Thanks for the kind words
These guides, for anybody stumbling along this thread, came to be when several things in the universe collided. The most motivating factor was of course finding myself quite unexpectedly with 40 more hours a week to work on a project like this. Lurking in these forums for several years, and walking a camino every year, I also picked up on the fact that pilgrims need comforting... even before they leave. Just how useful guide books are has always been debatable for me, from their necessity to their accuracy, I have always thought it best to go without one. Either that or carry the Gitlitz/Kay book and really learn some stuff.
Even still I bought one. Two actually, for my first camino. They calmed my nerves and gave me something to do at the bus station, and they allowed me to plan my next day of agony. You may remember 2003 as being the hottest summer on record throughout Europe and the meseta. Accurate distances were critical to avoiding heat stroke. But they were not accurate with regards to the infrastructure of the camino, even though they were hot off the presses and even though it was still 2003... a time when municipal albergues reigned supreme and privados were a novelty which made you scratch your head and ask "why'"?
When I launched the website I did so to learn some new tricks and to keep track of all the things I new about the camino(s). Not many people used it back then, but it was always a useful place to print off an albergue list when you needed one. Spain, though I've love it since my diaper days, has only recently begun to emerge from it's offline ways. Computer terminals popped up in albergues and ate euros like mad while we typed emails and read up on the news from home. Nobody used the wise pilgrim site
from the camino. It just was not practical.
I thought of publishing my own guides, but it was an extremely competitive market and the margins were small. Publishers like Pili Pala, who I thought were on to a good thing, never made it past a few editions. And editions I learned were what kept the guides up to date. Survivors like the CSJ maximize by keeping as much in house as they can and by reaching out to the pilgrim community.
I shelved the idea for quite some time and updated the website when it needed it. And finally this year lots of time presented itself to me, not long after I posted elsewhere in these forums asking the community what should be done with the site. I bought some computer books, hunkered down, and rolled out the first edition of the electronic guide. Does it work? Yes. Does it leave something to be desired? Depends on what you are looking for. Is it the best? Not really. Does it aim to solve some problems with paper guides? Absolutely. What it does have going for it though is an independence from the costs of reprinting, publishing, and distributing. That and my own willingness and passion for adding to it every day. Next week it will be better, and next year even more so. It will get more historical info, more spiritual info, and more information about where you can rest your head. And, as priscillians post reminds me, it can and will expand to include more and more useful information about what to do with yourself post-camino. People should know about resources like the Little Fox from the guide book; not as a corporate endorsement but as a genuine way to present opportunities. Practical menu translations would be a nice touch, and will arrive soon enough. The guide won't get heavier, it won't lose value year to year for anyone that is spanning their camino over several years, it will just get better.
These guides are just getting started. I add content to them everyday in some way. Pilgrims who use them can themselves contribute via the comments section. I am looking for good things to add and love feedback. If you have something to add, please drop me a line.
I also wanted to add here a comment about the price of the guide, which is something of a hot topic. I wish I could give it away. Honestly. For me just knowing that my creation was riding along in someones pocket, helping in some way to cross Spain on foot, is enough of a kick to make it all worthwhile. We all have obligations though, and I am no exception. As guidebooks go, these are the cheapest you will find outside of a tourist office brochure. But here is an important thing to remember: the content on the app is drawn from the content on the website. It is all there, and all free to be printed as you see fit. The app just puts it into your pocket in a much more useful way. I have received a few messages from pilgrims asking for this or that and have done my best to oblige. Next week I hope to start re-arranging things there a bit better so stuff is easier to find, print, and share. Take what you need with you when you walk. If you want to donate because it was helpful or you are generous, buy an app or tell someone else about it. Or better yet drop a euro into a donation box somewhere along your journey. Light a candle for someone. Remember that donde comen dos, comen tres. If something improves your way of life or puts a smile on your face, share it.
Wow. I almost fell asleep that rant was so long-winded. If you have made it this far, thank you. Bless you. And may all of your camino adventures be just that.
michael
