-09-07T09:16:00.020+02:00

Throughout August, the biggest moan on the camino Frances was about overcrowding. Sleeping on the floor in crowded gyms, no room at the inn, early morning dash for albergues and bed bugs .... lots of bed bugs. Sounds like penitential, peregrino purgatory!
http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm

Javier (from Pamplona) posted info on development of rooms and restaurant in San Juan de Ortega. The price of popularity.

Many posts were requests for transport advice. Why oh why don’t they do a search or check on Grant Spangler’s website ?

Madrid to Pamplona – Madrid to Sarria – Pamplona to St Jean ad infinitum.

Wednesday 20^th August:

Spanair MD 82 Flight 5022 skidded off the runway in Madrid, burst into flames killing 159 people. The flight was on its way to the Canaries. RIP

Misc: Backpack weight: costs on the camino: bed bugs: sandals: credentials… nothing really new.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saintjames/messages?o=1

24 messages in August and 11 so far in September.

How many are new messages and how many were replies to these posts?

Rosina Wachtel has posted 7 X 2007 stats on the forum – WHY?? - perhaps because it has been so quiet lately. (No replies as yet)

The good Rosina did post the latest 2008 June/July stats (which can be found on the www.Archicompostela.org website.)

86 year old Robert Spenger announced that he is off on trip # 5.

There were 8 replies – most wishing old Bob a buen camino.

You can see a video of “Uncle Bob’ on the Indoor Rowing website –

http://indoor-rowing.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

Sue Kenney, the Canadian ex-rower who has built a business out of ‘paddling her own canoe’ on the camino, announced that she was doing a one-woman theatrical show on the camino . (See her website at http://www.suekenney.ca/order.html - there was a time you could watch an extract of her DVD video Las Peregrinas...the women who walk, but it seems that this is no longer possible.

No replies.

Sue reminds me of this 1851 poem:

Nothing great is lightly won,
Nothing won is lost,
Every good deed, nobly done,
Will repay the cost.
Leave to Heaven, in humble trust,
All you will to do:
But if succeed, you must
Paddle your own canoe.

Paddle Your Own Canoe - Sarah Bolton, 1851

Silvia - the member with MPD - aka Sil - aka Sillydoll - aka Camino Pilgrim- announced that a pilgrim was doing a north-south VDLP to raise money for an illness suffered by his deceased mother. (Everyman has his or own reason for walking el camino).
No replies.

The girl with MPD has a not so bad blog at http://www.amawalker.blogspot.com/

The latest post is on Costs. She forgot to mention, however, that a bottle of Bell's Whiskey costs between €13.50 and €18.50 depending on city, town or village. ($19 - $26)

Bugs reared their ugly little heads again on the forums. 6 replies.

Recommendations ranged from:

Sawyer Clothing repellent - developed in cooperation with the U.S. Military, government agencies:

Lavender oil

Diatomaceous earth is very effective against them; it punctures their exoskeleton and they simply dehydrate. Normal bug repellents seem to have no effect, so you can't protect yourself while sleeping.

… and - "They are attracted to Carbon Dioxide, so if you just stop exhaling they might leave you alone." Yeah, right!!

One reply was that the bugs started in Hornillos but Grant Spangler replied that "a couple of years ago the Navarese government declared the health hazard originated in

France

and entered

Spain

at Roncesvalles. A good number of the municipal albergues turn off the heat lock their doors for the winter. This kills off any live vermin, but the eggs hatch and take up next season where their parents left off. "

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Santiagobis/

174 messages in August (306 in 2007) 70 in September to date.

Bed bugs, snoring, plastic bags, kindness ......

Jesus Jato's albergue: A lively discussion on Jesus Jato's albergue in Villafranca del Bierzo. One peregrina complained about noisy peregrinos keeping her up night and early morning. Most replies were in defense of Ave Fenix and its policy not to open the gates until 7am.

Costs in France was another lively post. Seems that it can cost between 1 1/2 and 2 times as much in France as walking in Spain. Viva Espana!

Plastic Bags to be outlawed in Spain? According to Lillian Alicia: Well, starting January 1st 2010, plastic bags will be outlawed in Spain. That's music to the ears!

Well, disposable plastic bags - those dished out at supermarkets - have been phased out in many countries but I can't see general plastic bags being outlawed.

And, according to Wiki:

In Spain, supermarkets give free plastic bags except some as Día which charge between 5 and 20c per bag. Recently, Spanish Government wants to adopt the National Plan of Integrated Waste which has among its objectives in 2010 to ban plastic bags single-use non-biodegradable.

Spain is the leading producer of plastic bags for a single use and the third consumer in Europe. Each year are distributed 10,500 million plastic bags in Spain, equivalent to 96,000 tons. 62% of plastic bags are reused as garbage bags and 10% are recycled through the yellow containers. But most of them finish their lives in landfills or worse still at sea.

http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/

194 posts in one month. Some, like those on bed bugs, have had over 1 500 replies and 34 had ZERO replies. (I'm sure a statistician or social anthropologist could make some sense of this little bit of trivia.)
Ok, most posts were the usual directions/boots, feet. socks, albergues, weather etc etc. Here is a list of some of the posts that did not attract any replies:

Litter on the Camino - 80 views
Albergue Closures in Extremadura - 128 views
Castles in Spain - 84 views
Pilgrims & Pilgrimage CD Rom - 79 views
Buy shares in a Camino Movie for 30 euro - 92 views
Dormitory rooms in Madrid - 95 views
New 3-in-one Camino Cycling guide - 63 views
1230 Anniversary of the Battle of Roncesvalles - 73 views
200,000 to attend mass in Lourdes on 14 September - 74 views
New Swedish site - 90 views
List of cycle ways around the world - 90 views
Looking for Bernie from Canada - 102 views
North to South 800 miles - 139 views
Pilgrims office busy - 120 views
Georgiana's Gems - 139 views
Festival dos Abrazos in Santiago - 70 views
Georgiana's Gems 2 - 126 views
Filipino Catholics home pilgrimage - 68 views
Pilgrimage to Heresy - 103 views
A day in a refuge - 107 views
Less pilgrims July 2008 than 2007 - 101 views
Live blog from St Jean - 161 views
Zoom and other airlines - 69 views
Blog Le Puy to Santiago - 70 views
Lost pilgrims - 72 views
Camino Wiki reborn - 88 views
Detour from Leon Sept 27th - 79 views
June and July stats - 64 views
Strong winds and rain - 52 views
Camino still busy - 130 views
Georgiana's Gems 6 - 50 views

The most replies to a post (besides the Class of 2008 which has has had 10,700 views and 509 replies) is Bahai Graffiti with 1949 views and 23 replies
BED BUGS is a close second with 1550 views and 21 replies: Add to this Insect Alerts - 1173 views and 23 replies, and it says to me that most peregrinos are concerned with Graffiti and Bed Bugs:

Down in the country where I was born,
We'd go to church ev'ry Sunday mornin',
Then in the evening the lights would fade,
These are the words that my mama said:

"Children I hope you sleep tight,
And don't let the bedbugs bite,
If you should die before you wake,
Pray good God your soul will take."

Don't let the bedbugs bite ya,
Don't let the bedbugs bite ya,
Don't let the bedbugs bite ya.

Ivar announced that he has resurrected the Camino Wiki - so I took a little gander at it. In the past, a too informative FAQ's list could kill off an interactive forum (like Grant Spangler's forum) but I don't think the Forum is in any danger from this weak little wiki just yet. Grant Spangler's site has much more info (almost too much for the average peregrin to search through) but, perhaps a link to his website wouldn't hurt Ivar's Wiki.
The Feedburner on the Forum is quite useful if you want to save and share a topic on your Facebook.

So, to recap this month: Main topics - Bed Bugs, Overcrowding,

9TH AUGUST: Bed bugs, flechas blancas and a baby jumping festival

2008-08-10T20:13:00.017+02:00

Saint James at Yahoo and GoCamino

I have joined these two because it seems that whenever a member posts on either one, they copy the other as well.

The Saint James at Yahoo Group was started on Sat Feb 20, 1999 at 4:52 am.
Since then there have been 5085 posts.

Grant Spangler posted a link to an interesting article about el camino wherein a farmer who converted his cowshed into an albergue was interviewed. He used to have 30 cows but he could now sleep 45 pilgrims in the converted stable, "It's more profitable and more satisfying to engage in this work than in the dairy sector," said Angelo, the owner. Peregrino cattle? asked a member.

In the same article, someone said, The Camino is a bomb that's going to explode". Maybe, maybe not.

Acacio Paz – a former long-haired, beaded, beatnik and now proud albergue owner - responded to a query about whether a donation from Brasil had been used to improve the buildings at Manjarin.

“I inform of that Coelho helped Takes by Manjarin with 8.000 kg of firewood so that all only travelling and Takes could pass the 2007 winter. This year we go to speak with Coelho so that it the same repeats gesture of affection and all to peregrinos of winter.” Cool Coelho keeps camino catholics warm!!

Seems Paz was the subject of a hacker who used his email to advertise a commercial website on the St James Group.
Acacio – Spamerifico was the subject of the post and the man sent an apology.

Sorry my friends. This is my big problem actual. I have outlook but same times another use my e.mail. file. Sorry, please delete when see this mensages. Thanks so lot to pelerin Acacio

Grant also posted a link to a YouTube video of the St James Day fireworks in Santiago:
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=iCb6lH1uFm8

But, Rosina Lila advised that the 2008 fireworks might be the last:

I can only tell you that the "burning of the Cathedral" is grand..... and then some. I don't know the origins of this extraordinary feat.... or its purpose. Yet, in a way, I'm glad, and fortunate, that it appears that this year, 2008, will be the last one with such extravagantly lavish display of fireworks, rockets, flares, lasers, colored shooting-up electrical fountains, real flames and such, that go on for an incredible sixty minutes..... From eleven o'clock p.m. on the 24th of July to midnight. It appears that concerned archeological and cultural-historical heads have managed to prevail over public oooohs and aaaaahs to convince the powers that be of the inevitability of consequential damage to the structural essence of the Santiago Cathedral and its treasures.

Oh well … that’s a sight many peregrinos won’t get to see.

www.caminosantiago.com forum - 26 new posts in 3 weeks.

The one with the most views (284) was entitled "I am wondering". Enigmatic, what?
Now I'm sure it was because everybody was 'wondering" wtf is this post all about but it received not only the aforementioned 284 views, but 3 replies. Want to know what it was about? Go to: http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm

and the one with the most replies was - well it was a tie - "Trekking Poles" and "Crowds on the Camino" each drew 8 replies.

..... and my favorite for ambiguity "We are not now that strength which in olden days moved earth and heaven..."
This from a dude who has a ticket to Biarritz but .."..my 'plan B' is to make a note of points along the Camino where I could get transport to Santiago and rest up there for a few days. I'd then get the bus out to Sarria and walk back to Santiago from there. Can anyone suggest a few places along the Camino where transport to Santiago is easily available?"
Gees - what was Plan A?? Why not get a ticket to Santiago and rest up, full stop?

I've discovered that we have a Javier from Pamplona and a Javier from Madrid.
Javier from Pamplona is the one who posts photographs on the Forums.
Javier from Madrid posts information and advice.
Javier from Pamplona posted this photograph of the solstice sun shining on the Apse of the church in St Juan de Ortega.
On March 21 and September 21 at 17:07 (solar time) a ray of light enters through a small window and goes all illuminating scenes of Christmas for 10 minutes ending the solar beam at the centre of the apse the church".

Arturo Murias from the Godesalco.com website posted a message about GPS tracking on his website.

If you need so, Google Earth files can be easily converted into GPS files (choose GPX format as a first option, which is the most comprehensive at reflecting the GE files data) with a software called "GPS Babel". You might need to extract an xml file from the GE file if this is a kmz and not a kml. And to do this you might have to change the ".kmz" extension to ".zip". And to do this you might need to make the "known extensions" visible in your Windows... But it's really straightforward.
Be aware that a GE file, as it's the case of those generated in my website, might contain more (or many more) of the 10,000 trackpoints allowed by many GPS receivers. My personal opinion is that you don't really need any GPS to follow the Routes to Santiago that I know (Francés, Plata, Podiensis, Tolosana) as they are really well waymarked. I would just select the sections that you might hear that pose a problem for walkers due to aged or poor waymarking."

So - there you have it - really straightforward.
All you have to do to convert a GPS to a GPX is extract an xml from a GE if it is kmz and not a kml and change it to zip.

A load of GPS Babel to me senor Murias.

SANTIAGOBIS

What is going on with Santiagobis? 30 new posts in August.
I'm sure a statistician would make interesting assumptions from the message history:

Message History

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2008	221	163	252	120	120	75	170	30
2007	264	361	399	406	319	316	212	306	173	183	148	75
2006	363	262	320	268	410	280	268	281	204	149	257	145
2005	258	206	242	223	213	183	228	205	202	156	167	218
2004	211	390	351	223	246	425	232	263	206	264	188	235
2003	417	740	676	438	349	376	233	132	125	189	359	175
2002	229	173	216	196	275	171	114	125	177	177	249	104
2001	427	328	196	372	292	190	319	301	264	230	278	130
2000										120	178	116

This year:
January 221 - lowest number in January since 204 (a Holy Year):
February 163 - lowest number ever in February
March 252 - Lowest in March since 2005:
April120 - 3rd lowest for all months since 2001:
May 120 - same low number:
June 75 - the lowest number posted ever - since the inception of the group:
July170 - second lowest July posts since 2002:

All of this makes one think that perhaps pilgrims are learning to search through the files for the information they need - or, that they have moved on to another forum.

The post with the most responses was one on the merits of ultralight backpacks - some were for, some were against - the usual to-ing and fro-ing - which must have left the original poster none the wiser about what to purchase!
A post about a pilgrim who put on weight after her pilgrimage elicited a number of replies about metabolism and water retention - riveting stuff!

The Forum that wins the Bouquet for the most posts- and the most interesting posts- once again is the Pilgrimage-to Santiago Forum.

A bit more constructive camino posting on this forum with important things like bed bugs, snoring, no-room-at-the-inn, and vegetarian food - interspersed with the odd oddity like – using a sun compass, a Baby Jumping Festival near Burgos and a 2,100 word dissertation (I’m not kidding!) entitled King's companions -1- George Edmund Street: WTF???

Bed bugs had 806 views and 18 responses:

Snoring 627 views and 18 replies:

Crowding 698 views and 12 replies:

Vegetarian food – 557 views and 13 posts:

King's companions -1- George Edmund Street ? 128 views, 0 replies.
What can one say – its all been said!

OK – bed bugs: They have been leeching their way through luckless peregrinos blood from Hontanas, El Burgo Ranero , Tardajos and Hornillos, Fromista and Finisterre.

Solutions? Rosemary, operation deep freeze, tumble dry or nuke them in a microwave. With or without the pilgrim? Not sure.

Snoring: The cacophony of sonorous serenades plagues every albergue more than the little beddy-bug critters do.

Solutions: Whistling, clapping your hands, drinking lots of vino tinto with your meal or stoning.
One (ex-hospitalero) commented: “Short of stoning the snorers, Earplugs are the only practical answer…”
Take that you snoring sod!!

Picture the scene: A group of nose-strapped, vino tintoed pilgrims with silicone ear plugs, whistling and clapping, throwing stones in the dark from their top bunks! Yeee-Haaa!!

And then…..(drum roll)….. Breathe-Rite Strips - available in large farmacias in Spain!!

A testimony from a user: “… they consist of an adhesive strip that you fix crosswise to your nose. The object is to open up the airways and therefore reduce snoring. According to my wife - who has spent many nights listening to my snoring, this product is quite effective and reduced my normal nocturnal roar to a soft purr (even after a few glasses of Rioja).”

(No wonder he was purring… he was lying next to his wife. Most of us have to sleep check by jowl with a stinking, snoring, bedbug infested, vegetarian sumai wrestler from the former USSR.)

There have been a number of posts on overcrowding including one from a blog where a pilgrim wrote, “The Camino is no longer a game. Suddenly the road is glutted with people who have just begun, and albergues fill up by 10am. Those left over are left to fend for themselves like dogs fighting for a scrap of meat in a cage. I’ve been warned not to let the final stages of my Camino disintegrate into a mad, pre-dawn dash for beds, but it’s a nerve-wracking thing now, wondering how far you can make it before it’s too late to get a bed.” She wrote in a later post that she slept on the floor in overflow accommodation for three nights near the end of her walk, in a person’s garage in Triacastela because ALL the albergues, hotels, fondas etc were full: with 200 other pilgrims in a gymnasium in Melide and a sports hall in Pedrouzo.

The moral of this story?

DO NOT WALK IN AUGUST.

The whole of frigging Europe is on holiday in August and half of them walk the camino - especially the Germans. Schools, colleges and universities are closed in August. Students looking for a cheap holiday hit the camino. So, if anyone reading this is planning to walk the camino at any time in August, don’t! If you have to, either book all your rooms ahead or be prepared to sleep on concrete and tiles.

Ho-hum...... another new book has been published, by a Canadian writer. OMG - I can just imagine the gist of it now:

“I started at St Jean, climbed over a difficult mountain, walked 800km in sun, mist and rain, got blisters, shin splints and sunburn: slept in dormitories crammed with snoring pilgrims: ate bocadillos and drank cheap wine: I didn’t look at any churches or attend mass because I am not a religious person but I loved all the old buildings; met Carlos from Brazil, Tom from the US, Ching-chang from China and we will be lifelong email buddies for ever after. I am now a different, born again, deeply spiritual person. The end.
PS: If you want to know anything about walking the camino, just ask me because I am now a camino guru. YECH!!

Via Francigena: 26 messages in July and about 17 in August - so far.
Not much on bugs, beds or boots on this forum yet. Most posts are about guides, maps and routes.
Alfred L. C. van Amelsvoort - aka Fred - is back on the Via after a an interruption in Switzerland.

Dr. Franz-Xaver Brock (smart names these VF pilgrims) mentioned maps he used to get to Rome.
The map: La Via Francigena - Cartografia e Gps issued by Monica D'Atti and Franco Cinti was a great help.
And one not to use - The OUTDOOR booklet "Via Francigena" from Birgit Götzmann (in German) could be helpful, but she often mixes up right and left and east and west so I sometimes went wrong following her instructions.
I'm not bloody surprised Dr Brock!

He also said: I met some persons who were just marking the way by painting arrows. As the VF can be used in both directions: for going to Rome as well as for going to Santiago they painted the direction to Rome in white and the other direction in yellow.
Interesting! flechas blancas a Roma - flechas amarilla a Santiago

On the other hand, it might be a ruse to get all of those crowd weary camino pilgrims who are crossing over to follow the yellow arrows again and leave the Via to Rome uncrowded!

The CPR (nah...nothing to do with mouth to mouth) are now "Friends of the AEVF".

"Sounds Good!" says Ed "But what exactly does it mean?"

"I do not know!" replies honest William, "But in the spirit of cooperation between pilgrim groups
it seemed like the right thing to do."

Other news:

Hiking in Switzerland, the main Swiss walking site, has recently been completely revamped, and the VF is now included both as one of the 2 international routes (the other is the ViaJacobi) and as no 70 of the regional routes
http://www.wanderland.ch/en/routen_detail.cfm?id=284505
Includes an overview of each section, height profiles, and links to the detailed Swisstopo mapping. The official length is 215km from Ste-Croix to the GSB.

Fidenza-Lucca - There is a detailed guide, what they call 'un road-book' split into 10 leaflets which you can download for free, with maps and detailed description (in Italian).
http://turismo.parma.it/page.asp?IDCategoria=265&IDSezione=1109&ID=144876

Gruppo dei Dodici are working on a guide to the route they've developed from Formia to Rome, based on the Via Appia Antica and dubbed the Via Appia Pedemontana.
http://www.romaefrancigena.eu/
And while on the GdD - they sent out an invitation to Walk to Rome - May 2009 - a yearly walk from Formia organised by Alberto Alberti and the Gruppo dei Dodici.

CamminaFrancigena - They're now setting up detailed maps/guides for Pavia-Rome with their GPS route overlaid on Google Maps. Includes downloadable pdf guides with description, height profile and detailed mapping, plus downloads of route in gpx and Google Earth formats. Only some sections are available at present, but as they only completed their walk last week that's not really surprising ;-)
http://www.itineraria.eu/wp-content/gpx-viewer.php?gpxfile=http://www.itineraria\
.eu/wp-content/uploads/francigena/gpx/Francige_index0.xml
or you can zoom to the 3 sections by substituting 1 2 or 3 for the 0 in that url. There's also blogs and photos on their site http://www.itineraria.eu/

Aftermath of WYD:

About 20 Catholic pilgrims, in Australia since the July visit of Pope Benedict XVI, have applied for asylum, a refugee support group said.

Experts say more visitors are expected to seek asylum as their visas, many of them valid for three months, expire. Applicants were mainly from African countries, including Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Burundi, Kenya as well as from Pakistan

More than 100,000 pilgrims attended World Youth Day led by the Pope.

"At this stage we've had about 20 people present to us as identified pilgrims indicating they're needing to seek protection in Australia," Ms Domicelj told reporters. "It might well be that at the end of those three months we see a spike in applications for protection," Ms Domicelj said "We are seeing utter destitution, we see malnutrition, we are seeing depression, we see homelessness. People are coming to us from a place of crisis."

Perilous Pilgrimages:

Hundreds of pilgrims around the world have died in various accidents so far this month.

India - Nearly 150 pilgrims, many of them children, were trampled to death at a Hindu temple in northern India on Sunday, after rumors of a landslide set off a stampede, local officials said.

Kota (Rajasthan - Fourteen people were rescued from the Gaiparnath Mahadev temple where 135 pilgrims were trapped when the ladder leading to the ancient shrine collapsed. The cantilever type of ladder, supported from one end, collapsed yesterday due to heavy rush of pilgrims, official sources said today.

Nepal - 36 Hindu pilgrims from Nepal were killed today when their bus plunged into a river in the mountainous northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said.

Texas USA - At least 14 people died and 40 people were injured when a charter bus carrying a Vietnamese Catholic group to an annual pilgrimage slammed onto its side and then skidded off a freeway overpass in Texas early on Friday.

Baghdad - three women blew themselves up in quick succession as Shia pilgrims entered the capital for a major religious event, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 100.

MADINA: Number of Pakistan Hajj pilgrims who died in Saudi Arabia this year reached 198 when a lady was killed in a bus accident.

Sri Lanka - At least 18 persons, mostly women, were killed and 51 were injured today, when a powerful explosion triggered by suspected LTTE rebels ripped through a bus packed with Buddhist pilgrims in a central Sri Lankan town.

RIP.

PILGRIMAGE , PILGRIMS, A PINK POPE AND FRENCH LETTERS

2008-07-19T18:01:00.009+02:00

I read this on a blog the other day:

(http://billcork.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/adventist-pilgrimage/)

“Pilgrimage is universal. All faiths engage in it. Animists and Hindus go to sacred rivers, springs, wells, or mountains. Buddhists go to temples and to shrines encasing the Buddha’s remains. Muslims go on the Hajj to Mecca, visiting sites they associate with incidents in the lives of Abraham and Muhammad. Jews make aliyah to Jerusalem. Catholics go to the Holy Land, or to Rome, or to shrines associated with saints. And Protestants go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to locations associated with faithful men and women of all ages.”

And ... thousands go to Sydney – not because of a river, rock, spring or saint, but because the World Youth Day celebrations are being held there.

WYD Pilgrims have made news headlines all around the world this week and unless you have been in a catatonic state or in the depths of the Amazon jungles with no radio, television or newspaper, you will have heard something about the World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney Australia. Some reports say that 250 000 pilgrims descended on Sydney – others say 500 000.

Suffice it to say that there were a hellava lot of pellerins heading south including 39 Indians who absconded in New Zealand. It has been discovered that some were Hindu, some Sikh and even a few Muslims.

'Immigration New Zealand is investigating allegations that the disappearance of the pilgrims is part of an immigration scam. Some of those who are missing absconded from Auckland International Airport on arrival in New Zealand in early July, while others absconded from their billets, all but one leaving their luggage there, according to the Department of Labour."

One plaintive comment on the story was from an Indian living in New Zealand:

"dear sir, i am nanda kumar from auckland. actually i am from india. indians are spoiling our life."

Some pilgrims got sick: Chief executive Greg Rochford said the number of pilgrims suffering from influenza-like symptoms had reached 143 on Saturday morning.

Some were injured: In terms of medical emergencies, 84 people who identified themselves as WYD pilgrims presented to hospital emergency departments (ED) in the 24 hours to 10am (AEST) on Saturday. This brings the total of injured pilgrims to 326 since July 9.

The most serious injuries included a fractured femur in an elderly pilgrim, a fractured nose and a number of ankle and leg related injuries

Some got lucky! Any time Australia's biggest city hosts a major event -- from the 2003 Rugby World Cup to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last year -- it is boomtime for the sex industry, insiders say.

A protester from Queensland was set upon by a group of pilgrims when she held up a sign as the Pope’s convoy passed Dawes Point. The woman, Mary Adams, waited hours for the Pontiff to pass in the boat-a-cade, before holding up her handmade sign that said “Ratzinger condones paedophilia”.
Adams was yelled at by a group of pilgrims as soon as she held up the sign, and was forced to flee the area as the group continued to yell while trying to rip the sign out of her hands and shove her.

“If there was a God now, he would be crying,” she said.

Anti-Pope demos: More than 500 anti-pope activists faced off against happy pilgrims Saturday, shouting their distaste at papal policies as thousands of Catholic youth streamed past on their way to an evening address by Pope Benedict XVI.

The NoToPope coalition — some costumed as nuns, devils and priests — lined the edge of a park on the route of the pilgrims' march, tightly ringed by police on foot, bicycles and horseback.

Protesters pelted Catholic pilgrims with condoms Saturday as they made the most of a court ruling allowing them to "annoy" participants at the church's World Youth Day festival in Sydney. A pilgrimage walk organized for the festival took many young worshippers through the city's gay district, where about 500 people demonstrated against Pope Benedict XVI's opposition to homosexuality and contraception. Chanting "Pope go homo, gay is great" and singing "Pope is wrong, put a condom on", the protesters threw condoms at the pilgrims, who were making their way to Randwick racecourse for an overnight prayer vigil.

A drag queen dressed in pink going under the moniker "Pope Alice" also paraded before the pilgrims, while other protesters wore T-shirts with slogans such as "Thank God I'm an atheist" and "Bless me father for I am a homo".

But the young Catholics were at first merely curious, then smiled and waved and began their own singsong chant that carried down the ranks: "Benedicto! We love you!"

"We want to make it clear that we are not anti-religious, and we welcome the Catholic youth to our country," said Rachel Evans, a leader of the coalition. "Our gripe is with Pope Benedict and the hierarchy of the church."

The Fourth World Youth Day was held in Santiagio de Compostela and it was at that time that the beautiful and scenic Monte de Gozo was converted to the ugly barracks like Monte d' Eye Sore. I wonder what monstrous plans they have for Madrid

Pilgrims are a lucrative commodity in Spain.

On the 20^th July the announcement of the next city to host WYD will be announced. There has been much speculation that it will be in Madrid. WYD is held in a different city every two years. This means 2010 in Spain. That is also a Holy Year for St James in Compostela - can you imagine the millions of pilgrims who will be visiting Espana in 2010?? 10 million are expected for Santiago alone!!

SAINT JAMES AT YAHOO!

Only one post in the last 10 days - 15^TH JULY – from Rosina Wachtel

The Galician newspapers report that an average of 400 bona fide pilgrims are showing up every day in O Cebreiro. While the albergue there has been refurbished and enlarged there is no way that it can accommodate so many pilgrims.....( I wonder where they stay). It is also reported that about 70,000 pilgrims are expected to alight in Finisterra this summer.... which is why the authorities there have increased their search for those qualified persons who may be interested in "hospitalizing" and sponsoring? albergues in the environs.... apparently the authorities are ready to offer all sorts of assistance. (I am on my way to Santiago..... if you are interested in the possibility of starting up an albergue in Finisterra let me know and I'll find out as many details as I can.) The Archdofradia is very confident that Pope Benedict, presently in Australia for Youth's World Day will accept their invitation to go to Santiago in 2010, the next Xacobean Holy Year. Certainly a visit by His Holiness should liven things up a bit..... but if nothing else it will surely spur the powers to be to finish all the restorations begun at the Cathedral, the Dean's House (where the Pilgrims' office is), the newly acquired buildings etc. etc., consequently every one will benefit at the end. Lastly, while the refurbishing of the Dean's House will include repose areas for pilgrims in the courtyard, storage facilities for bikes, backpacks, and so on, an information desk on the ground floor and sufficient bathrooms, it will not, alas, include the originally planned coffee bar.
GO CAMINO:

Only one thread – a post about a guided walk on the Abraham’s Path:

A new pilgrimage path (not yet open to individuals, only escorted groups)
I am excited to share with you a special opportunity this fall - a journey on the Abraham Path through Jordan, Palestine and Israel, from October 4 - October 15, 2008.

Highlights of the 12-day journey:

Walk pilot segments of the Abraham Path in Jordan and Palestine. To travel by foot is the finest way to experience a deep immersion in the local and traditional way of life.
Visit local businesses, including a soap factory in Jordan where village women produce olive oil soaps using only natural and local ingredients
Meet local residents and make one-to-one connections
Possible home stays with Palestinian families
Explore the rich history of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and surrounding areas
Learn from expert guides in each country
Time to reflect, share and process the experience

This is an incredible opportunity to experience the warmth and hospitality of the Middle East in a way not often portrayed by the media. We encourage you to pass the word! Please forward this email and the attached brochure to others who may be interested. Limited space is available, so please notify me soon if you are interested.

Response from the lady from Moratinos:

“This is a wonderful idea. Be aware, though, that it costs more than $3,000 to take this ‘opportunity.’”

(Question: How do you end off a quote at the end of the sentence with a word that is also in quotes? Is it with three quote marks? Very odd - perhaps I should write to Lynne Truss!)

CAMINO SANTIAGO WAY OF ST JAMES offers English, Spanish, French and Italian Forums (no German yet – even with those from Deutschland making up the majority of pilgrims.)

From time to time I click over to one of the other forums just to see what they are talking about. Some of the Italian Forum posts have practically disappeared under an avalanche of porn links. It doesn’t look as though the Administrators – if there are any – ever clear away the porn posts.

Note: Isn’t it odd that Italians end their posts with Ciao Ciao which Google Translates as ‘Hello Hello’.

One thing that is international amongst pilgrims is the melancholy mood when one returns home.

Sono tornata ma vorrei essere ancora per quei sentieri. (I returned but I would still be for those paths.)

Quante cose potrei dire ma ho questa malinconia che non so definire- (How many things I could say but I have this melancholy that I do not know how to define)

Even on the English forum people post in all languages which I’m sure must piss off a few members. This month there has been Spanish (naturally) Portuguese, Italian and now Danish.

“350 chilometri, o forse qualcuno di più, da La Verna, dai boschi delle ultime propaggini della Toscana, alla bella e ampia valle di Rieti in Lazio attraversando i luoghi più significativi della ……”

“Man blir uten tvil bitt av basillen, og begynner å planlegge en ny tur straks man kommer hjem”.

On the Spanish forum – a very busy forum with a slightly different format to the others - there was a warning by a pilgrim about exploitation on the Camino Primitivo. I’ll paste it here in Spanish and you can do the cut-paste-google translate:

Queridos peregrinos:

He advertido anteriormente aquellos sitios en los que debemos pasar de largo, para que no nos tomen el pelo. Voy a enumerar unos pocos.

1º Casa Heminia en Campiello; etapa Tineo-Borres. Esta señora os recibirá con una agradable sonrisa, diciendo cuanto quiere a los peregrinos, que os sellará la Compostela, con frases como "Que Dios te lleve por el buen Camino peregrino", pero luego te da un sartenazo, que no esperas y te deja con cara de tonto. Mejor opción otro local enfrente.

Personal por si lo leyese Herminia (Soy Santiago de La Coruña, menos hipocresía y trata a los peregrinos, como a los clientes habituales)

2º En Pola de Allende, se come bien en La Nueva Allandesa, pero ojo, preguntar precios,por el menú minimo te cobrarán 15 euros. Son buenas gentes, pero es caro.

3º Albergue Juvenil El Castro. Está a 6 km de Grandas de Salime, bien situado, para la etapa del día siguiente, pero tambien ojo. Por la litera cobran 12 euros, pero preguntar precios de comidas, no os vayais a llevar una soepresa.

Personal para Mari Sol Dueña del Albergue (Amiga mia, no se`puede presentar esas facturas a clientes asiduos. No creas que somos tonto, a veces callamos por no advertirte de tú avaricia. No se puede cobrar 8 euros, por unas hojas de lechuga y cuatro jurelillos, y mucho menos 7 Euros por un par de cafe con leches con pan tostado de tres dias.

No creais amigos peregrinos que en todos los sitios os trataran asi. Afortunadamente quedan muchas personas honestas que os trataran como es debido. A continuación van unos ejemplos:

Casa Fernando en El Escamplero
Restaurante Narcea en Grado
En Salas varios de buen menú
En Tineo Hotel Don Miguel, o los Tres Chicos
En Fonsagrada casa Prado
Tambien hay buenos restaurantes y serios en Cadavo, Lugo y en el resto del Camino
¡Peregrinos no os dejeis tomar el pelo y denunciar los abusos.

This was one of the replies:

At that time you were?, I ask this because you wonder what Castro, I always stop in spring or autumn and always struck me as super correct, Herminia better not to speak (jeje) and Allandesa pa tastes good colors, I agree at all that you might as well add any more but I think we should not miss Arreigada in Grandas de Salime. A good option in Fonsagrada Casa Manolo is also serving beds, clean, cost-effective.

http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/messages.msnw

Someone from Argentina has joined the group trying to trace long lost relatives:

I am Raúl Rubén Fernandez Alsina, Argentinian, born in www.generalalvearmza.gov.ar, a land of farmers, ranchers and tourist at the foot of the hill Aconcagua (the highest of America the located in the province of Mendoza) and descendant of Spanish. My paternal grandfather was born in Villa Savariego (León) and his your wife (Amadora Nuñez) in Or Cebreiro as it she consists in his her papers.
The mother house of t is one is, nowadays, the Ethnographic Museum of Lugo and, for relatives' news, there is rented, for the Spanish Government, to a premium(cousin) of my deceased father of name Lily who possesses an inn or inn (I Do not know the use of the suitable term) in Relay Do Cebreiro. It is of our familiar (family) interest to contact ourselves with the relatives to initiate an union. I clarify that nothing imports the economic thing for us. We will remain extremely been grateful to quien/es could offer to us information of contact with them. Finally I add a current family photo.

Sorry Raúl Rubén Fernandez Alsina - your photo is not visible on this site so we can't see what you and your family look like.

PILGRIMS TO SANTIAGO FORUM

Busy, busy, busy Forum. If the Administrator got 1 cent for every hit he would be close a millionaire by now – well, almost.

Everybody should spend a bit of time watching the slide-show of photographs on the Home page. Some are truly beautiful and if you click on the photograph it will take you to the web page where the contributor’s album can be found.

Up-to-date posts include info on German Guidebooks – apparently the best available: Ryanair offering 1 million seats for £1 and a report on one lucky peregrine who got a £0 flight to Liverpool (wtmb): Car hire to Finisterre, walking for Charity, Phrase books, where to stay in Burgos and Paris amongst others.

The Whizz-kid pilgrim threw the full might of his gourd at another member for suggesting that his walk for charity was ‘commercial’ and challenged him to walk the walk for non-mobile children. Another pilgrim wrote a conciliatory post suggesting that, “Your tired legs will grow wings on them now”. (OMG – an avenging Mercury is all that we need!)

(PS: I really dislike words that start with non. Non-mobile: non-acceptance: non-committed: non-white and so forth. To me they are all non-sense and when referred to people suggest a non-entity.)

PPS: There are over 8OO unanswered posts on the Forum.

SANTIAGOBIS

..had 71 new messages in 7 days, 54 of those were in response to a post about “Walking in Sandals”. Scintillating stuff!!

If a new member joined Santiagobis today and wanted to read up on the camino he/she would have to scroll through 29 posts on the current page all with the same title - “Walking in Sandals”.

So – said new member clicks on ‘older’ hoping to find more interesting threads – what does he/she find? 17 more posts on “Walking in Sandals” and a few on “Introducing Myself”.

VIA FRANCIGENA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/via-francigena

Mot much action on the Via Francigena front:

The Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome has now been registered as a "Friend" of the AEVF (European Via Francigena Association)
Pilgrims Way to Rome Association - Netherlands. info@pelgrimswegen.nlThey have a list of walkers' and cyclists' websites and lists of
· A small warning for anyone heading up the Col Grand St Bernard in the

near future.There is some major engineering work (de-silting) taking place in and around the Lac des Toules (the large reservoir to the south of Bourg St Piere). The work blocks the part-made road that runs from Bourg St Pierre across the face of the dam and onto the road and pathway to the west of the reservoir and also the path to the west of the Dranse. There are restricted access zones at both ends of the reservoir.
If you plan to pass through Bourg St Pierre you will need to take the steep and narrow path from the southern exit road from the village (near the old customs house) down towards the river (signed - walking route 70), cross the river and head up the west side of the Dranse
on the path normally taken by those that bypass BSP. Shortly after the small renovated house an improvised path has been created up a steep climb to the right to regain the old route at the dam level.

The already tough going is now even worse for mountain-bikers and it would be a real scramble for people with horses.
Unfortunately the only alternative is a long (by memory 3km) section of road gallery carrying the heavy traffic towards the tunnel entrance.
On the up-side (literally and metaphorically) an improved access road has been made between the quieter section of the main road (beyond the gallery and tunnel entrance) and the pathway beyond the southern edge of the reservoir - take the second wooden bridge. This gives the "faint of heart" or "short of wind" an easier option for the last 500 metres of the ascent.

So, now you can’t say you were not warned!
By the way, I saw on an earlier post on this Forum that, should you get lost/stuck in the mud/hit by an avalanche, gored by a bull, you can call 1515 - a 24 hour, toll free number for “…the emergencies of the pilgrim which the State Forestry Corps puts to disposition for all the pilgrims along the Via Francigena to request aid.
Don’t bother calling for the dogs and life saving brandy – they have been retired!

PS: My favourite sign - taken in a church in Zaragoza:

Wandering direct aroma with Pooh Bear

2008-07-09T21:23:00.005+02:00

EISH!! Been away and haven’t posted for a few weeks. What’s been happening on the forums? Not really much....

Saint James and Go-Camino - a couple of requests for guides on the Camino Ingles and a notice about a DVD being shown in Australia:

We in Western Australia are presently being treated to a wonderful DVD on local TV called: Cities Of Light: The Rise And Fall of Islamic Spain. It is an American production and you can find it on. http://www.islamicspain.tv/
When I visited the website that particular DVD was not available.

Santiagobis:

Between 17^th June and 9^th July there were 14 new topics and 61 posts on these topics. They ranged from the mundane – What are the best Camino Months? and Pieter’s Food for Thought…..oh hum…..to a death notice for the fiddler Oliver Shroer. His website claims that there has been a sudden sharp increase in the demand for his camino CD - this picture is from his website.

Oh …. Other topics were : How to get to Roncesvalles (again!!) How to get to St Jean (ditto) Bayonne to St Jean and Orisson (zzzzzzzzzzzz) ………OK! There was an interesting post that pilgrims could get three free nights in Santiago if they were prepared to spill their guts and tell a research student all about their journey. He is a religious student but you don’t have to be religious to participate. Seems they didn’t have too many takers at first but once they reduced the guts spilling sessions to one or two nights, they had more takers.

www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james

A bit of advertising going on this month: Someone posted this plug for a fishing boat scheme where tourists can spend a day on a boat:

Through "Port Celta" you can hear the sea, the coast, traditions, history and legends of the town of Portosín from the perspective of seafarers, including the symbiotic relationship that existsbetween their way of life, culture, physical environment and the marine environment it. Go for it!! www.portocelta.com

And a guy from the CSJ - NEW SPIRITUAL COMPANION FOR PILGRIMS - Check out this new book from the Confraternity of St James in the UK: It is really good - beautifully presented and based on the reflections of 25 pilgrims. Included with the pilgrims' stories are prayers, scripture and poems to inspire and comfort those en route or to evoke the experience for those at home. [www.csj.org.uk]

Other posts included: How to get to St Jean (AAARGH!!) Accommodation in Santiago (zzzz) Crowding on the Camino Frances (what's new?) Vegetarians - Minimum Distance to earn the Compostela - and a few posts from a Danish peregrine who started a website about her walks on the Frances, Aragones and Norte a few years ago. Seems she has moved to sunny Spain and will soon embark on a short camino. (PS: and her website is back up and running again – www.raunsbjerg.dk )

Then there were a few unintelligible posts about walking in Italy from a Tuscan member called Luca who insisted that one could stay for free along the Via Francigene. (At least I think that’s what she said!) Decide for yourself:

dear friend. do I live in Tuscan in a beautiful country on the by francigena ok practically? the difference between the walk of santiago and the by francigena and?'very less people, less places bed, however' following a logic...apparte the alpis / piamonte & val of aosta (where is it paid) the rest can be slept in the convents, associations friends of the street) in offer, then to eat?=calm!mind.. luca from s, miniated pisa

Clear now? No – alright then, how about this pearl of a post in reply to the doll who asked excitedly for a list of said free accommodation.

12I will just cross,' my Tuscan, from wandering direct aroma, you don't worry him, visiting albergue, hostels, monasteries he/she asked.. with contribution (donation) I inform her/it to have practical news MY CONTACT e-mail katmanduk2000@yahoo.it

Unofficial Translation: 121 pilgrims of both sexes have crossed her Tuscan by following the aroma of her hubby without bothering him, staying in albergues, hostels and monasteries for a donation.

To be continued.......................

Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela - Total posts 23 935 • Total topics 4 049 • Total members 2 859:

When I checked there were 49 users online : 19 registered, 3 hidden and 27 guests (based on users active over the past 60 minutes) Most users ever online was 155 on Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:54 am.
The longest running topic at the moment is the Stereotyping Germans topic which is getting really BORING. 38 POSTS AND 1946 VIEWS. enough already!!!!

Gareth, the Whizz-Kids' pilgrim, is becoming a sword in everyone's side (his name means 'strong spear' so why are they not surprised!)

Other high volume posts are Boots or good jogging shoes? 26 posts, 1138 views: and a few weirdos: BAHAI graffiti on kilometer stones - 16 posts and 1246 views and Post-camino tattoo? 32 posts and 2669 views. (More peregrinos must be interested in graffiti and tattoos than anyone ever imagined.) And this one To Ipod or not to Ipod with 53 posts and 7388 views. Who really cares about iPods? 7 388 pilgrims - that's who!

Pilgrims are a never ending source of amazement. If Kerkeling was a Comic Kraut then Peter Robins, never one to joke or appear lighthearted, must be the Curt Jester. I found this on his website together with Pooh Bear floating across the screen on a blue balloon!

How sweet to be a Cloud
Floating in the Blue!
Every little cloud
Always sings aloud

How sweet to be a Cloud
Floating in the Blue!
It makes him very proud
To be a little cloud.

What do you think he does when he disappears behind the menu panel?
Does he have a pot of honey there, perhaps??

Mein Gott in himmel!!!

VIA FRANCIGENA

10 Messages since mid-June: A couple of messages from Ann who is walking to Roma for the second time:

Online Maps on Peter Robin's site updated - don't visit Winnie the Pooh - go to http://petersmaps.googlepages.com/canter2dover.html

Stats, hiking with Mum and Lista Correos

2008-06-17T11:38:00.010+02:00

So, what’s up Doc?

On the St James forum Rosina posted a comprehensive update on pilgrim stats for April and May. A similar, shorter post appeared on Santiagobis:

2006 2007 2008
Jan 314 350 306
Feb 351 666 703
Mar 1.093 1.680 5.327
Apr 7.438 8.112 5.655
May 9.992 12.898 15.98
19.188 23.706 27.974

NB: In 2007 they celebrated Holy Week (Easter) during the month of April, but this year it was in March. That is why they received 5327 pilgrims during the month of March this year compared with 1680 pilgrims received in March 2007

Well, the people over at Santiagobis are really bored. One posted the question:

“I've heard wonderful things about the "Yum Yum DODO" but don't know how to find it. Ideas?”

The temptation to offer an overlong, childish retort was too great for one of the moderators – who would not have been allowed such a flippant post a few months ago.

Ah yes! The great "Yum Yum Dodo" ! I'm old enough to remember it well. The Lesser Spotted Dodo was famed throughout the gastronomical world as the tastiest table bird ever. It's flesh, lightly roasted and surrounded by baked potatoes, peas, carrots and pumpkin, made a fabulous Sunday family dinner. It produced gravy that was the envy of the most sophisticated French Cordon Bleu chef. Accompained by a light and fruity white wine it became known as the "Yum Yum Dodo Sunday Roast". Unfortunately for the dodo this meal became so popular in the 1950's that the poor bird (which was very slow at the reproduction process) became extinct. As a result the chicken became popular and the turkey became the standard for big family dinners. But I digress. As regards the "Miao DODO".......... this is not a meal that I will touch upon, except to say that cat-lovers everywhere would rise up in horror at the thought of their feline friends 'sur la table', so to speak. My only comment is that most cats produce thin, stringy flesh that tastes slightly sour, even when sauteed in apricots and mushrooms. Never eat a tom. The smell will last for weeks.

And so on, and so on ……………….

Fortunately, someone who was not amused and did not even acknowledge the gastronomic garbage of the previous post, replied:

The Miam Miam Dodo guides are available from the Confraternity of St James bookshop. See this page of their website: http://www.csj.org.uk/acatalog/The_CSJ_Bookshop_Pilgrim_Guides_7.html

On the caminosantiago.com way_of_saint_james pilgrims_forum things have been somewhat busier – still with the occasional porn-post finding its way onto the forum.

There was a question about staying at Hunto.

The person who replied couldn’t make up their mind how to spell it so hedged their bets by using all possible spellings.

If you stay at Untto or Hunto (Huntto) the price you pay includes dinner and breakfast and you can buy a sandwich for lunch from them if you wish.

They still get the vague request for help such as this one:

I’m planning on taking my mum with me to do the camino santiago, we plan on doing it for about 7 to 10 days, and hopefully about 20 to 30 km a day, but I don't know how to start going about it. Any advice??

Well hellooo??? Which camino? What time of the year? How old is ‘my mum’? 30kms a day!!

This was the breathless, don’t pause for a comma, never heard of capital letter, response.

Hi, last year was my first time on the Camino-i looked up photos to see what sort of road -forest-mountain city-that i would be walking-you and your mum need to start training (walking) this is a must in my books-i dont like to ask the question but consider your mums age (i'm sure she is young) but not as young as you so take that on board-30k a day may be a bit much - you will be walking up mountains most every day PLEASE DONT OVER PACK there are shops in spain that will supply what you NEED dont wear new shoes break them in first-you may think this is scary info but its not like that-its just a bit of advice i overpacked last year and had to get rid of half the stuff-what felt quite light at first did become a burden a few days into my walking 10 persent of your own body weight is the recommended-watch what backback you use mine was heavy before puttong stuff in-i'm sure you will get lots more advice the pilgrims on this forum are one big Camino Family and will help you all they can - by the way you and your mum are goning to take a walk you will NEVER FORGET Buen Camino—

After three more replies regarding the camino frances, and a grateful thank you from the mother and daughter, some imposter with my name (scurvy scoundrel) throws a spanner in the works and suggests they walk the camino ingles.

Quiet on Grant’s site – with a few bouquets for The Man – who I must say has a brilliant website. A few members offered crash course Spanish phrases but Grant sent the link for his new, upgraded language page. I guess everyone is now busy trying to learn Spanish from the links he posted last week.

Uno, dos, tres, cuantro, cinco, seis ……..

Some people have never heard of Google. This guy asks:

A friend of mine walked part of the camino and started in Porto, now where is that? On which route is it?

If he pulled his finger out and keyed in the word Porto he would be 192,000,000 links for Porto.

The Pilgrimage-to-Santiago forum is by far the busiest, most up-to-date-ist forum out there at present.

Good old Bob has adopted the forum to post his last year’s daily blog posts. I’m surprised the moderators haven’t asked him to kindly provide a link to his own website so that those interested can read them if they wish.

But, this forum is very liberal and laid back when it comes to members’ posts. One veteran offers regular trivial pursuit info on everything from Hindu shrines to Austrian monks on the British hit parade, water expos and trains across the north of Spain.

This week there was a plug for Brandon Wilson’s latest book, dry bags, Ibofuren, drain plugs and tents from Wilikinson’s in the UK.

Then Gene McCullough of Denver, Colorado, aka webmaster for American Pilgrims, posted this rather disturbing up-date on the Lista Correos from a returning pilgrim:

I just returned from Spain, and wanted to provide some important information regarding mailing packages (lista de correos). I mailed a package from Pamplona to Santiago. I had read that the Santiago post office would hold the package for 30 days if you write perigrino on the box and your date of arrival. This not true. They will only hold the package for 15 days in Santiago, then they send it back to the other post office. So they sent my box back to Pamplona. I did not have much luck in trying to get it shipped back to Santiago, and only had a few days before my flight. Needless to say, my stuff is still in Pamplona. I met a pilgrim from Holland, and the same thing happened to her.

Someone asked if there was a timetable when the Botafumeiro is swung.

Ivar said: Next time I pass by the pilgrims office I will ask. (Watch this space)

And, a rather encouraging post from the road:

We´re having a great Camino so far. Weather has been wet, so bring that atmospheric poncho that Sil posted about and a hiking stick for all the mud. Albergues are not full, so relax. People were able to get a reservation at Orisson last Wednesday from SJPP. We went to Orisson from Bayonne and then on to Burguete. There is a nice private albergue there called Camping Urrobi which is part of a campground a long 2 km past Burguete. Four bunks to a room there for about E10, nice bathrooms with 4 sinks, 2 showers and 2 toilets in the ladies room- sorry, don´t know about the mens room. This was listed on the paper we picked up at the Office de Peregrinos in SJPP, otherwise would not have known about it. Also found a fantastic private albergue in Uterga for 10E. There were 16 bunks in it, new, very clean, very friendly and great food- ladies room had 2 sinks, a shower and toilet- again don´t know about the mens. There was only 1 other pilgrim there last night, so... I like to stay in the municiple albergues when we can for the Camino experience, but we are also looking for the quiet Camino and staging it the way we are, that is what we have found. Bottom line, there are many more albergues than the books tell us about so don´t panic about beds. If you want a quiet Camino, it is very possible- especially if you stay in the more obscure places!!!

Precipitation, pesticides and post-camino blues

2008-06-08T16:37:00.011+02:00

Lets start with the pilgrims-to-santiago fourm:

Rain, rain and more rain
Over the weekend it has rained quite strong in north eastern Spain and several areas have had severe flooding. The Bilbao area seems to be hit the hardest, with several secondary roads closed. The mayor highways are reported to be open. The rain has stopped in Santiago after 23 days in a row with rain. In Santiago we got more rain this May than in the whole of 2007.

A guy asked about walking from Scotland (Why?)
He received this reply:
In 2005 I set out from home, Tynemouth, got the ferry to Amsterdam and walked south to Le Puy to pick up the GR65. I think Zeebruge is further west than Amsterdam so Le Puy wouldn't suit, but the Vezelay route is now marked all the way. Difficulty is that there are few gites d'etapes as you go through Belgium and northern France and not a lot on the Vezelay route. I didn't take a tent and so tended to walk on fairly major routes so as to hit the towns that appeared big enough to have a B+B - didn't always get it right.

Bed Bugs and fleas made it onto the forum again this week. (I actually started scratching just reading the posts!)

When I showed the hospitalero in Astorga evidence of bed bugs he said I must have brought them with me from Mararife and HE didnt have any bugs there. This was not true - my bed was COVERED in bugs and I would have noticed the weight if I was carrying so many! (WHAAATTT?? )

Having been badly bitten last year I was carrying spray to treat my bedding etc and lotion to soothe bites and I was able to give the poor chap some of both. He did not really understand the need to treat all his gear thoroughly and unfortunately I suspect he will have carried them further as he seemed to think I was making an unnecessary fuss when I tried to explain what he needed to do to be rid of them. I had the misfortune to be on the bunk above him and even earplugs could not drown out the noise of his incessant scratching!! I would advice everyone to take some kind of insecticide with them as I found it difficult to buy anything stronger than fly spray which really wont be strong enough to deal with bedbugs.

Santiagobis - was quiet again this week – just a few posts:

Someone looking for a hippie commune asked:

Why no artist communities along the Camino???

And the reply: We´re working on it. Wanna join up?
Rebekah Scott - www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com

And another asked if pilgrims returning along the way can stay in the albergues.

The succinct reply? YES

On the Via Francigena Forum

A cry from the wilderness:

Oh dear, more and more pilgrims; everyone kills the thing (s)he loves. It will get as bad as the Camino in ten years' time. Do it now or not at all.

Grant’s website:

This is an interesting one. (No-one has replied. Who is going to admit that they walked the camino with a go-as-you-please B&B back-up service? Nobody. Nadie)

Does anyone know of a company that offers 'Randonnée en liberté / Go as you please walking' on the Camino del Norte? (= you do the walking, they book the bed-and- breakfast for you).

Good post by the webmaster on his language courses:

Have you seen our Camino Language page? It currently shows 4 instructional audio 'CDs' for both Spanish and French. These files are available in both PC and Mac formats. You can save a file to your computer by right-clicking and 'save as .. ' . I'm working on streaming media players for these files and others. The first of the group that's now working are music media player.

http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/caminolanguage.msnw

The subject of vegetarians on the camino came up again.

http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm site

This vegetarian eats fish, cephalopods and eggs. Heloooo!! You are not a vegetarian.

Ask Yahoo: "If I am a vegetarian and I eat fish, am I still a vegetarian?
Answer: "No. Fish is an animal. Vegetarians do not eat animals.

I walked the Camino in 2005 and had no problems with meatless food, tough I did eat fish almost every evening. There was always at least a fish menu to choose from. Otherwise you can survive on starters (ensalada mixta, pasta, rice dishes) and postres (cakes). Sometimes I even got a specially prepared dish just for vegetarians (eg. in Tosantos).
Bocadillos with cheese and once a huge one with egg and cheese (in Arzua) are common, but also try different sandwiches with onion, spinach or cheese. I am not too sure about Galician pulpo (boiled octopus), we had problems with digestion afterwards.
I do very much recommend pilgrim menus. They are big, tasty and affordable.

Post Camino Syndrome: I walked the camino in the Spring of 2005 and when I got home at the end of May, I was like a fish out of water. I wanted to move away from my home on the west coast of Canada and just keep walking and experiencing life. Everything was big compared to Spain, big cars, big houses, lots of material stuff, big stores, a different reality. Now three years later, I still long to be on the camino. The emotional and physical pain that I experienced on the path, continues to be an inspiration in my life and I am living more in the moment. Trying to bring the Camino back to your life and community is a huge task. I cried a lot when I got back and I was ready to leave everything behind. It gets better with time. (Boo-hoo! I couldn't find a picture of a crying pilgrim so this one of a crying Paris will just have to do.)

A HORNY JENNET, A HEART ATTACK AND THE NOKIA RING TONE

2008-05-31T10:18:00.011+02:00

The real news this past week is that a diabetic pilgrim crashed his bike and was taken to hospital, and that a 60 year-old English guy died of a heart attack crossing from St Jean to Roncesvalles. This was posted on most of the forums this week. Also, the weather has been bloody awful with cold and sleet and a prospect of hail in the Pamplona area.

http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm

Caminosantiago.com offers information on art, history, tips, a pilgrims’ forum, webcams, wineries, museums, natural landscapes, ecosystems, transportation, the route on horseback, bicycle route, restaurants, pilgrims illustrious ...etc.

It can now add pornography to the list! Someone, obviously pissed off with all the porno-posts asked: “I am just curious if there is anyone who can remove or block those annoying "posts" with links to all kind of por.nographic sites?....”
Nobody replied so sickos with usernames like Superman, Clerk Kent and Van Derm continue to post links to porno sites.

http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/messages.msnw

"Good, informative and balanced TV program on the Camino de Santiago."

Was the post with a link to this video. Yippeee!! I love videos on the camino.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3lsFaKsfHQ

The program is hosted by César Vidal, with guests Francisco García, a member of the Asociación de Amigos del Camino de Santiago, and Ana Echevarría, a professor of Medieval History at UNED.

Yeah, well, maybe…. but dude, its all in Español. How many peregrinos on the English forums can understand rapid Spanish? Daahhh!!

And something for peregrin trivial pursuit.

Spanish Classical Guitar and the Nokia standard ringtone ...

The Nokia Tune is probably the most recognizable ringtone in the world. It was also the first musical ringtone for cell phones. But the Nokia Tune wasn’t an original. It’s a short clip lifted from the classical guitar piece Gran Vals. It was written by Francisco Tárrega in the late 19th century. Tárrega is often considered the father of classical guitar playing.
Listen for it at 15 seconds, and again at 2:56.

The Gocamino and Saint James Forums are just ticking over with an occasional post by Professor Rosina Wachtel but not many others.

Santiagobis has been very quiet. This little gem was posted last week - or is it just another Hemingway urban legend??

At the Hostal Burguete you can order Ernest Hemingway Soup and have a look at the piano with 'E. Heminway,' and ‘1923’ carved into it. The novelist stopped here to fish for trout as part of his trip to the Feast of San Fermin in Pamplona in 1924. "The girl brought in a big bowl of hot vegetable soup and the wine,' Hemingway wrote. "We had fried trout afterward and some sort of stew and a big bowl full of wild strawberries."

God bless him!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/via-francigena/

The current discussions have focussed on the numbers of pilgrims who have received the testimoniam certificate in Rome. Seems that 850 have been handed out since 2001 - 235 since January 2007.
So bro, how do you earn one of these certificates? Well, one website says that you have to walk 100kms to Rome to receive it but another says 150 kms. 4COL can’t they make up their minds? That’s another two days walking at least. If I walked 100km and someone told me to go back and walk another50km for a piece of paper I would be really peeved.

Forum Flavor of the Month again this month is pilgrimage-to-santiago forum with a flurry of posts on all matters peregrinations including a couple of long posts on the hormonal high-jinks of a horny jennet called Dalie.

We have learned that when the jennets are amorous they indicate they are in heat by mouthing as though they are chewing, laying back the ears, posturing and urinating frequently. This is love language to the jack, letting him know that the lady is interested.

What has this got to do with pilgrims to Santiago? Well, Dalie's owner walked to Santiago with her femenino burro and had her shipped back to the south of France in her deluxe horse trailer where she lives in a pasture with another donkey. Altogether now................aaaaahh sweet!!

In the past few months some topics have had huge number of views.

9580 Topic: Is it safe for a female to travel alone
9063 Topic: Pack sizes
7969 Topic: Class of 2008
6985 Topic: To iPod or not to iPod (WTF?)
And, over 3500 views for a Raincoat/Poncho post. (Its obviously been a very wet season!)

There was a longish thread about a guy who was running the camino but most were not impressed. “We saw this guy go blasting through town and wondered what the heck he was about! What a nut!” said one poster.

So, I'll leave you this week with a picture of a bubble-gum chewing, pheremone enhanced peregrino of a different sort!

Chimneys, Xenophobia, the Angel of Chivalry and an English conundrum

2008-05-18T12:40:00.012+02:00

The GoCamino Forum, generated by the American Pilgrims on the Camino (membership numbers unknown), has been in a deep slumber these past few weeks with nothing much to report on here.

The Saint James forum, going since 1999, has 281 members. Of these, only a dozen or so ever post – usually in reply to a query or comment. This group is based in the Caminho de Santiago de Compostela - O Portal Peregrino . The last few months show total posts of 47 March, 52 April and 10 in May.

Ultreya with 312 members, also in the Christianity category, has low volume posts with 42, 32, and 30 for the past three months: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ultreya/ -

The Way of St James Forum in Jacobeo.net has 182 members with no new messages since ‘The Santiago Enigma’ super-sleuth posted 4 convoluted posts in April - which seem to have stopped all the other posters in their tracks. Perhaps they are still trying to decode the Dan-Brownesque clues in the 4 posts?

(Did you know that there is a Camino Refugio Support Group? No? Neither did anyone else – outside the 8 members who have joined since 2005 but haven’t posted since 2006.)

This week the Caminosantiago-Way of St James Forum has been plagued by SPAM posts with links to Lesbian Sex Videos - Mature Naked females and Gang banging adulteresses. Repugnante!!

Grant Spangler’s forum at http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago was quiet for a month or so but is up and running again – mostly with queries on transport. Grant is the supremo-go-guru and knows all there is about planes, trains and automobiles on the caminos.

An interesting question was about symbols on the maps:

“Can sombody have a mind to my what's difference at they symbols for herberg at these maps. Colors at symbols am different , has it a few importance?

(I think the maps have been copied from the Mundicamino website but you can see them here)

http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/CaminoMaps3.msnw

And the reply:
“The only difference is the building WITH the chimney has Pilgrim-specific lodging, the building WITHOUT the chimney may have a hostal, hotel, or nothing, but without Pilgrim-specific lodging. The colors of the buildings are of no particular significance.”

So, if you plan on using these maps for your walk and want a pilgrim bed for the night, remember to look out for the chimneys on the buildings.

Santiagobis (owned by Dutchman Michel) grew out of the ashes of a previous Santiago forum that closed about eight years ago – hence the ‘bis’ in Santiago-bis meaning 'twice or double.
Conundrum: My high school Latin taught me that 'bis' is a prefix, so the 'bis' should come at the beginning of the word not at the end. I wonder what others think about this? (Quite frankly my dears, I don't think anyone gives a damn!)
Boasting 1742 members and based in the Religion category of the Yahoo.Groups it appears to have relaxed its moderator stronghold with – shock and horror!! - discussions on religion being allowed to take their course and now Xenophobia has reared its ugly head. This week some peregrinos slated the inamical French pellerins, others berated the boorish Germans and a few Americanos have been whining about being singled out as polecat, war-mongering George Bush supporters!

This guy posted his opinion :

"The French and Germans are just people and should not be judged as a whole. Groups of both nationalities have made my stays in a few albergues a trial. Both groups hog the kitchen and get the whole barn up at 0530 by talking quite loudly and making an ungodly racket. As individuals and in very small groups they are as anyone else. It just seems they turn up in large groups more frequently."

And was promptly smote down with a hefty smite of the pen (er... keyboard) by one of the moderators in the form of fire and brimstone from the Archangel Michael, who Wiki describes as the Angel of God and the patron saint of chivalry!

"McGurk's remarks, which I have printed below, are insulting, demeaning and a disgrace. McGurk should be ashamed of himself. How patronising to say that individual Germans and French can be house-trained! Especially after saying that they "should not be judged as a whole. I think it's about time that anybody who wants to 'bash the French' or 'kick the German' or 'malign the Pom' should be honest enough to state their own nationality first. Then all the rest of us, who are (or should be) getting rather tired of this whole nonsense, can trot out our diatribe about the writer's nationals, their failings, foibles and irritations. So, I'm an Australian. One of those convict-descended, loud, noisy, beer-swilling, folk with no cultural background. The next time I read a post that begins with: "As an American....." I will rise up and smite the writer with a great and mighty smite.
It should not matter (nor does it make the slightest difference) to the strength of any pilgrim's argument, suggestion or advice as to what nationality they happen to be."

Power-to-the-pilgrims!! Great, tolerant, pilgrim terminology: insulting, demeaning, patronising, disgrace, bash, kick, malign, failings, foibles, irritations, smite.... all in one post!!

The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela forum – started in October 2004 - seems to have taken up the slack of all the other forums. The forum lists a total posts 22 172 which equates to 6 335 posts per month. Total topics 3 782 and total members 2 723

This week the posts were varied and there was no long thread on any one subject. A new(?) member asked about self-guided tour groups that carry your baggage and make reservations for accommodation and got a big fat slap on the wrist:

My wife and I are hoping to use one of three different self guided tour companies (they carry your bags from town to town and book your rooms). We will be walking from Leon to Santiago in September. Any suggestions? Horror stories? Recommendations? We aren't getting much help from their websites.

A reasonable enough query one might think? Not when it comes to our pellerins.
The first reply was a somewhat snotty comment about ‘these groups’ hogging all the accommodation, from some poor bugger who is obviously still smarting about not being able to get a bed in Mansilla!

To a large extent I believe that it is these groups that are causing so much of the crowding being experienced at this time. When you have a dozen or two of these folks that are pre-booked far ahead into the hotel(s) in a small town it becomes very difficult to find a place. Three days ago I called three places in Sahagun before I found a room. From Sahagun I called everyplace in Mansilla and found nothing so I ended up coming to Leon. (Sniff, sniff..)

A veteran poster responded:

I think its a bit simplistic to assume that one couple who prefer to stay in hotels and have their luggage carried are to blame for the overcrowding. The overcrowding starts in the albergues and spills over into other accommodation along the route. The camino has taken on such a life of its own that I don't think anyone could have foretold how big it would grow.

And another:

Older pilgrims, particularly, often enough have bone or muscle problems which make it impossible to carry a full load on their backpacks-- it is difficult for the outsider to distinguish between these pilgrims and those who are practising a decaff pilgrimage. Mind you, the only time I ever had accommodation trouble was on the National Day weekend, when all of Spain travels and visits.

And from a local...

I agree, (that groups are overcrowding the camino) but only when these groups begin walking three km. before the albergue and are the first pilgrims to take bed. If they sleep in a hostal there's no problem in my opinion.

On the Via Francigena site things are going at a steady canter. They now have 200 members who posted 35 new messages in a week - a sign that more and more camino-peregrinos are searching for less crowded pastures on the other side of the Pyrenees.

The majority of posts were about backpacks and guide books:

Interesting post on the new Lightfoot Guide books by Babette Gallard and Paul Chinn. I googled the books and found that there are 11 used and new from Amazon.co.uk for £22.46 or – hey Tesco!! from Tesco for £22.79 each (both cheaper than from Pilgrimage Publications)

The LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena consists of two books that together cover the entire length of the via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome. The route given is as historically accurate as possible (passing through each of Sigeric's listed towns), but the Via Francigena as we know it today is the cohesion of many routes chosen by pilgrims over the centuries and in this the LightFoot guide is no different. The recommended route is fundamentally true to the general direction - historical and geographical - but where it led the guide writers into undue danger (as with the SS22 in Italy) or unnecessary discomfort (disused tracks requiring a machete) alternatives are offered. The entire distance is divided into manageable sections of approximately 25 km. In most cases this distance amounts to a comfortable walk for the majority of people, though of course it will also depend on the terrain. For the cyclist, 2, 3 or maybe even 4 stages will represent a day's travel and for the horse rider a great deal will depend on fitness and the route itself, but accommodation is listed along the length of the route and it is entirely up to you and your body where you decide to stop.

BIG BUCKS ON THE ROADS TO ROME

2008-05-10T21:58:00.006+02:00

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME
One day this week there were more posts on the Via Francigena Yahoo Group than on Santiagobis - 38 messages in 7 days - that must be a first! Most of the queries were about budgets, hotels and different ways of getting into Rome.
Budgets: An early post was from a member of the Famous Five who said that the average cost of their accommodation was 21.50 euro per night sharing: and that they budgeted 10 euro a night for meals which involved little alleys, tratorias with beaded curtains and Mamas in the kitchen.
Not too shabby, I'm thinking, only about half as expensive as walking el camino and staying in albergues for 8 or 9 euro a night.
But wait - another VF pilgrim posted and hey mon!! I'm learning that these are not all your average pellerinies.
He said, "The average cost of the hotels we stayed in was 71.4 euros per night. The most expensive was 95 euros and the cheapest 50 Euros." Woa!! This is big bucks!
"In relation to the more expensive hotels, if we had the time, weren't exhausted, and other hotels were available we looked for a cheaper alternative. But at other times when we were tired or it was difficult to find a hotel we just checked in regardless of the cost."
Nice! Very nice to be able to disregard the cost - not your run of the mill, backpacking, youth hosteling pilgrem. And what do these poor pilgrims pay for food? Menu del Peregrinos?? Mamas' 10 euro specials? Nah!!
"In relation to the cost of meals its difficult to give you an answer, as it depends on what's available. We sometimes had pizza and wine for under 10 Euros for the two of us; on other occasions we spent up to 85 Euros for a 3/4 course meal + wine in a really nice restaurant." EIGHTY-FIVE EURO FOR A MEAL!!! Nice? Michelin starred, I'm sure!

Q: So what does a walk along ye olde via Francigene cost?
A: Two-and-a-half times that of walking the camino.
"As was posted here a week or two ago whereas the Camino can be budgeted at about 1 euro per km the costs on the Via Francigena currently run at about 2.5 euro per km. This makes your 125 euro for two per day practically on the nail for two people for 900 km in 35 days. As ever this can be undercut or overspent depending on your circumstances and a look at an accommodation list such as the one by the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome will be useful to find the places that others have enjoyed and where there is cheap or expensive accommodation. I know people who have spent much more and also others who have spent much less."
Is it fair to say that at this time, the VF is for higher income 'pilgrims' rather than the younger, budget conscious pilgrim that you see on the caminos?
Do the math.
1€ per km on the camino X 900km = 900€ ($1388.97 or £712.843)

2.5€ per km on the VF X 900km = 2 250€ ($3472,44 or £1782,11)

MAY MADNESS and DEATH ON THE CAMINO

2008-05-07T20:58:00.005+02:00

OVERCROWDING!! 350 - 400 PEOPLE IN RONCESVALLES!!

These are the most talked about posts on the forums this week.

From http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/

On April 30th nearly 300 pilgrims crossed the Pyrenees into Roncesvalles. . .so you can imagine what it was like on May 1st. too, they were overwhelmed.

3rd May:
Don't start your walk on a long weekend! Three days ago there was a post on another forum that Roncesvalles was totally overbooked with between 350 and 400 pilgrims. I read this post an a peregrina's blog: This weekend was a holiday weekend for Spain so there were a ton of Spaniards who had taken four days or so to do a chunk of the trail, which is what lots of people do. I continue to be impressed and amazed by the amount of older people and the distances they do each day. Got to an albergue a couple days ago and it was full, which I couldn´t believe, as it was only 3 in the afternoon. Got the last beds in a private one, and others who came later had to sleep on the floor or walk on to the next town.

But it got worse:

My daughter started from Pamplona on Tuesday 29th and by Thursday 1st May everywhere was absolutely packed - they had to work 14 km further than they intended before finding an overflow sports hall with mats on the floor and they have been wrecked ever since . . .

I seem to be in the middle of some kind of bubble of pilgrams and it has been very difficult to find room in the refugios. I had to rent a house in Los Arcos with some other pilgrams and a hotel in Logroño. I know of four people that have left the camino due to the stress of trying to find a bed.

I´m now in Astorga, a long way ahead of where I would have been if Id stuck tó the vague schedule i´d planned. this is partly because i have the flu, had very sore feet but a large part due to not wanting to rush for beds each day. its a bit like an episode of the Amazing Race - if you are not at your destination by about midday-1pm and have you pack in the line outside the albergue you will likely find trouble getting a bed, well at least an inexpensive one, or you may have to walk a lot further.I´ve decided to cut my camino short, laugh about it all and walk only 10-15km a day till i finish on 28 May, that way I can stay in smaller and perhaps less crowded places.

From what I experienced in my starting group, there were many Germans, some French, Italians, English , South Koreans, several Scandanavians,and only a few Americans. There seemed to be a race each morning at 4:30 to see who could get out the door and on the road, to be the first at the refuge at the end of the day. I was a bit surprised and disappointed at some of the rudeness displayed, but in any group ofpeople there will always be a few...

And, on Santiagobis:

Today Tuesday, May 6, a dead pilgrim was found outside Puente La Reina, on the steep slope climbing towards Mañeru. The Navarrese police had cordoned off the area and covered the corpse with a blanket, but itseemed to be a man. I could only see his hiking boots sticking out and his staff nearby. That made me sad. It will be hard to get over that sight for a while. I am reporting from Ciraqui.

News coverage in Diario de Navarra.
French Pilgrim Dies of Heart Attack in Mañeru
Early this morning other pilgrims saw the victim collapse and called SOS Navarra.- The victim was 60 yrs old and lived in the locality of Limoges.A french pilgrim of around 60 years who was walking the Camino de Santiago died this morning as he passed Mañeru due to a possible heart attack as reported by the government. At 8:20 other foreign pilgrims who were walking behind saw how A. G., from Limoges, collapsed as the crossed the rest area near that locality.After calling 112 of Navarra, the first to reach the area were police agents from Estella who were patroling the vicinity. They practiced resuscitation techniques but the pilgrim did not respond. A doctor in Puente de la Reina could only certify his death. His body is currenttly at the Navarra Institute of Legal Medicine where an autopsy will be performed.

REMIND ME NEVER TO WALK A CAMINO IN MARCH OR APRIL

2008-05-07T20:40:00.007+02:00

More posts on bad weather in high places: Teenagers trapped in Pyrenees snowstorm rescued after making SOS phone call home.

From: http://www.caminosantiago.com/

Date: April 24, 2008 08:53AM
Two British teenagers on a religious pilgrimage to the Pyrenees were rescued from a dangerous mountain path after making an SOS phone call home to their parents. The pair, both 19, came close to succumbing to hypothermia during a snowstorm on the French-Spanish border, close to a spot where another Englishman died. Edward Broad and a friend who has not been named were forced to huddle shivering in sleeping bags after being caught out by the suddenness of the storm. But they raised the alarm by phoning their parents in Wimbledon, South-West London, from the isolated area on the French-Spanish border. Emergency services from France and Spain fought through the treacherous conditions to find them on Tuesday. The young men had to spend a night in hospital but were released yesterday to continue their bicycling pilgrimage to the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. The route, known as the Camino, has been travelled by Christians since medieval times. A spokesman for the clinic in St Jean Pied de Port, in France, where they were treated, said: "When they arrived here they were in a very bad way, but both are young and they were treated swiftly and efficiently." The teenagers, who are Christians, were on a three-week trip. Edward's mother Margaret said her son had called her from the mountainside and told her not to worry. "He told me everything was fine but I was obviously extremely concerned," she said. "My son's friend had called his parents who had called the police. I knew the emergency services were doing their best to reach them but I was still really worried, as any mother would be. "There is a certain feeling of helplessness when you're stuck in Wimbledon." The area where the pair got into trouble, at 4,000ft, is close to the spot where City banker Chris Phillips, 50, was caught in a blizzard a year ago. He died later in hospital.

Another forum member posted this reply:

I was in SJPDP on the 23rd of April and the weather was warm and sunny at noon time. The refugio does not open till 3:00 or 4:00 PM but there was a notice on the door in English very clearly advising against taking the Napolean route and instead heading toward Valcarlos due to severly inclement weather in the mountains. No idea whether these two young people saw that notice or not. The real point I want to emphasize is that the weather in town was perfect in every way and it would be so understandable to ignore the notice on the refugio door and head for the Napolean route. All first time pilgrims should seriously seek out local information regarding conditions on the mountain before making independent decisions on their own. Not doing so could turn out to be a fatal mistake.

And this from the trail:

22nd April:
O Cebreiro 151 km to go (altitude 1300m)Another high point on the Camino and it is snowing again - 6 inches of snow along the road. Absolutely stunning! The most beautiful time of the year thru this section - steep valleys, gushing rivers and streams, bright green trees, fruit tress in full blossom! Today's long, hard 32km non-stop uphill in the rain and snow was well worth it!Triacastela 130 km to go (altitude 665m) 12 inches of snow overnight, it is still snowing and I am walking!!

Comment: Remind me never to walk el camino in March or April.

Kids, geeks and more rain and snowon the camino

2008-04-20T17:48:00.008+02:00

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN??

Or, Bugger little children, let them stay at home.

Knight protecting a family of pilgrims:

Credit: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki

On Santiagobis this week there was some heated (actually, petulant) discussion about taking children on the camino. A family with 6 weeks to spare are planning to take their two children, a 14 month old boy and a six year old girl with them on the Camino Norte. All they wanted was some advice on carts or carriages for the youngsters.

Some of the responses have been less than charitable! One guy started off with a rather sarkie ‘Good Luck’ message and another posted a sniffy warning about crying children disturbing other pilgrim’s meal times and disturbing their sleep in the albergues.

The parent advised the group that they are planning to spend as much time in camp sites as possible. When a member posted a link to a map with campsites and a free brochure on alternative accommodation, the same geek who posted the first reply got all huffy with this response:” Folks, is this a tourism group for Spain or info. about the pilgrimage? I think there is a ifference (sic). Seems getting to be the latte,r thus the issues that are discussed lately.”

OMG!! What a spiff!
This prompted an outraged reply that included Biblical quotes and a slap on the wrist for unkind pilgrims:
I'm really shocked at the attitudes some pilgrims have displayed on this subject -talk about being 'holier than thou'! Poor Dale and family must be feeling really rejected and excluded - not nice! Think about what Jesus said to the disciples when they tried to shoo the children away! (Luke 18:15, Mark 10:13, Matt 19:13)So encountering a young family on the Camino should add a spititual dimension, if anything! I would expect any pilgrim to respond kindly and helpfully if anyone was struggling with a crying baby - or at least, if they're not that way inclined, to put up with it politely, and regard it as any other mildly annoying experience - like pouring rain, people who snore or - shock horror - having to eat food they don't particularly like!
And who on earth (or elsewhere) decreed that it isn't a pilgrimage if you have children with you? What age do you have to be for it to count? What if you have learning disabilities? Or are from another faith or culture? That's ridiculous!
And why is it wrong to offer advice about where to find information about campsites to someone intending to use them, but not to give advice about silk sleeping bags, or train times, or food (again)?
Come on everyone - we all have different plans and motives and prejudices - surely the Camino is about travelling together kindly and unjudgementally and discovering new insights along the Way?
Dale - I apologize on behalf of my fellow santiagobis! I would love to meetup with you and your family whichever route you take!

An erstwhile ex-journo responded to the geek this way:

"I think it´s kinda wandering into the "What´s the difference between a pilgrim and a tourist" territory. Which is always good for a few rounds of invective. Or tinto. Just had a French family this morning with us at Mass. Their two children were ages 8 and 10, well-behaved but looking very worn-out from all the bad weather and walking. (And a noisy, drunken group of fellow pilgrims had kept them awake well into the night last night.)
The 10-year-old said he IS tired, but he still felt the Camino is much more fun than being at school!"

And then the geek responds - but offline, the coward!!

"Forget it. The Way is not a stroll in the Park. The alburgues are not places for screaming kids and diaper changing. There are so many things to do with small children. Why do the Way? I have done the way 2x. I have volunteered in the albergue in León. We had a couple from
Paris using a push cart with 2 very young boys. I was literally driven out of the place by the screaming and out of control behavour of the children. And there were all kinds of concesions that the parents wanted. ¡No! Take the babies to Disneyland or some such. The Way is a Pilgrimage. Not a stunt for parents who want to have been there, done that, got the T-shirt. And yes, I've been with children most of my professional life"

The father replies with admirable restraint:

"Thanks for this. However we realise the pilgrimage is "not a stroll in the Park", if you had read my message you would have seen that we have done the camino three times already from Arles, Porto and Oviedo. Again if you had read my posts you would have seen that we intend not to use the refugios etc but will camp, so there is no fear of anyone having to face our screaming children (I have never heard them scream once!) and or will 'real' pilgrims have to put up with 'diaper changing'. Again if you had read our post you will see that as faithful and committed Catholics we want to take our children on pilgrimage simply to go and worship at the shrine of StJames and
give thanks to God for all the blessings he has given us. It is not therefore a 'stunt' but a giving something back to God for all that he continues to do for us, so if you don't mind we will make our pilgrimage to Compostela and leave our visit to Disneyland for another year. We too have been with children for most of our life my my wife and I are qualified teachers and I have until recently been the RC Chaplain for a Young Offenders Prison for 15-18yr olds."

Does this pacify the geek? No, the arsehole then get's really shitty, racist and chauvanistic at the same time!!

"I stand by what I have said. The Way is not the place for very young children. Do what you will, you're just dragging your kids along as baggage. I did read your post. Why do you think I responded. But you go on and on about what "you" want to do. But what about the baby. Does she want to pray at the Shrine of St James? C'mon woman. You're just one more of these pathetic Americans who want to do what they want to do and how they want to do it. The Way is not a place for babies. 'Nuff said."

The father is a gem of indignant restraint. (Why not just call him a prick and get it over with - jees!) Ah - but all is revealed - he is an Englishman and a gentleman!

Dear Thomas.
First of all our son is no longer a baby but a toddler. Second I am not a 'woman' but a man and third I am not a 'pathetic American' but am from England. I am sure I also do not need to remind you of the place of children in Our Lords heart and ministry. There have been countless number of pilgrims throughtout the world who have gone to thank Him for the blessings of their children and we will be doing the same with or without your support.
You seem to me to be a very rude person, and I will certainly pray for you as we make our pilgrimage that you may have a more generous heart.

So, are the family any the wiser about coping with two children on the camino? Probably not. Has anyone given them any advice? Noooo. Has anyone offered any suggesttions? Not really. Perhaps its time for a guide book on ‘Walking the Camino with Children”. Mmm….. not a bad idea: any wanna-be camino guide book publishers out there?

On the Pilgrimage-to-Santiago website: there were more reports of bad weather, this time pilgrims were snowed in on the hill between O'Cebreiro and Tricastella.
Snow traps cars in Os Ancares and a group of pilgrims in Triacastela
Foto: Xesús Ponte)
The wind and heavy rains, which are in the form of snow higher up, are complicating much movement in the road network in the province of Lugo this Friday, which resulted in four pilgrims being trapped in Triacastela and eighty students could not go to class.
Incidents throughout Galicia
At sea, sources of fishermen's associations of Burela and Celeiro confirmed that the majority of ships of the coastal fleet remained moored at port. The trawlers of coastline dared to go out to fish in the morning, though gradually had to return to shore.
The storm is causing complications in the road network of Lugo. Morning needed the use of chains for driving on the high O Poio, in Pedrafita do Cebreiro, and municipal emergency services had to cut two roads this morning, in the top of Rubiais and in the area between and Rabaceira Veiga da Forca.
As a result of the snow, four pilgrims were trapped at dawn at the height of the statue of the pilgrim located at the top of San Roque, on the road between O Cebreiro and Triacastela. They were later rescued. In addition, several vehicles were trapped because of the snows in the estrada Cereixal O Pino, near the School of Agricultural Training Becerreá; and Cervantes, a truck responsible for the collection of dead animals became trapped by snow in the CP-1402.
Snow left college to eighty children in the province, in the municipalities of Triacastela, Navia of Suarna, Cervantes, Folgoso do Courel and Pedrafita do Cebreiro. The council has been concerned over the latter, where the college of the capital city, with 46 students, remains closed.
Moreover, the Civil Guard reported that during the night there were many complications with the wind on numerous secondary roads in the province, since demolished more than a dozen trees on different roads.
In the port of Burela, two boats with crews were to drift until one succeeded in tow to another. In addition, the fisheries of the fence 'Agarimo Dous' broke loose from their moorings, as a result of strong wind and collided with another ship. In this town mariñana saw one of the largest wind gusts of Galicia, of 126 miles per hour.
In the provincial capital, firefighters also had to act morning to remove a cornice that had been detached from the facade of the building number 8 Unidade de la Rua and threatened to fall on public roads, because of strong wind.

And, two more reports of heavy rains:
We are also having bad weather. The other night we had up to 120 km/h winds and poring rain... today, only "normal" rain and clouds. Just saw the weather report on TVE and I saw rain all over Spain for the weekend. Snow over 1300 meter was reported.

And: The same bad weather in the Madrid area, too, raining dogs and cats. ¡¡Wonderful!! water is very, very necessary here in Spain after a son dry autumn and soft winter.

And what's been happening on the other forums? The Caminosantiago forum has been fairly quiet with a hodge-podge of how-to-get-there, what-to-take posts.

On the Via Francigena site a fellow is making his 2nd attempt at reaching Roma:
As I mentioned some months ago, last year in September I had to stop may way from Marburg, Germany, where I live, to Rome due to problems with my leg. Now I am feeling well again so that I can restart in a couple of days from the point where I had to stop. On 24th of April I will go by train to Ivrea do do the final about 800 kilometres from there. Please cross fingers that I may reach my goal.

Just hope the bad weather they are having in Spain does not spill over into Italy. It won't be fun crossing the marsh lands or the Cisa Pass if the trails are mud and slush.

Coeliac pilgrims, lost pilgrim and a new look Francigena website

2008-04-06T17:52:00.006+02:00

On the pilgrimage-to-santiago forum there was an interesting post about wheat allergies:

http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com forum

An update from the road - on the stretch from Pamplona to Burgos I have found no difficulties at all. eg Bar Basseri in Pamplona advertises a gluten free menu in its window. Breakfast - drinking yogurt, chocolate milk, the ever available tortilla in a bar. Lunch, picnic from a shop, or another tortilla. Dinner- usually the pilgrim menu. safe options include beans (alubias) lentils (lentejas) judias verde (green beans) and for the second course fish or meat "asado" or "a la plancha". Postre - frutas or yogurt. In albergues with kitchens, i cook risotto for the evening, flavoured with a tin of something - squid in salsa americaine, or en su tinta is good, as is the tinned lentil or bean stew with chunks of meat or chorizo ( but read the labels on those tins as some contain gluten). As rice is heavy, I put enough rice for a single portion in a plastic bag and carry that with me. in albergues where there is a rice mountain - eg 6 bags in one place, I use that instead. When I have needed to buy it, I leave the rest behind. If starting out again, I would bring a couple of bags, no more, of quinoa as it cooks so quickly and for a treat when I can't face rice again.I also carry a tin of sardines in tomato sauce as an emergency snack, and try to carry a couple of pieces of fruit. The real challenge is getting enough carbohydratge to fuel the walking- lots of sugar in the morning coffee, bananas, other fruit, choosing paella or beans on a menu whenever available, are all working out just fine. In one place I cooked rice pudding with milk and sugar in the morning - but I had the half hour to do it and that isnt always the case.

Everyone has been very helpful when I've needed it. The celiac condition is known and understood in Spain. In my bad fractured spanish, I point to myself and say "celiaca"; "una cena sin gluten, sin pan, sin harina, sin pasta, sin trigo...por favor" has always worked just fine. In the one albergue where there was a set dinner offered and no restaurant in the village, the hospitalero cooked me an omelette for the main course while everyone else had meatballs in sauce.
Finally - some places with special menus - allegedly all the paradores have a gluten free menu available for all meals. Bar Basseri, in Pamplona. The albergue in Najera has a list of restaurants at the desk and one states that it has a gluten free menu. El Corte Ingles department store - the cafeteria in Bilbao has a gluten free menu of pizza, croquettas, chocolate tart, and gluten free beer. The food shop also sells the standard European range of GF products - cakes, biscuits breads etc.

And also one about new refuges and upgrades to the VDLP route:

The Ourense province has just allocated 5 Million Euros to the betterment of the Camino facilities in the province, including the building of six new albergues: One each in “A Mezquita”, in “Vendas de Barreira”, in “Feces” in “Cualedro”, in “Campo Becerros” and in “Alariz”.
Ruben Lois, in charge of the project, declared that the province of Ourense aims to have a public albergue every 25 kilometers, in addition to the existing albergues and those in the City of Ourense itself.
Ourense is the last leg of one of the alternate endings of the Via de la Plata. Many Via de la Plata pilgrims opt to join the Camino Frances in Astorga, bypassing Ourense. This is possibly understandable since the Ourense route adds some kilometers to the Camino; on the other hand, the albergues there are not crowded and pilgrims who go through Ourense could not be better served. The city itself is very interesting; its Cathedral contains a second “Portico de Gloria” which maintains its original colorings, and a great many Camino treasures. The actual arrival in Santiago from Ourense crossing the river Ulla is enormously moving and spiritually significant…. particularly when compared to arriving in Santiago through industry-sated Lavacolla and its airport.
Ourense was deemed a city of “witches”, perhaps because of its sulphuric hot waters that spout everywhere. Many pilgrims arriving at Ourense take hot baths and swear that they become free from tiredness and aches. The nearby province of Pontevedra has also announced the allocation of one and a half million Euros to improve the facilities of the Camino that crosses the province. Their plans include the building of a new albergue at Castro Dazon. The above projects are expected to be completed by next year’s summer, in anticipation of the Xacobean Holy Year in 2010.
In Seville, meanwhile, there will be meetings and conferences at the end of May to discuss ways and means in which the province can improve, and promote, the Via de la Plata which, it is felt, is the oldest of the routes to Santiago, and the one more historically significant. The province of Seville fairly covers the whole of Andalucia, including Granada, Cordoba, Malaga, Cadiz (the oldest city, per se, in Europe), etc. The province is enormously influential, as is its government which sits in the provincial capital, the city of Seville. So much interest in the Via de la Plata has been evidenced there of late that I expect that their plans and contributions will be something else.
Sevillians appear to happily inhabit a universe of their own and rarely seem to take notice of other places and peoples, so the upsurge of interest in the Via is most unusual.
Even at the Macarena Confraternity meetings assistance to Via pilgrims has been mentioned, which is most surprising.

Santiagobis was rather quiet this week – the only post of interest was for a lost friend:
Our friend Peter Shaw ("Pete") began the Camino Frances on his bicycle on September ll, 2007 l5 kilometers southwest of Pamplona. By September l5th he was 80 kilometers from Burgos, and by Oct. 3rd he had found a nice alberga 25 kilometers out of Leon. The last E-Mail we got from him was on Oct. 3rd in which he wrote "..I finished the camino to Santiago and now onward to Finester". He also mentioned that he planned to do the Camino Portuguese by bike along the coast to Porto. He requested and we sent him $200 by Western Union to Porto for a new passport, and after that we never heard from him again. (Western Union says the money was cashiered, so he must have gotten it)
So Peter has been out of touch/missing for about 5 months now. Before this he was a very regular E-mail correspondent so it doesn´t make any sense ? Peter is a young-looking 56 yr. old Englishman of average height with blondish hair. He is an artist and often works on the street for tips. ´He spent several years in Barcelona working in the touristic ´barrio gothico´ and he has also traveled widely throughout Europe. Most recently he spent an extended period in Ireland. If you met Peter on the Camino or have any information about him that might help us locate him, please contact either one of us by E-mail:
Jaderge@...
Hadass33@...
Thank you very much and we sincerely hope that with your help we will soon find our friend Peter...
Hadass & Jacques

And - a past pilgrim, Jonathan Drane, has set up a website to find lost pilgrims:

http://www.jondrane.net/fp/Camino%20de%20Santiago-Find%20a%20Pilgrim.htm

On the Caminosantiago forum -The post with the most views and most replies was a request for members to name the one albergue that they would not like to have missed:

Gannon, Manjarin, Ruitelan, Torres del Ria, Casa Mari: Molinaseca - Meson el Palacio. the CSJ albergue at Rabanal. L'espirt du Chemin in St Jean Pied de Port and el Ganso,

I was really surprised that no-one recommended Hospital San Nicolas (where the monks was your feet) Ave Fenix at Villafranca del Bierzo, Eunate Santa Maria or even San Bol.

On the Via Francigena pilgrimage site there was news about a new look website for the AIVF and two new guides - the first English Guides for walking from Canterbury to Rome:

http://www.francigena.ch/newsite/index.php?lang=en

The 2 books are complete and available for distribution:

ISBN 9782917183014 "LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena Canterbury
to the Summit of the Great St Bernard Pass"

ISBN 9782917183021 "LightFoot Guide to the via Francigena - Summit of
the Great St Bernard Pass to St Peter's, Rome"
The listing of the books is being passed to Gardeners (wholesaler) and Amazon, but may take a couple of weeks for all listings to be updated. In the meantime there is a shop facility on:

http://pilgrimagepublications.com/UKShop/PayPal/ppbooks.html

The price is 23.99 GBP per volume. The total price compares
reasonably with the combined cost of the old VF Topos and Vademecum."

Snow and mud and Holy Communion

2008-03-29T20:02:00.009+02:00

Snow storms, snow photographs and a debate on whether Protestant pilgrims should take Holy Communion whilst on the camino dominated the forums this week.
There were photographs posted of 1.2m deep snow outside the Paderbon Albergue in Pamplona and of an Italian trying to shovel his car out of the snow. Check out the CaminoSantiago.com forum: http://www.caminosantiago.com/way_of_saint_james/pilgrims_forum.htm
A few pilgrims posted updates on the pilgrimage-to-santiago.com forum and one the 27th March a pilgrim said:

**Disappointed ... unable to start walk at Roncesvalles .. knee deep snow, and passover Pyrenees closed ... 17km, non-stop rain, sucking, slippery mud, rocky, wet paths, icy wind off snow slopes 400m away, mist, 2 degrees and less at times. .. What did i learn? keep a positive attitude, keep going in planned direction, team work is essential, value each others strengths, God is wonderful!! a smooth path is only good in fair weather, rocky paths are better in the long run.

On the :http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/ Forum:
**I just arrived in Cizur Menor a few hours ago. The weather is beautiful, about 65 degrees or so and blue, blue skies. I arrived in Spain on the 26th and stayed overnight in Pamplona. The next day I took the bus to Roncesvalles and attended the Mass there. It was wonderful! There was a lot of snow and the camino path was not passable. You had to follow the main rode to Zubiri and then you could get on the path there. Although there was a lot of mud, it was awesome.

**During my easter holidays in Asturias (Camino del Norte) was snowing during 40 hours!! Beautiful sights from my hotel.

On the Caminosantiago.com forum:

**Hi everybody! I´m now in Portomarín.It´s still wet and muddy.Going to wash all the things I´ve got ánd hope to get them dry. Greatest problem; my boots which were once waterproof are soaking wet.It´s very hard to dry them.

On the Santiagobis Forum there has been an on-going discussion about Holy Communion for Protestants on the Camino. One member posted advice from a priest that ruffled a few feathers!

**By all means go to communion if you are a regular communicant in your own church and can say ‘yes’ to this being the Body and Blood of Christ. After all, when you are walking the Camino, you are probably a long way off from receiving the sacrament from your own church! And surely everyone on pilgrimage has the proper disposition!

Before the moderator stepped in and asked members to take the debate off the forum there were some interesting replies:

**I think that this is very bad advice... I would not be so free in inviting non-Catholics to the Catholic communion rail.

**Non-Catholics may go to Mass, but mustn't receive the Communion. Receiving the Communion is reserved for Catholics.

**When it comes to Protestants who come to his days of retreat, a priest friend says that receiving the Eucharist is not a right, it is an invitation...

**If one church thinks it has a monopoly on God how are we ever going to re-unite the churches. The camino is inclusive and so is Christ. Those who stick to such rigid interpretation of the rules only risk further splits. If you go to Mass/Eucharist believing in Christ who has a right to
refuse you?

**My question is why would non-Catholics even want to take communion? Is it to feel part of the group? Is it to find out how dry the host is? Is it to mock the belief? Is it because without it you
won't have had a "full" Camino experience?

**It is important to remember that communion not exculsive to the Catholic church but is one of the two most important Christian sacraments. Perhaps what all Christian pilgrims are seeking is to be in Holy Communion with Christ whilst on their pilgrimage and, as there are practically no Protestant Churches in Spain, they seek out the obvious places - the houses of God. For them this is not a meaningless ritual but a very Holy liturgy.

**These parameters are not set up to create an exclusive society of people who have the right to receive. Rather, it is so that the Eucharist itself is properly respected and revered as well as we are able in this imperfect world.

**Following the parameters you give, no one, I mean no Roman Catholic person, would receive the Eucharist today. No one would ever be worthy of it. A question being, does one need to be worthy to receive the Eucharist, or does receiving the Eucharist make us worthy?

Eish! So many opinions - all because some Italian men in the 4th C decided to complicate matters by including tradtions and laws into the sacraments. Perhaps the best advice comes from the 12th C in a Latin Hymn called the La Pretiosa:

Its doors are open to the sick and well
to Catholics as well as to pagans,
Jews, Heretics, beggars and the indigent,
and it embraces all like brothers.