13, 14, 15 SEPTEMBER - SAN ANTON

We woke up about 6am.  I had to use the loo so was the first up.  When I got back to the 'ice box'
the men were already dressed and Kevin had opened the big gates and the albergue doors.  Sunrise would only be just before 8am so we worked in candlelight, setting the table, boiling water on the gas stove, cutting bread for breakfast.  We spoke in whispers until 7am and then we started talking in normal tones as one by one the pilgrims started coming in for breakfast.

Once the pilgrims had left Kevin told me that they'd found occasional bed bugs, scourge of the Camino albergues, so he got me to help strip the beds, placing the sheets in large plastic basins so that they could be 'stewed' in boiling water to kill any bugs that might have been brought in by the pilgrims.  Every day he found a few bugs, either on the beds or on the walls at the back, so we carried all the mattresses out and examined them by brushing the seams and folds with a toothbrush.   They were then sprayed.   I didn't really know what bed bugs looked like but that day Kevin found a couple which he squashed before showing me.
Once that was done we shook each bunk bed to dislodge any bugs that might still be there, sprayed the floors and the walls and closed the door.  Then we had to spray all the blankets and put them in black bags in the sun.  After 30 minutes or so, I swept the dormitory using a dustpan so that I could check to see if there were any bugs.  This was painstaking, heavy work and I wasn't sure that two women would be able to continue with this regime once the men left.

As we started to carry the mattresses back into the room, Rebekah arrived with mattress and pillow covers and three large plastic containers.  YAY!  This meant that we would not have to carry the mattresses out every day and we'd be able to put the blankets into the containers in the sun.   Whilst we were treating the mattresses, blankets and linen, Robert was 'stewing' the sheets and we helped to hang them.  Robert liked to do the main room so I cleaned the shower and toilet and our container. 

During all this housework, pilgrims started arriving from nearby Hontanas at about 8am and we often stopped working to answer questions and to promote the albergue.  Kevin was really good at that!  He took his washing to the water pipe at the canal that ran alongside the ruins and solicited passing pilgrims - hence we were full nearly every night!  In the afternoon a dear little man by the name of Justi arrived.  He was standing in for the owner, Ovidio, who was away on holiday.  If we needed anything we could phone Justi at the hotel.

We had some great candlelight dinners using what we had in the pantry cupboard like pasta, lentils, chickpeas and rice with a salsa sauce and a salad.  Kevin got the pilgrims involved, some doing flowers for the table, some setting the table, others helping with preparation.  After dinner Kevin asked each person to pass a candle around and say thank you to the Camino.  There were some special moments when pilgrims got emotional or shared deeply personal information about why they were walking the Camino. 
The next morning a pilgrim who initially wasn't going to stay the night, told Kevin that he had caught his wife with his best friend and although he was still very angry and deeply hurt, his stay at San Anton had given him the courage to write to her and forgive her.  He had decided to stay at San Anton after I told him that it was a place of healing.

On the 15th Kristine from Australia arrived at around mid-morning.  She came bearing gifts as well as two large fruit cakes!  Robert and Kevin offered to show her the ropes and tell her about the different chores that had to be done. She shook her head, "My background is in nursing, and I am very good at delegating." She said.  Kevin gave me a raised eyebrows look.

Whilst I was hanging the sheets Marion and the rest of the group arrived.  I was so pleased to see them and even got a bit emotional about some of the hurting people who had stayed at the albergue.
 Kevin had his last day, staying to help us with the dinner before he left.  Robert spent the night with two ladies in the ice-box, nearly injuring himself when Kristine's head lamp fell down from the top bunk and landed underneath Robert's bed.  He tried to hang over the side of the bed and retrieve the torch but being a long, lanky fellow, ended doing a somersault, head first off the bed with his backside in the air and head under the bed!  We laughed so loud that the container shook!

8 SEPTEMBER - NAJERA

We chose to take the route to Ventosa where there is now a large café-bar at the entrance.  We stopped for a hot chocolate and I walked through the village to find the albergue San Saturnino where I had stayed in 2002 and in 2007 with Marion and Annelise. 

On the way we visited the cemetery which has a 13th c portal. 

These fabulous olive trees were in the grounds of a winery. 



 

A few km further we came across a wayside camper selling drinks and snacks.  Pilgrims are always grateful to see these 'informal' cafes especially on long sections between towns and villages. 

 I walked into Najera with Jeff and Connie and Marion was there to show us the way to the Hotel Hispano where I had stayed last year.  Anna was behind the desk, her sister was there with her two children and her father was cleaning cutlery in the kitchen.  Our luggage was in the foyer so I took out the little gifts I had brought for Anna, her parents and her sister's children.  I received hugs all round!

After checking in Marion and I decided to have a picnic in the park and bought a few snacks.  We met the others in the park and shared the Amarula, chips, cheese and olives.

 

Marion and I walked into the new town to look for the Cell-Mobile shop.  My Blackberry wasn't receiving emails and she had lost the little drawer for the Sim card in her iPad.  We found the shop but even though a very knowledgeable young lady fiddled and fussed over my phone for half an hour, she couldn't get the email function working.  Then she had a look at Marion's  iPad but didn't have the part.  She phoned ahead to Burgos but they also didn't have the part. 

 

 

We had walked two shortish days from Logrono but it would be 21km to Santo Domingo.  

Logroño Day Two - a legend on the Camino

I've never been shopping whilst on the Camino, besides buying a few souvenirs and  trinkets.  Today we caught the No 9 bus to the Decathlon store which is an enormous outdoors store on the outskirts of the town.   I bought a pair of waterproof trousers, a new waist bag (Finn's Jeep bag is just too bulky for me) and some trail food.
We caught the bus back to town and after lunch Marion and I visited the Apple store in search of a part for her ipad. By the time we got back to the hotel, the last in our group, Father Jeffrey Edmunds had arrived.
We met Connie and Moyra and the four of us walked out of Logroño on the Camino path to where Maria Medel sits at a table outside her house selling souvenirs and offering a stamp with the words "Figs, water and love" "Higos, agua y amor" as her mother, Felisa, had done before her.
I met Felisa in 2002 when she was almost 92 years old, a wizened,  almost blind woman who sat in the shade of a fig tree for almost 12 hours every day eeking out a living from donations from passing pilgrims.  She passed away in October that year and her daughter Maria took over from  her. I visit Maria whenever I am in Spain and sometimes send her little notes and gifts with South African pilgrims.
She was surprised to see me this time and there was much hugging and kissing. We all bought a little something from her table and before we left I was able to connect to You Tube to show her a short video a pilgrim had taken of her mother Felisa in June 2002.  Maria will be 83 in a couple of months. Can she continue to sit in the shade of the fig tree for another 10 years? When she passes on, will anyone take over the Felisa table to offer Figs, water and Love to passing pilgrims? If not, the Felisa stamp will become just another story in the tapestry so stories that makes up the modern Camino and we will be all the poorer.

4 June - Trradillos los Templarios

Kathy left quite early as it was going to be a 26km day to Terradillos. I decided to buy some groceries to take to Rebekah so walked to the Spar and the big supermercado DIA. I vacated the room at 10 and sat in the foyer doing emails and the blog.
The bus was at 11.51 so at 11.30 I strolled down to the bus stop outside the cafe bar.  I sat with Grace from Texas and who should come along but Patty and Sharon from Portland. When you reconnect with people who you've met further back on the trail, you are like long lost relatives!  (Fr Jeffrey, if you read this post Patty sends her love).
A German pilgrim came out of the bar in a state. She was due to fly home from Leon and had been told the bus was fully booked. I went into the bar and asked to buy a ticket to Terradillos.  "No, es completo" answered the bar man. They did not sell tickets on the bus so all tickets had to be pre-booked. We had found the same thing in Italy but so far in Spain this had not been the case. I told Grace I would have to take a taxi again today and an Italian pilgrim with a sore leg asked if he could share the taxi to Terradillos.  I went back to the barman and bought a ticket for the bus from Terradillos

to Sahgun tomorrow.
So, at 12pm Alberto and I shared a taxi (€30) to Terradillos. When I checked in I recognised the woman at the desk and told her that I had stayed here in 2007. The albergue was new then and she hadn't seen pilgrims from South Africa. We gave her one of the wire Santiago crosses I'd had made by a wire worker outside the Post Office. She pointed to the noticeboard behind her and there was the little cross, still hanging there

after 7 years amongst other gifts from pilgrims. I told her about AmaWalkers and she took me on a tour of the place.
Kathy arrived at about 1.30 so I phoned Rebekah and arranged for her to pick us up after 2pm.
When Reb arrived I felt a bit star-struck! I had seen her name on the Forums since Santiagobis days and subsequentky had followed her blog since she and Paddy moved to Moratinos. She gas written books, numerous articles on the Camino and is considered an authority on the Camino.
In 2008 Reb compiled an online Hospitaleros training course which I did as a pilot training exercise.   It wasn't accepted by HOSVOL (Hospitaleros Voluntarios) but on the strength of that, I was accepted to serve in an albergue in 2009. When I returned to South Africa, I became a Hosvol trainer and many South African trained volunteers have served in albergues in Spain.
Reb took us to a restaurant in Moratinos where we confused the owner with Kathy being allergic to fish and me being a vegetarian and not drinking wine. I'm sure he felt sorry for Reb with her high maintenance friends.

After lunch we walked around the edge of the village to see the many bodegas - like little Hobbit houses in the hillside.
Reb told us that she had two South African ladies staying the night and we were thrilled to find Sharon and Lin there. We ended up sitting around the table chatting until almost 7pm.
Reb drove us back to the albergue stopping at the memorial tree she planted for Philip,  the "Methodist Pilgrim" from the forum who died in May last year.

'Complete Your Camino' recce walk

amaWalkers Camino offer 22-day walks on three sections of the Camino Frances.  When we first planned the sections in 2010, most people wanted to start in St Jean and finish in Santiago so that they could earn a Compostela.  This meant splitting the 775km route into three sections.  We decided on walking 9 days from St Jean to Logrono, getting a bus to Burgos, Leon and Astorga then walking in the Irago Mountains and Bierzo Valley to Villafranca del Bierzo or Ambasmestas before being taxied over the Cebreiro hill to Samos and walking the last 130km to Santiago. This means walking almost half of the Camino Frances.

Over the last 3 years, many of those who have walked the amaWalkers Camino 22-day walk have asked if we could offer them a walk to 'Complete' their Camino by walking the sections they missed.  When I sent a suggested route to them - from Logrono to Astorga and Ambasmestas to Sarria - many asked if they could either continue walking to Santiago on a different route or walk to Finisterre from Santiago.  We agreed to offer both short routes as possible endings to their 'Complete Your Camino' walks in 2015.

Although I have walked the Camino Frances a few times, and have done the Camino Ingles and Finisterre route, I didn't stay in hotels and walked as little or for as long as I felt like doing each day.  When you plan for a group walk, you need consistent daily distances of about 20km and accommodation in pensions, hostales, hotels etc.  So, we need to walk the route again and check out the accommodation along the way.

From 25th May my friend Kathy and I  will do a reconnaissance walk of the new routes.  We will both walk the section from Logrono to Astorga, crossing the beautiful meseta.   Kathy will then get a bus to Villafranca del Bierzo and walk from there to Sarria.  I will get a bus to Ferrol and walk the Camino Ingles to Santiago. 

When I put this plan on Facebook, a few people asked if they could join me on the Camino Ingles walk, so now there are 6 of us, including 90 year-old 'Uncle Bob' from California, my husband, cousin, sister-in-law and Penelope from Oregon.  We will walk ± 10km per day from Ferrol to Santiago in 11 days.  Accommodation has been booked ahead and we will use luggage transfers.

In September, amaWalkers co-director and Group Leader Jenny Rooks, will do a 4 day recce walk from Santiago to Finisterre.   Once we have walked all of these sections, estimated daily stages, transport possibilities and checked the accommodations we will offer the walks in May 2015.

I am leaving in 8 days time and will arrive in Spain on 21st May. Before Kathy arrives I will be visiting friends we have made of hotel, pension, B&B and Gite owners in St Jean, Viscarret, Zubiri, Estella and Logroño. 

I am not well prepared for this walk.  A month ago I got Shingles on my face and scalp which knocked the stuffing out of me. Then I had to go on a diabolical drug to reduce a swelling in my right retina.  The side effects include dizziness, nausea and reflux, diarrhea and pins and needles in the tongue and fingers.  I haven't been able to do any long walks for over 5 weeks.  I will finish this medication 3 days before I fly from Durban and I'm hoping and praying that most of it will be out of my system before I go. 

Day 4: Portomarin to Gonzar

Day 4:
The Irish lady had a fever and hot sweats and there was no way she could walk in the cold today so I got to walk with the group again, which was lovely.   

It was a long climb up from the bridge, through the forest to where the path joins the road at a brick factory. There is nowhere to stop between Portomarin and Gonzar (8km) so we enjoyed the scenery and the path  which followed the road for most of the way. The heavy rains of the last few days (months?) had made the path very muddy in parts and we did some road walking as well.
Reinette was feeling a little shaky today and could feel a migraine coming.  Janet's knee had started to hurt on the down hills: Pat felt the cold terribly but by dressing in layers she was able to brave walking with the group.

We arrived at Gonzar and all ordered hot drinks and food. David, our taxi-man came to collect us and take us back to Portomarin.

Day 2: Morgade to Mercadoiro

Day 2
The morning was cold and grey. The Irish lady was in two minds about walking. She had sweated throughout the night and her head was pounding. "I feel as though I have done a few rounds with Mike Tyson" she said.  The taxis came for us at 9am and dropped us off at Morgade.  Belin would take our baggage to Portomarin.
She and I would try a km or two whilst the others walked on. We walked a few steps, stopped, walked a few more, stopped.  She sat on the walker and I pushed her where it was flat but even a slight incline exhausted her and she was too heavy for me to push uphill.  After an hour or so, and probably not more than a km, she was feeling weak so I called a taxi.

We arrived at the Pension but the room wasn't ready so we went to a café-bar in the square and had a hot drink.  They advertised that they had rooms and while we were there a German couple arrived and asked for a room but the young man told them they were full - completo. He offered to find them a room elsewhere and started phoning around.
Albergue Ultreia is uphill from the square and Pension Caminante (where she and Reinettte shared a room) is in a side street before the Albergue. When her room was ready I took her back to the Pension. The bathroom was a wet-room, especially designed for people with disabilities.  The toilet was so high that she could barely get onto it.  The shower area had no curtain and the water went all over the floor making it slippery and dangerous.  Understandably she wasn't very happy with it.
Jose arrived with the baggage from Sarria and I was able to check into our rooms.
I took the room with a double bunk and the others had double rooms.  The owners are a lovely family.  Warm and kind they made us feel welcome and their two charming daughters made a point of introducing themselves and welcoming us to their albergue.
By lunch time the albergue was full as was the one across the road. Pilgrims spoke of full albergues in most small and large towns and of having to walk long distances to find beds.  "More pilgrims are booking rooms ahead," said one pilgrim, "and this means there are no beds left for us".  Another pilgrim defended his right to book beds at private albergues or pensiones.  "Who is 'us'? He asked. "Am I and  my wife not part of the pelgrims? We knew that the Camino is going to be busy in May so I booked my beds" he said.  "We are all pelgrims - we are all 'us'. when you go on holiday you cant expect special treatment when you arrive and the hotel is full."  I left the dining room as others joined in and the discussion became heated.
The others arrived back from their walk and settled into their rooms. It started raining and we spent most of the day in the albergue.

At 5pm we got taxis to take us to Vilacha where we had a lovely meal with Gordon Bell in Casa Banderas. We met Johan from Cape Town and two German girls who arrived as we were leaving. It was raining again and the forecast was for much of the same the next day.

URBAN LEGENDS

There are many legends about James the Greater, and urban-legends (those that developed after the discovery of the saint's tomb in the 9th century).  Most of them show that the story about the Jew Yakhov Ben-Zebedee having evangelised in Spain, being buried in Compostela, and being seen at a battle fighting the Moors, are just that - medieval legends. 

However, there is a saying that 'the path is made by walking'  and knowing the truth about the St James legend will never cancel out the long history of the pilgrimage to a cathedral town named after him, nor will it deter most people from feeling 'called' to walk in the footsteps of the millions that have trodden the paths to Santiago.

But remember, there is another saying, that 'the truth will set you free'. Knowing the truth can set you free to follow the Camino pilgrimage trails your way, as a lover of art and architecture, history, music or cuisine, as a long distance hiker, or just as a nice long holiday. You are not a superstitious   medieval peasant and do not have to follow the Camino in the medieval, penitential tradition if you don't want to!  Today, only Catholics can earn an indulgence for the remission of sins.  If you are a Protestant, you were set free by the first 'protestors' at the start of the Reformation.

El Camino –  urban legends 

       1.      The Jew , Yaakov Ben-Zebedee evangelised in Spain.

The basis for this legend can be found in the late seventh century Latin translation of a Byzantine Greek compendium called the Breviary of the Apostles which asserted - with the words "and Spain" - that James evangelized in Iberia.  When this text was at last critically edited in 1988, it became clear these two little words were a later interpolation by someone (not the original author) who wanted to make the text consistent with then-prevalent beliefs. The words don't even make sense in the context where they appear. (Kate van Liere, Professor of History)

    2.      The story that his decapitated body was carried to Iberia from Jaffa in 6 days, across the Mediterranean,  in a stone boat with no sails, blown across the seas by angels. 

Obviously a legend. No clarrification needed!

3.      The story that he is buried in Santiago Cathedral is a legend.

In France alone, there were three tombs containing the body or body parts of St James. There were nine with heads and numerous others with limbs o other appendages. According to an earlier tradition, the relics of the Apostle were kept in the church of St-Saturnin at Toulouse from the 6th century and his left hand was the prime relic in Reading abbey. There are legends that claim that the body of James the Greater had been taken to Spain minus his head.  John of Wiirtzburg, writing about 1165, says the head remained in Palestine and was regularly shown to pilgrims.

      5.      Bishop Godesalc started a flood of pilgrims to the tomb of St James which created an historical ‘Camino’ to Santiago from Le Puy.

The fact that Bishop Godescalc was the first famous pilgrim to visit Santiago in the Xth century was not not known until 1886 – a thousand years after his visit.  All documents relating to his visit were lost and only rediscovered in 1886.  The Le Puy route is a modern footpath reinvented at the start of the 1970s on a decidedly fragile historical base following a GR hiking trail with places to visited selected subjectively. http://www.saint-jacques.info/anglais/lepuy.htm

6.      The Liber Sancti Jacobi was the first Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago.

The Liber Sancti Jacobi was never a ‘Rough Guide’ for the literate few to Santiago and was unknown in Europe in the Middle Ages.  Only a few copies were made – the 12^th century, 14th, late 15th, early 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.  These were only read by the clerics and historians who had access to the monastery library. The original Codex Calixtinus is an enormous book which was only re-discovered in 1886.  Until it was stolen 2011 it was kept in the Cathedral at Santiago.  The name Pilgrim Guide was given to it early in this century.

7.    Aimery Picaud was the author of  Book Five of the Liber Sancti Jacobi

Aymery Pi­caud became the ‘author’ of Book Five of the Liber Sancti Jacobi only in the 19^th century.  His name appears only twice in the entire Liber Sancti Ja­cobi, both times in the addenda to the five books. The book is a compilation of many different writers.

8.  Millions of pilgrims have been trekking to Santiago in a continuous stream for over a thousand years.

As a European phenomenon, the pilgrimage to Santiago enjoyed only bout 300 years of glorious hey-days from the 10th century - reaching a peak in the 12th and 13th centuries.  There was a sharp decline from the 14th century with about 400 years of extremely lean days (and a brief revival in the 1700’s).   When the relics of the saint were ‘lost’ in 1589 the pilgrims stopped coming in any number and stayed away for almost 400 years.  The dissolution of the monasteries and the abolition or transformation of refuges and hospitals reduced the pilgrim routes of the Christian West and Compostela vanished from the mind of non-Spanish Catholicism.  By the Holy Year of 1867 St James' shrine was all but forgotten and only 44 pilgrims attended mass on his feast day.  The ‘Camino’ as we know it was revived in the late 1970’s and early 1908’s

    9.  Santiago Matamoros was seen at the battle of Clavijo in 844

This was a legend, created in the 12^th century

    10.   St James’ Feast Days have always been on 25^th July. 

The burial site of St James was discovered on the 25th July, between 813 and 835.   In the early Middle Ages the 30^th December was St James’ Feast day, based on the old Hispanic (Mozarabic) rite.  In the 11th century King Alfonso VI abolished the Hispanic rite in favour of the Roman rite and July 25 became the principal feast day.  It was formerly on the 5^th August on the Tridentine Rite calendar.

11.  Pope Calixtus II granted a Jubilee (Holy Year) to Compostela in 1122 which was ratified in 1179 by Pope Alexander III as a perpetual Bull by Regis Aeterni.

Santiago historians and academics say that Compostela Holy Years only started in the 15th Century. 

12.  Medieval pilgrims were all poor, foot sloggers who trudged enormous distances to Santiago.

Nobleman and women, Knights, clerics with large retinues, Kings and Queens all travelled to Santiago.  The great majority of pilgrims (outside of Spain) sailed to Galicia rather than make the long, dangerous journey overland. Most of them travelled in the Holy Years. It was possible to travel in comfort if one could afford it. Fit pilgrims often travelled by foot or on horseback and by the 15^th century enterprising carters had already started acting as travel agents. In 1595 the Englishman Fynes Moryson paid 17 crowns (probably each at 80 Kreuzer) for a journey from Augsburg to Venice to a carter who provided horses, accommodation and food.   
 

      13.  The Compostela is a ‘get-out-of-jail’ certificate.

The modern Compostela was introduced in the 1950’s though no records of it exist before the 1970’s.  The Compostela is merely a certificate asserting that one has arrived in Santiago after walking the last 100km or cycling the last 200km.  The 'get-out-of-jail’ paper is an Indulgence - often confused with the Compostela - is only available to Catholic pilgrims who visit the tomb of the apostle, make confession, attend mass, recite a prayer (such as the Creed or the Lord's Prayer praying for His Holiness the Pope) in order to earn the indugence.

14.    Pilgrimage has always been viewed as a pious and reverential journey.

 

At first, pilgrims and pilgrimages inspired admiration and even astonishment. After the reformation, the cult of relics (regarded as disgusting and deceiving) and the veneration of saints became non-pc throughout most of Europe.  If, as Luther argued, Christ had died for your sins, no intervention of saints was necessary, so why go on a pilgrimage?  Why leave your homes, your work, your families to bow down before a fragment of a dubious relic? 

Pilgrims were viewed with suspicion.  The religious wars started and many atrocities were recorded by both sides. 

"By the 16^th century  a great part of the European population was descending to the level of paupers. The problem of the millions of poor people in the cities and on the roads, countless offences against property, acts of violence by vagabonds and beggars, and bands of robbers or banditism as Fernand Braudel called it, inevitably led the authorities to intervene. In the long run bureaucracy engulfed the pilgrims. What was worse, all parts of the population began to mistrust and despise pilgrims, to the detriment of the custom of pilgrimage. Once again "falsos peregrines" (false pilgrims) made their appearance on the road to Compostela; the unemployed, vagabonds, beggars and those who owed taxes made use of the charitable establishments along the way. Once again the state reacted by bringing out strict laws to prevent its subjects from migrating. " Robert Plotz

ts the journey that is important, not the destination. (This is a Buddhist quote)

     

      This is an original Buddhist quote and would have horrified most Catholic pilgrims in the Middle- Ages whose prime goal was to reach the tomb of the saint in Compostela and earn thet 'get-out-of-jail' card. The Santiago Archdiocese website makes it quite clear that (for good Catholics at least) the journey is not the goal. "The most  important thing here is the Goal, not the Way.  Jacobean Pilgrims do not go on pilgrimage for the sake of the Way. Through the Way they reach the Tomb of Saint James the Great. Thus, the Way is just a means, a road the pilgrim walks along."

The Bible:   Acts 12: 

And he [Herod Agrippa] had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

The legend:

The disciples of Yaakov ben-Zebedee took his body to Jaffa (Tel-Avivi) where a stone boat, guarded by angels, awaited them.  The boat, which had no sails, took less than a week to sail to the west coast of Spain and landed at the port of Iria Flavia (near Padron).  They laid his body on a stone which immediately formed into his sarcophagus.  He was buried on a hillside.  The burial site was forgotten for almost 800 years. 

On the 25^th July, in the 9th century AD (between 813 and 835) a hermit named Pelayo had a vision of a large bright star surrounded by a circle of smaller stars hovering above a place on a hillside.  He reported his vision to Bishop Theodomir of Iria Flavia who decided to investigate and discovered a tomb containing the body of the Saint and two of his followers Athanasius and Theodore. 
Q:  How did they identify the bodies? 
A:  There was a letter lying near the body.   [Nobody has ever seen this letter which must have been written 800 years earlier so they are not sure what language it was written in but the Bishop was able to read it all the same.]  It said:

' Here lies Santiago, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St. John, whom Herod beheaded in Jerusalem : he came by sea borne by his disciples to Iria Flavia of Galicia, and from thence on a car drawn by the oxen of the Lady Lupa, owner of these states, whose oxen would not pass any further.’ 

 Nobody can, or wants to, take Santiago out of Compostela.

“To take St. James the Greater out of those centuries in which faith ran riot and life glowed with fancy, and in which the world prepared itself for an outburst of art and literature and vision beyond aught that antiquity knew, is not only to leave significant movements in history beclouded, but also to lessen the charm of the past, and to lose much of its hope and inspiration”.
Rev. James S. Stone (The Cult of Santiago, 1927)

Note: Some photographs are mine, some are copied from Wiki Commons.

Com-pan-eros on el Camino

A pilgrim walking alone will meet lots of other pregrinos on the trail - one never needs to feel alone. 
Walking with a friend or in a group adds a new dimension to walking a long distance trail and I love it!  I first walked with a group of 10 women in 2001 on the Coast to Coast walk across England.  We were free to linger longer in small villages it we wanted to or stay with the group.  Mostly we all stuck together.  It was a wonderful experience and the camaraderie and caring made the walk memorable.

In 2006 five friends walked the Via Francigena - five women, average age 55 - and it was a marvelous experience.  With five pairs of eyes looking out for markers and signs we didn't get lost, not once!  When one person was feeling a bit flat, the others rallied and helped her through. 
In May and June a group of amaWalkers walked about 350km of the Camino Frances from Roncesvalles to Santiago. 14 people strung out along the Camino during the day, came together at night for a communal meal filled with laughter and stories of the day. During the day one might meet up with members of the group and walk with them - or not. We shared plasters, pain killers, bread, fruit, water. Sitting outdoors in the evening after a long day walking, sipping wine, comparing sights seen and people met is almost 'gospel-like'.

 One can imagine medieval pilgrims doing exactly the same thing over the centuries.  Medieval pilgrims mostly walked in groups, for safety and security, and for companionship.  Various guilds and brotherhoods appointed guides to lead groups of pilgrims to Santiago.  The Knights of Santiago appointed Saint Bona of Pisa an official guide after leading a large number of pilgrims on the long and dangerous thousand-mile journey to Compostela. She successfully completed the trip nine times. Despite being ill at the time, she took and completed a tenth trip, and returned home to Pisa, dying shortly thereafter in the room she kept near the church of San Martino in Pisa, where her body has been preserved to the present day.
A Catholic Bishop once said:“Solitude is necessary and often welcome on the Camino but there are times when we need com-pan-eros, the ones we eat bread with.Bread is so evident at Spanish meals, not only those wonderful bocadillos, but the bread that comes with everything you eat.As the Spaniards say “Com pan y vino, ande el camino”.With bread and wine we walk the camino!A companion is someone we share bread with, not just the edible type but also the bread of our experiences and the many insights, revelations and learnings that we consume as we walk along the Way."
I am looking forward to sharing bread, wine and experiences with this wonderful group on our journey along el Camino to Santiago de Compostela.

2010 – HOLY YEAR IN SANTIAGO BOOKING ACCOMMODATION ON THE CAMINO

Photo credit:  Tour Spain

If you are concerned about overcrowding on the camino next year, you could book all, or some of your rooms ahead of time.  You can do it yourself, via a hotel chain website, or through a tour operator.

Many tour operators that normally only provide complete packages – guided or non-guided tours, luggage transfer, accommodation and food on the camino trails – are prepared to help pilgrims in 2010 by offering to book their accommodation on the camino. Regular package services are also available. (For a more comprehensive list of tour operators, including art tours, coach tours, cycle, fly-drive-paradors etc., visit the CSJ of UK website here. )

Here are a few operators that you can contact to book all or some of your accommodation for you next year:

TOUR OPERATORS

Camino Travel Centre

The Camino Travel Centre in Santiago will help you book rooms along your camino route and can help with reserving bus, train or flight tickets. They also provide 60 days storage facilities for excess baggage. You can contact them at: frank@caminotravelcenter.com or ivar.rekve@gmail.com or visit their website at: www.caminotravelcenter.com/

Follow The Camino

They specialise in walking and cycling holidays along the many different routes of the Way of St James. They select hotels and guesthouses based on their comfort, character, facilities and convenience to the Camino. For further information, you can contact them by phone on +353 1 443 3972 or by email info@followthecamino.com See website for information on our trips, news and special offers: http://www.followthecamino.com/

Fresco Tours:

They have been working on the Camino since 1999 and are very familiar with all the hotels and providers along the trail. They would be delighted to assist any pilgrims with their travel needs! For more information on their scheduled, full service guided tours of the Camino, please contact them: alex@frescotours.com  http://www.frescotours.com/tours_camino_de_santiago_10.asp

Frontier Holidays:

Guiding and helping folk to independently walk the Camino for a decade. Affordable family run accommodation. Luggage transfers, maps, route notes and useful tips. Tailor made self guided and Guided holidays can be seen at:  http://www.frontierholidays.net/ info@frontierholidays.net

Iberian Adventures:

They provide an accommodation booking service, as well as help planning itineraries, arranging transfer of luggage from overnight stop to overnight stop or even taxis to get to and from lodgings if need be. They can arrange a range of accommodations, from some private albergues all the way up to the most luxurious lodgings available along the way. http://www.iberianadventures.com/   jd@iberianadventures.com

Outdoor Travel Pty Ltd 

http://www.outdoortravel.com.au/
Australian based walking holiday travel specialists Outdoor Travel Pty Ltd has been helping pilgrims, walkers or cyclists to secure accommodation & assistance with luggage transfers on the Camino for over 8-years. The staff have experienced the Camino first hand and offer several routes from Le Puy in France to Santiago (the French route), the Camino Portuguese, the Primitivo & Norte & the route to Finisterre.  For information & assistance see the website www.outdoortravel.com.au or email info@outdoortravel.com.au :  You can also call to talk to them personally on +61 (03) 57501441.
Spanish Adventures:

Camino de Santiago, Self guided. I am an Australian living in Santiago de Compostela and have been working as a guide on the Camino since early 2003. As well as guided trips, I offer self guided trips on the various caminos, organizing your accommodation (with dinners usually provided in the smaller towns), and bag transfers so you only need to carry a small day pack. Stages are worked out according to your requirements and experience, and accommodation is selected according to your budget, in general using good quality local accommodation. I provide maps and suggestions on places for lunches and coffee breaks, and labels for your bags each day to ensure your bags arrive at your accommodation. See my website for more info. http://www.spanishadventures.com/ Contact Garry at garry@spanishadventures.com

Totally Spain

Totally Spain is an established and reputable Spain Travel Agent dedicated to planning and organising quality, customised travel and tours in Spain for independent travellers and groups since 1999.
We provide an accommodation booking service along the camino in hotels and B&B´s.  http://www.totallyspain.com/spain_travel.asp  info@totallyspain.com

Iacobus Bono (In Galicia)

A tourist service designed specifically for the Camino de Santiago spending each night in a different rural home. The price includes accommodation, dinners, breakfasts and car transportation from the rural settlements to the beginning and end of each stage. Also available, as an optional service, is a picnic lunch, luggage transfer and accommodation in Santiago de Compostela.

All cottages cooperating in Iacobus Bonus offer excellent accommodation with a family welcome and outstanding gastronomy, and are very close to the points of arrival of each stage. The Bono Iacobus can be purchased throughout the year except during the month of August and Easter. http://www.turgalicia.es/iacobus/bono.asp?cidi=E


DO YOUR OWN BOOKINGS:

Turespana’s Guide to Accommodation:

In 2004 the tourism institute of Spain - Turespana - published an official guide of hostals, pensions, hotels, and camping sites on the Camino called "Guia Oficial de Hoteles y Campings del Camino de Santiago". It is available in French, German, Spanish and English and lists all accommodation authorized by the appropriate municipal and national tourism authorities. Obtainable free of charge in any tourist office or from TOURSPAIN :  E-mail: manuel.jurado@tourspain.es

Top Tour of Spain

Their website provides a link to inns, hostels, pensions, hotels, paradors, monasteries and apartments, which they believe offer the best rates going.

http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/hotel-information-for-spain.html
http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/Camino-de-Santiago-walking-tours.html

Hotel Asturias: 
Visit our website for making reservations on the Internet for all our hotels with the best price available, because there is no middleman and we don't charge a commission. This may be very useful for all pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela this year, especially as many of our hotels have launched special rates and services for pilgrims. http://www.ehotelesasturias.com/ 



Find accommodation in Guide books:

The CSJ (Confraternity of St James) in the UK sells excellent, annually up-dated Pilgrim Guides for all the routes, which are good value at ± £5 and light enough to carry: http://www.csj.org.uk/

A more comprehensive guide to the Camino Frances, Caminho Portugues and Fininsterre routes are the John Brierley guides. Available online at http://www.caminoguides.com/ and through Amazon.

These and other guide books offer names and contact details for ‘other accommodation’ in the towns and villages including inns, hotels, casa rurals etc.

Camino websites with lists of alternative accommodation:

http://www.jakobusfreunde-paderborn.eu/Download.html   In German but with lots of accommodation on the camino Frances.

http://www.caminosantiago.com/  Click on Lodging

http://www.mundicamino.com/MenuHospedaje.cfm?id=HOTELES&startrow=1&pag=40&primer=37 Links to hotels in all regions

Lists of Albergues

 

http://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/federacion/inicio.asp

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergues/

http://www.mundicamino.com/

http://todosloscaminosdesantiago.com/caminofrances-albergues

http://www.jacobeo.net/


Private albergues  (Many private albergues can also be booked in advanced)

http://www.redalberguessantiago.com/documents/211.html

Free, download leaflet with all the albergues on the Camino Frances including the Private albergues that can be reserved ahead.  One can also have baggage transported to most of the private albergues.

If any of these companies do not offer to book beds ahead, please let me know so that I can remove their details from this post.
Disclaimer:  I do not endorse, nor am I in any way connected with the companies listed above.  This post is merely a resource for people who might want to reserve some or all of their accommodation next year.