A few words from me today (July 27th 2020)

[ivar]

 

[Mary Doll]

Thanks for the update Ivar. Coming from the UK and hoping to start Camino Frances at end of August.

 

[Ekelund]

Thank you for the video. Strange to see the streets of Santiago so quiet.
May you and your family stay safe and healthy in these difficult times.
All the best to you.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Thanks for your video and update, Ivar. Weather looks beautiful.
Hope you and your family are safe & well.
Best wishes,
Anne & Pat

 

[Thomas1962]

Thanks for your weekly report, I realy look forward to it each time. It feels adequate and always with 'the feet on the ground'.

There was one thing you said @ivar that I would like to comment about, that was your recommendation to use booking as your only "friend" for finding open albergues.

Most Pilgrim accommodations are not on booking, for reasons. So also on this moment, I would not recommend booking as a good source. You will not find most of the open albergues on booking.

One of the reasons for our albergue not to be on booking is that is simply very expensive (15% of income), but besides there are many more. Personally I do not like to promote one platform who nearly has a monopoly. Besides, for the camino's there are many very good other guidebooks, websites and apps, written by people with love for the camino. Each of them is trying to give good reliable information about each albergue. Information you can trust, more then the "push" information which booking gives.

On this forum you find list of albergues who are open or not. A few of them are:
Camino Frances - Made by Gronze.com
Camino Frances - Made by Miam Miam Dodo.
Camino Primitivo - A PDF made by Raimund Joos
Camino del Norte - A link to a PDF list
Via de la Plata - Made by Via de la Plataguide
Besides, also on the wisely app you find open albergues.

As an example of the booking situation, here is a screenshot from Gronze from albergues at the part of the Primitivo after Lugo. From the 7 accommodations only the 2 B&B's are on booking, all the albergues are not. 5 out of the 7 accommodations are currently open.

 

[annandkerith]

Of course we are watching your videos, Ivar! And lamenting that we are stuck here in Australia with closed borders both internationally and intra-Australia. We had planned to walk the Camino Baztan plus some of the Aragonese in June; that may not even be possible in 2021. Virtual walking is OK but not the real thing at all.

 

[LouLou]

Yes Ivar we are watching from Australia, reading the updates each day, my camino from Porto cancelled in May. I send many good wishes and thoughts to Portugal and Spain, and hope our borders are open by October next year so I can finish my via de la Plata as planned. Keep safe everyone.