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

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

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

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

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!!!