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Need Forum Input on Daily Meet-up in Santiago

peregrina2000

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As some of you know, last year we tried to get the ball rolling to have a place where forum members could go every day at a certain time with the hope of meeting other forum members there. The Tertulia cafe was the chosen place -- it's a 5 minute walk from the cathedral (and even closer than that to the new pilgrims office). The owner John Henry speaks perfect English and the quality of food and drink is excellent. 7 pm was the appointed hour. The Tertulia is open 7 days a week, and Ivar has left a little forum table stand there along with a journal for people to write in.

I wouldn't say it's been a smashing success. I arrived last year in mid July and went there twice but found no one. Others have had better luck. Here are some of the threads.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...forum-meetup-in-santiago-de-compostela.32183/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...eting-place-pictures-from-the-tertulia.32770/

Since I couldn't figure out how to set up a poll with more than one question, I thought I'd do it the old fashioned way. Would you mind responding to the following questions. My hope is that maybe with some tweaking, we'd have more success. (And if your answer to question #1 is a "no", I'd like to know that too, because maybe there just isn't enough interest to bother with this). Thanks, everyone. And any other input on this is most welcome. Buen camino, Laurie

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago?
2. What time of day would be best?
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way?
 
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1. Yes, I certainly would.
2. 17h00 would be a good time for me.
3. No.
 
1. We did.
2. 17.00 is a better time
3. Distance is relative to where accommodation is and is 'nearer' now when the Pilgrims Office has moved.

So same place but different time is maybe the answer. :)
 
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1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago? Yes.
2. What time of day would be best? I agree with @petro and @Tia Valeria - 17.00 sounds good.
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way? No, it's a great cafe and worth a visit even if no one else turns up.

Thanks Laurie and Ivar for setting this up. As I posted elsewhere, I went a few times but didn't meet anyone. That didn't bother me at all - there are lots of variables involved and no guarantee that other forum members will be in Santiago, or free/willing to meet on any given day. Meeting others would be a very happy coincidence, though.

Edit/PS - to avoid future confusion, it might be helpful to start a new thread and lock the old ones when the details are finalised.
 
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1. Been there, done that, will do it again
2 7 pm was good for me - pre dinner. But equally 5 or 6 pm would be OK
3. It seems a bit of a hike the first time, but in actual fact really is only 5 minutes or less from the cathedral.

I think I went three times in all. Before and after walking to the coast. I was unlucky but would love to meet up with forum members.
 
I don't think I'll be back in Santiago anytime soon but if I were to be here are my answers:

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago? Yes.
2. What time of day would be best? 1700 would be good. 1900 on Fridays would be bad.
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way? No, I don't think so.
 
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Yes.
1700 seems a good hour.
I have no idea where that particular cafe is but I'm sure I could find it.
 
I did not get there on my last visit to Santiago because the time was wrong for me; I was always doing something else. 1700 (5pm) would be better for me - althought breakfast would be better still. I'm always on the lookout for a good place for that first cafe con leche, and I love to linger at that time.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
As some of you know, last year we tried to get the ball rolling to have a place where forum members could go every day at a certain time with the hope of meeting other forum members there. The Tertulia cafe was the chosen place -- it's a 5 minute walk from the cathedral (and even closer than that to the new pilgrims office). The owner John Henry speaks perfect English and the quality of food and drink is excellent. 7 pm was the appointed hour. The Tertulia is open 7 days a week, and Ivar has left a little forum table stand there along with a journal for people to write in.

I wouldn't say it's been a smashing success. I arrived last year in mid July and went there twice but found no one. Others have had better luck. Here are some of the threads.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...forum-meetup-in-santiago-de-compostela.32183/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...eting-place-pictures-from-the-tertulia.32770/

Since I couldn't figure out how to set up a poll with more than one question, I thought I'd do it the old fashioned way. Would you mind responding to the following questions. My hope is that maybe with some tweaking, we'd have more success. (And if your answer to question #1 is a "no", I'd like to know that too, because maybe there just isn't enough interest to bother with this). Thanks, everyone. And any other input on this is most welcome. Buen camino, Laurie

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago?
2. What time of day would be best?
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way?



1. Yes : )

2. 1700 is fine.

3. It seems really crowded in there. I was uncomfortable inside--too much "buzz". Sorry; just my take.
 
1. Yes : )

2. 1700 is fine.

3. It seems really crowded in there. I was uncomfortable inside--too much "buzz". Sorry; just my take.

Thanks, Deb, I knew someone had once said it was really crowded inside, but I just couldn't remember who it was. So maybe it was you. I wonder if this is generally the case or if it was unusual. Did others have the same experience?

I stayed in an apt. down the street from the Tertulia several years ago when I volunteered in the pilgrims' office and went there frequently. I don't remember it ever being busy. Once when I was skyping with my son at around 9 pm at night on a weekend, the main part was full, but John Henry told me to go into the adjacent small room where there was noone (probably seating for 12). I thought that room would be perfect for our Forum group.

The other thing is that 5 pm is likely to be much less crowded, that's a real down time for Spanish bars and cafés.

I have no interest in choosing the Tertulia over any other place, so if others have a better idea, I'm happy to try an alternative.
 
I guess I was lucky to have had a meetup with 2 other forum members when I went to the Tertulia last June!

1. Yes!
2. 1700 is a good time.
3. the location was easy to find and a nice bar.

I'll be back in October :)
 
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1. Yes
2. not sure. 1700 to 1900 seem okay.
3. I don't think so, but I haven't been there. It looks close enough if one is staying close to the cathedral.
 
1) yes
2)17:00
3)location is fine
Hope to be there in May.
 
Sorry, a mistake in my previous post

1 Yes, definitely.
2 Early evening
3 Location sounds ideal

Alex
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I was there 4 days in a row last year, May. Noone else. I was a bit disappointed by that.

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago? Yes.
2. What time of day would be best? 1700.
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way? No, I don't think so. It is only a short walk from the Cathedral.
 
Alex, just a question. What does "early evening" mean to you? To the average Spaniard, it probably means 8-9 pm, to me it means 5 or 6. :)
Ha..apologies for being unclear in my earlier comment. For us "Scots" early evening would suggest 19.00 to 20.00.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I haven't yet got to Santiago but am not sure why one would 17.00 as a good time. One may have just arrived and be trying to find a bed, one may have been there a day or two and be asleep, why not have it at some sociable 'Spanish' hour like 8-9 before dinner? Or else at breakfast time or lunchtime? No idea about the location but anything in and around the cathedral seems pretty sensible. Hope to drop in in early June if it's still going on.
 
1. yes, I will go when I'm there in October
2. 17 or 19 hours works for me
3. Don't know where it is but I'm sure i will find it. After walking 800k near or far has a complete new meaning.
 
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Hoping to be there late May and;

1. Yes (already noted in my guidebook)
2. 1700 or 1900 would be ok for me
3. I agree with Christian above, how can a 5 min walk be too far after 800km
 
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1. Yes, we did but no other forum members when we were there last June.
2. 1700 would be good.
3. It's a fine location and wasn't at all busy when we were there.
 
1. I have and hope to again!
2. Either breakfast or morning tea (say 9) or 5-ish.
3. After all that walking? Hardly.

I like the Tertulia a lot--perhaps it us the good tea and wholemeal croissants? I went a few times at 7PM and it was never too buzzy--and was one of the lucky ones to actually meet up with Forum members.
Laurie, also resurecting the suggestion made in the summer to announce intentions and coordinate here--that way the meeting could be whenever is convenient for whomever happens to be in Santiago.
 
1. I might, and I might not. Although I really enjoy the forum and have learned a lot from others here, I'm guessing that I might be in another groove when I get to Santiago and it might not be a priority. I do think it would be nice to meet up with other forum folks en route, though. As for "perfect English," I hope I won't be specifically seeking that out by that point!
2. I'm guessing that breakfast would be better, but, again, it's hard to project as this will be my first Camino.
3. No idea, but I doubt it.
 
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Seems that the 19.00 timeslot interferes with those wishing to attend the Pilgrim's Mass at 19.30. Bearing that in mind would it be worth thinking about having the meetup directly after the Mass maybe? This would serve as a "drink before dinner" plan as already suggested above.
1. Yes
2. After Pilgrim's Mass
3. As someone else said, it is all relative to where people are staying, IMO.
 
1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago?
Yes!
2. What time of day would be best?
Afternoon or evening.
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way?
The location is OK.

Ultreia!
 
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As some of you know, last year we tried to get the ball rolling to have a place where forum members could go every day at a certain time with the hope of meeting other forum members there. The Tertulia cafe was the chosen place -- it's a 5 minute walk from the cathedral (and even closer than that to the new pilgrims office). The owner John Henry speaks perfect English and the quality of food and drink is excellent. 7 pm was the appointed hour. The Tertulia is open 7 days a week, and Ivar has left a little forum table stand there along with a journal for people to write in.

I wouldn't say it's been a smashing success. I arrived last year in mid July and went there twice but found no one. Others have had better luck. Here are some of the threads.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...forum-meetup-in-santiago-de-compostela.32183/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...eting-place-pictures-from-the-tertulia.32770/

Since I couldn't figure out how to set up a poll with more than one question, I thought I'd do it the old fashioned way. Would you mind responding to the following questions. My hope is that maybe with some tweaking, we'd have more success. (And if your answer to question #1 is a "no", I'd like to know that too, because maybe there just isn't enough interest to bother with this). Thanks, everyone. And any other input on this is most welcome. Buen camino, Laurie

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago?
2. What time of day would be best?
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way?


I dont know if this helps but I always set up meets with my Camino Family at the Fontana Quintana (The one with the horses heads) in the square seperating the Cathedral and the Pilgrims Office. We recognize each other by site of course but the location can't be missed.
1. I would attend a forum meeting if it was located in a recognizable site close to the Cathedral or Pilgrims Registry Office..
2. After the Pilgrims mass would be ideal.
3. Not sure where it is. Would the bar at the Hostal/Parador Dos Reis Catholicos be an option? Not sure they would accomodate Ivars material.
 
1. I might, and I might not. Although I really enjoy the forum and have learned a lot from others here, I'm guessing that I might be in another groove when I get to Santiago and it might not be a priority. I do think it would be nice to meet up with other forum folks en route, though.

My sense is that this is the reason that many people just don't feel like going to meet with forum members at the end of the walk. And my unscientific survey indicates that it's the people who walk the untraveled caminos, and who are less likely to come into Santiago with a "camino family" and less likely to be able to walk through Santiago and run into many people they've met along the way -- those are the people who would like the opportunity to connect with forum members the most. On my last camino I met probably a total of 6 pilgrims over 5-6 weeks walking. Luckily, I was able to connect up with ONE of them in Santiago!

But anyway, it is starting to look to me like maybe we should give 17h (5:00 pm) a try. Hope to hear from more of you! Buen camino, Laurie
 
No one there when I went and I would go again.
I agree that 17:00 may be a more agreeable time for people, fitting well before mass and not conflicting with people's dinner plans.
I don't think it is not too far and it is a nice, comfortable place.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
As some of you know, last year we tried to get the ball rolling to have a place where forum members could go every day at a certain time with the hope of meeting other forum members there. The Tertulia cafe was the chosen place -- it's a 5 minute walk from the cathedral (and even closer than that to the new pilgrims office). The owner John Henry speaks perfect English and the quality of food and drink is excellent. 7 pm was the appointed hour. The Tertulia is open 7 days a week, and Ivar has left a little forum table stand there along with a journal for people to write in.

I wouldn't say it's been a smashing success. I arrived last year in mid July and went there twice but found no one. Others have had better luck. Here are some of the threads.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...forum-meetup-in-santiago-de-compostela.32183/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...eting-place-pictures-from-the-tertulia.32770/

Since I couldn't figure out how to set up a poll with more than one question, I thought I'd do it the old fashioned way. Would you mind responding to the following questions. My hope is that maybe with some tweaking, we'd have more success. (And if your answer to question #1 is a "no", I'd like to know that too, because maybe there just isn't enough interest to bother with this). Thanks, everyone. And any other input on this is most welcome. Buen camino, Laurie

1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago?
2. What time of day would be best?
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way?
Yes I would go, 1700 is good and I'd walk as far as necessary to meet.
 
Last edited:
Can't wait to start my Camino. 6 weeks to go!
1 - Yes, would love to go
2 - anytime after 17:00
3 - have no idea where it is, but I'm sure I can find it!
 
1. Yes
2. 1700 would work, but another idea could be after mass, as then hopefully some pilgrims would be in the area
3. Seems like a great place
 
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1. Would you go to an informal forum meetup in Santiago? Yes, planning to do so when I arrive beginning of April!
2. What time of day would be best? 17:00 is fine, but I am also flexible.
3. Is the Tertulia too out of the way? No, not at all.

Looking forward to meeting some of you in person. Buen Camino, SY
 
What? The Tertulia closed? I thought they were supposed to be open every day.

So great to see my three Camino Angels in one picture and at one table, you guys are the absolute best. Laurie.
 
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1. Yes I would like to meet up,
2. 5-7pm is a good time and
3. I am sure that the location presents no difficulties after walking any Camino.

Arriving SdC hopefully May 7th (or 8th, or 9th).
 
Well, I have sort of let this slide, I'll contact Ivar and the other mods to see what they think. I was surprised to see they were closed on Sunday, because the Tertulia bills itself as being open 7 days a week, I think.
 
Hi, I have just arrived in Santiago, is there (and where?) a forum pilgrim meet-up? SY
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I've tried calling Tertulia to see what is going on, but I can't make a connection on the phone. Just get a busy signal. Maybe a personal emergency has resulted in a temporary closing. I guess we should hold off on designating Tertulia as our go-to place again this year, but I will let people know what I hear.
 
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Which time shall we say? And if somebody comes later, we could always leave a message on the board where the forum pilgrims went to ;-) SY
 
Anyone going to meet in santiago tonight? July 20
 
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Why are my post not showing up on the news feed.
 
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€46,-
Why are my post not showing up on the news feed.
My news feed doesn't show the threads that I have just replied to, probably because I have just read them and therefore they are not "new" any more. If you click on "Recent Posts" you will get all the posts you have read recently (I'm not sure the criteria), and they will include your own reply even if it is the most recent reply on the thread.
 
Getting ready to depart for my camino and was wondering if the "daily meet ups" are still taking place?
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Getting ready to depart for my camino and was wondering if the "daily meet ups" are still taking place?
By all means Joe but it depends on the pilgrims from this forum interested in meeting up with other pilgrims (from this forum). You just write your date of arrival and possibly also hour when you'll be able to get to Tertulia in this thread:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ntiago-de-compostela.32183/page-2#post-429821
And that's it.

Hope you'll get together with someone.

And of course Ultreia!
 

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