Camino Apocalypse

[SYates]

Note the number the apocalyptic end is near

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

Note the number

I know, I know...I'm not supposed to care about the "cheaters" on the Camino but I'm 18 kms away from santiago now, and there may be close to hundreds of "pilgrims" invading in taxis and vans and busses.

We were warned yesterday that yeah, it's their Camino too, but when we get to Santiago we will stand for hours behind "pilgrims" who just off-loaded from their bus, and proudly announce they just "walked the Camino for religious reasons." Then they go shop.

You cannot believe the amount of turista bus traffic right now. Utterly staggering.

I support the movement to 300km Compostelas. It will shorten the queues in the Pilgrim Office by hours.

 

[Castilian]

I support the movement to 300km Compostelas. It will shorten the queues in the Pilgrim Office by hours

...or make longer the stretch with

hundreds of "pilgrims" invading in taxis and vans and busses.

You never know.

P.S.: Let's recall that etymologically Apocalypse means revelation. Just to give a more optimistic approach to the thread.

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

...or make longer the stretch with



You never know.

Castilian, I try to err on the side of compassion, but I am here, right now, watching this. These are party/fiesta caravans.

Seeing is believing.

 

[Castilian]

Castilian, I try to err on the side of compassion, but I am here, right now, watching this. These are party/fiesta caravans.

I don't think you got rightly the sense of my post. Maybe the P.S. misleaded you. What I said is that requiring a minimum of 300 kms walked to get a Compostela may mean not a reduction of queues at the pilgrims' office but an increase on the amount of kms that you have to share with those party/fiesta caravans.

My P.S. was an attempt to point out that we may focus on the negative meaning of Apocalypse or, OTOH, we may focus on its positive meaning and it's up to us to focus on one or another.

 

[SYates]

Ok, people, the confusion arises, most likely, that the image didn't upload properly and the joke was lost that way. My OP was and is a firmly tongue in cheek post, please lets take it like that and don't beat an already dead horse further. The camino is like it is, as I said, just enjoy the numeric fun - here the image again:



Buen Camino, SY

 

[Tincatinker]

Ah, that number.

 

[Felipe]

It would be interesting to know if amongst the 666 pilgrims arrived in Compostela there were four horsemen.
Besides,
Have you noticed that the "official distance" from Paris to Compostela is 1071.8 km (=666 miles)?
The last Grand Master of the Orden de Santiago, Alonso de Cárdenas, was from Ocaña (Toledo). From Ocaña, there are 666 km to Santiago, as the pilgrim walks
Wait for more spooky "coincidences".

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

Thanks, everyone, for reconnecting me to a sense of humor.

This had been a very discouraging day, and in the mayhem, I forgot how to laugh. Thanks for the reminder!

PS...some of the party busses are badly maintained, leaving in their wake a trail of sulfur...

 

[NualaOC]

Thanks, everyone, for reconnecting me to a sense of humor.

This had been a very discouraging day, and in the mayhem, I forgot how to laugh. Thanks for the reminder!

PS...some of the party busses are badly maintained, leaving in their wake a trail of sulfur...

Well done on getting this far Jennifer! Last year, my husband and I got up ridiculously early for our final walk into Santiago. It made all the difference - we had a lovely, quiet walk into Santiago and by some magical coincidence, ended up queueing at the pilgrim office with our 'favourite' camino buddies. Yes, it was a very long line, but it was full of happy people.

I hope you enjoy Santiago; it really is a beautiful city. And if the crowds are too much for you, there's always Muxia

 

[Felipe]

PS...some of the party busses are badly maintained, leaving in their wake a trail of sulfur...

Noticed that, too. It should be some kind of local additive to the gas...

 

[november_moon]

When I play Rummy with my aunt, I always play triple-6 if I can because it creeps her out

When we got to Santiago a week and a half ago, we must have had luck on our side. We walked through the tunnel just as the cathedral bells were chiming noon, which was very cool, and when we went to the Pilgrims Office, there were only about 10 people in line. We had stopped short of Santiago the day before though - about 15 km out - so our walk in was easy and not very long. I think we got in ahead of the wave for the day. I went back to the Pilgrims Office 2 days later in the afternoon to buy train tickets from the Renfe office there and the line of pilgrims was incredibly long.

 

[Older Guy]

It is a Holy Year of Mercy. In such a year any "pilgrim" who walks into a Holy Door receives a special blessing or the love of God. So while some of the "666" crowd may only walk a little when their bus drops them off at different places, they still may "technically experience the love of God." As such they may indeed be doing a "pilgrimage of sorts" for religious purposes. They won't qualify for the "Compostela" issued by the Cathedral, but then I would not deny them their opportunity to walk closer to God and experience the love of God.

If someone is going to do a pilgrimage to a Holy Door, the Cathedral of Santiago is probably the one of the best known ones in the world outside of Rome.

One of the central components of the Jubilee of Mercy is that the Holy Doors throughout the world will be opened during this Jubilee year. When they are opened at the beginning of the year, "the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope" (MV, 3. . . ). Since each diocese will have the opportunity to open a Door of Mercy in their diocese, all members of the faithful will have opportunity to make a pilgrimage to their local Holy Door during the Jubilee. This pilgrimage is to be a journey of walking closer with God and discovering "moment of grace and spiritual renewal" (MV, 3. . . ). These doors are symbols of God's mercy, open to welcome everyone into the compassion of God's love that Christ proclaimed.

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-te...sked-questions-about-the-jubilee-of-mercy.cfm

 

[oursonpolaire]

I loved the 666. I never worried about the bus pilgrims, but I quite enjoyed being photographed by them and with them. I must be on flickr sites all over Japan, Spain, California, and Portugal.

 

[jerbear]

I walk my walk! Follow my heart and nose. Enjoy

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Note the number the apocalyptic end is near

I understand the humor in the OP really doesn't have anything to do with crowding but it is the start of a new month and so let's see what happened:

The pilgrims office recorded 33,757 in June 2010, the last Holy Year. In June 2015 they recorded 35,925 and in June this year (2016) they recorded 29,846. Last month (May 2016) they recorded 32,782.
http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/pilgrims-office/statistics/

 

[DanielH]

When I play Rummy with my aunt, I always play triple-6 if I can because it creeps her out

When we got to Santiago a week and a half ago, we must have had luck on our side. We walked through the tunnel just as the cathedral bells were chiming noon, which was very cool, and when we went to the Pilgrims Office, there were only about 10 people in line. We had stopped short of Santiago the day before though - about 15 km out - so our walk in was easy and not very long. I think we got in ahead of the wave for the day. I went back to the Pilgrims Office 2 days later in the afternoon to buy train tickets from the Renfe office there and the line of pilgrims was incredibly long.

I didn't realize that there was a Renfe ticket office at the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. That's really important info for me and others I'm sure who will need to take a train to Madrid, etc. Thanks

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

I walk my walk! Follow my heart and nose. Enjoy

???

 

[Felipe]

I loved the 666. I never worried about the bus pilgrims, but I quite enjoyed being photographed by them and with them. I must be on flickr sites all over Japan, Spain, California, and Portugal.

Same has happened to me.
Yes, the walker who does not take taxis, vans or buses is becoming a kind of odd curiosity, good for a selfie. Especially if you are old enough, with a graying beard, and a generally tired look.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Same had happened to me.
Yes, the walker who does not take taxis, vans or buses is becoming a kind of odd curiosity, good for a selfie. Especially if you are old enough, with a graying beard, and a generally tired look.

When we queueing at the old Pilgrim Office last May, a tour group came in with their guide who asked several pilgrims if she could see their Pilgrim Passport. People were reluctant to engage with her but we weren't in a hurry and she was leading a group of older people (and I'm over 60!) so I went over and showed them my passport. Several of the group were overcome and in tears and communicated to me (my Spanish was poor but improving daily now) that they wished that they were physically able to walk the Pilgrimage themselves. They studied the stamps intently and spoke to me about places where they had walked or stopped at along the Way.

It added another quite unexpected dimension to my Camino and gave me a brief window with a very different view into one of the tourist bus groups.

 

[Older Guy]

I understand the humor in the OP really doesn't have anything to do with crowding but it is the start of a new month and so let's see what happened:

The pilgrims office recorded 33,757 in June 2010, the last Holy Year. In June 2015 they recorded 35,925 and in June this year (2016) they recorded 29,846. Last month (May 2016) they recorded 32,782.
http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/pilgrims-office/statistics/

Thank you. No wonder May felt crowded

May 2016 32782
May 2015 31078
May 2010 28849

And it was really raining hard during parts of May.

 

[Albertagirl]

I didn't realize that there was a Renfe ticket office at the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. That's really important info for me and others I'm sure who will need to take a train to Madrid, etc. Thanks

@DanielH:
I dropped into the Renfe ticket office last year after picking up my compostela at the old Pilgrim's Office, which has, of course, been moved since. The Renfe ticket office was nearby on the same street, but not apparently in any way associated with the Pilgrim's Office. You may have to go to the old location to find Renfe. Sorry I do not recall the street address. The salesman spoke perfect Engish and was very courteous.

 

[C clearly]

@DanielH:
I dropped into the Renfe ticket office last year after picking up my compostela at the old Pilgrim's Office, which has, of course, been moved since. The Renfe ticket office was nearby on the same street, but not apparently in any way associated with the Pilgrim's Office. You may have to go to the old location to find Renfe. Sorry I do not recall the street address. The salesman spoke perfect Engish and was very courteous.

Yes, that fellow was extremely helpful. I think that Renfe office is on Rua do Villar, which is parallel to Rua Nova where the Pilgrim House is located. Certainly the people at Pilgrim House can direct you there - it is just 5 minutes away. It is a tiny office so you need to look carefully!

 

[jerbear]

???

Sometimes I walk by smell. Fresh bread for example. Cut hay.

 

[Gillean]

When we queueing at the old Pilgrim Office last May, a tour group came in with their guide who asked several pilgrims if she could see their Pilgrim Passport. People were reluctant to engage with her but we weren't in a hurry and she was leading a group of older people (and I'm over 60!) so I went over and showed them my passport. Several of the group were overcome and in tears and communicated to me (my Spanish was poor but improving daily now) that they wished that they were physically able to walk the Pilgrimage themselves. They studied the stamps intently and spoke to me about places where they had walked or stopped at along the Way.

It added another quite unexpected dimension to my Camino and gave me a brief window with a very different view into one of the tourist bus groups.

When I walked the Camino Frances in 2014 I walked much of it with a Spanish man who was in his mid 30s but had walked the Camino from Sarria when he was in high school. He enjoyed the 100 km walk very much but he definitely noticied the pilgrims who had come from further away and he recognized that they had some "thing" that he and his group didn't have. He walked from Pamplona in 2014 to try and get a little bit of that "thing" for himself. So that 100 km walk can plant a seed for the future.
I am loathe to judge others for how they walk the camino but for me the camino for a compostella begins at 100 km from Santiago. Anything before that is up to me as an individual. I do not support the notion of changing the requirement for a compostella to 300 km. It would make it impractical for all the groups of young people, mostly Spanish, who only have a week to spare and for the older or the physically handicapped people who can only muster the energy for 100 km. And what about the people who have invested their time, energy and money to open albergues and other facilities in that last 100 km? Should they just kiss their investment goodbye because someone, likely from far away, doesn't like to see crowds of people having fun and, yes, in some cases, cheating a little bit in the last 100 km?

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

When I walked the Camino Frances in 2014 I walked much of it with a Spanish man who was in his mid 30s but had walked the Camino from Sarria when he was in high school. He enjoyed the 100 km walk very much but he definitely noticied the pilgrims who had come from further away and he recognized that they had some "thing" that he and his group didn't have. He walked from Pamplona in 2014 to try and get a little bit of that "thing" for himself. So that 100 km walk can plant a seed for the future.
I am loathe to judge others for how they walk the camino but for me the camino for a compostella begins at 100 km from Santiago. Anything before that is up to me as an individual. I do not support the notion of changing the requirement for a compostella to 300 km. It would make it impractical for all the groups of young people, mostly Spanish, who only have a week to spare and for the older or the physically handicapped people who can only muster the energy for 100 km. And what about the people who have invested their time, energy and money to open albergues and other facilities in that last 100 km? Should they just kiss their investment goodbye because someone, likely from far away, doesn't like to see crowds of people having fun and, yes, in some cases, cheating a little bit in the last 100 km?

Gillean, sorry, but in my experience I have discovered that any time someone says "they are loathe to judge," it is typically followed by a harsh judgment.

Three points.
1. The Camino de Santiago was created and is maintained by its very definition as a "pilgrimage." A pilgrimage is defined as a strenuous effort, a journey in search of a religious or spiritual answer, resolution, or purpose.

Until the past few years, it was never seen as a irreverent, disrespectful party destination. I say disrespectful because the party people view the pilgrims as archaic impediments to their partying.

The party people are not pilgrims. They are tourists.

Next, I smile at your explanation that for the Spanish, the Camino is "impractical " to do in its entirety. You joke, of course? Why cannot the Spanish do what the rest of European pilgrims do? In sections? For the Spanish most of all, the Camino is in their backyard and is utterly practical.

Finally, having completed the Camino alongside pilgrims on crutches, who actually WALKED the entire thing, people with MS, Mus. Dystrophy, broken legs, obesity, etc, AND seeing the young and strong but very hungover kids piling into and out of taxis, like the vast majority of my fellow pilgrims, I support the 300 km Compostela.

Viva the Pilgrimage!
BC,
Jennifer

 

[Felipe]

Btw...there is a "Camino tour company" that has chosen "turigrino" for its url or web address. Yes, it is a "turigrino.com" company. So, I suppose the term is being "normalized", and losing its formerly pejorative meaning.
There has been even some discussion between amateur philologists about its incorporation in the venerable "Diccionario de la Real Academia" (because yes, there is an "official" institution for the acceptation of new words in Spanish, and neologisms are sometimes passionately discussed).

 

[trecile]

There are many definitions of "pilgrimage". I like #2 from the Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Full Definition of pilgrimage

1. 1: a journey of a pilgrim; especially : one to a shrine or a sacred place
   
   
2. 2: the course of life on earth
   

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Note the number the apocalyptic end is near

View attachment 27440

Aggggh! 666, the number of the bus!



for those not in the know, Ashford is in Kent (UK) and as close to hell on earth as you're likely to find but I've got 4 Compostelas so basically fireproof then

 

[jirit]

This thread has run its course and the OP has requested it be closed