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And your point is? The Pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago is a Pilgrimage. The ways to Santiago are many and various. Those who make pilgrimage to the shrine are supported by those who provide shelter, food, and occasionally the Tshirt. I'm wondering whether you think that the providers should have done so without regard to their own comfort and survival or whether your own pilgrimage would have been improved if everything you got was for free?My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
You could always 'turn the other cheek' if it offends thee so...Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
Part and parcel of pilgrimage sites. It’s been like this for the last one thousand years. At least.row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general.
Of course. It's a tourist destination and we're all tourists, though perhaps also with spiritual or religious intent.Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
And that includes shops selling souvenirs to share with Aunt Mary (or whomever).a large service industry must now exist to support the vast numbers currently walking -especially with their greatly inflated notion of what constitutes a minimum acceptable standard in accommodation, food and support services.
Congrats on finishing the walk! Dont let the bad memories over arch the good ones you have of your time well spent.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
If you think SDC is bad, don't ever go to Lourdes.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
Exactly. The OP’s message is not only about the Camino kitsch, it’s also, maybe even more so, about the devotional paraphernalia that you inevitably find near wherever there is religious tourism, and I mean religious tourism and not Camino tourism. I must admit, when I read the first post, I looked where the OP is from ... aha, that explains it, I thought, he is not from the more Catholic parts of Europe.If you think SDC is bad, don't ever go to Lourdes.
You don’t have to like it, let alone buy it, but it can be meaningful for the buyers who, btw, may never be able to afford a plane ticket to travel halfway around the world every once in a while, to then practice the simple and asketic life for a while. Cheap flights are also an aspect of “capitalism” and the “money lenders“. Are only tasteful and expensive souvenirs good souvenirs? Let me see, I bought a St James shell necklace for about €200 once, how would we classify this?People love buying crap, especially cheap crap..
And it’s always good to look things up and not rely on memories from childhood. They were not moneylenders in the courtyard of the Jerusalem Temple, they were moneychangers. How lucky we are today because we have the € and Charles Schwab!(And since when were souvenir shops equivalent to moneylenders? In my experience loan sharks and tee-shirt vendors are two utterly different species.)
The Camino is anything you want to make it. Never in my life have I had the freedom to make my life whatever I wanted as I did on the Camino.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
The cathedrals of Burgos and Leon have entry fees. Both also have mass four to five times a day on weekdays with obviously no entry fee. Leon has a sacred space where you can pray mornings and afternoons without having to pay, with an entrance separate from the entrance for paying visitors. Burgos have a similar arrangement. Burgos also have one afternoon per week where entry to the whole cathedral is free. Entry fees in large cathedrals are not something that bother me personally. But then I’m not used to churches being open for me all day anyway.Churches that impose an entry fee typically do so to employ lay people to maintain the property, or simple to keep the lights on.
Hi Peter, agree with your point of view. But, personally, only so far. Once you have worked out the smallest and lightest kit you can get away with, why would you want to buy anything extra to carry. Except maybe on your last day in Santiago. Even then I have bought the odd book and small badge.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
Oh dear,Go to Bethlehem and Jerusalem you'll see exactly the same thing, materialism and capitalism go hand in hand.
People love buying crap, especially cheap crap..
You don’t have to like it, let alone buy it, but it can be meaningful for the buyers who, btw, may never be able to afford a plane ticket to travel halfway around the world every once in a while, to then practice the simple and asketic life for a while. Cheap flights are also an aspect of “capitalism” and the “money lenders“. Are only tasteful and expensive souvenirs good souvenirs? Let me see, I bought a St James shell necklace for about €200 once, how would we classify this?
Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
The Spanish economy is in serious trouble. I am in favor of the people working to earn money from the tourist trade in order to support themselves and to pay for maintenance of the trails which take a terrible beating from the peregrinos. Be generous to local people while you are a guest in their country!Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
The Spanish economy is in serious trouble. I
Like the tiny ant one must learn to discriminate the grain of sugar from the grain of sand.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
I'm pretty sure that I know which shop you bought that in. Their designs are a bit different than any others in Santiago.My wife and I have always brought home souvenirs from our travels. However, the Camino was a different kind of trip. There was no intention of bringing home a souvenir, that is, until I found this piece in a small boutique in Santiago. I must have looked in the window a dozen times. Maybe more. I left for the coast without it. After reaching Finesterre and Muxia, I grabbed a bus to ACoruna. Finally, I returned to Santiago a few days later and, once again, found myself looking through the wwindow at this piece. "Sterling silver " they said. 14 euros. Thought about it a long time and now it's on my lapel. If no one ever notices, I don't care! I'm so proud of it
View attachment 67595View attachment 67595I
Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
The outer temple was the limit of where non Jewish (and all female) worshippers could go and where the money changers also were, but it was still ancient holy ground. Coins could not be tendered to buy sacrifice animals (sacrificial because Yahweh enjoyed the fumes of their being burned - see OT) if they depicted anything such as a person - Roman coins depicted faces, so these had to be changed for Jewish coins as they were considered profane .. forget for a moment the daily wholesale slaughter of innocent animals for sacrifice to God here , this was their time and ours is now .... the money changers made a good profit on exchanging the Roman (and Greek) coins for 'acceptable' ones .....The analogy really doesn't work for me.
The issue of Jesus versus the Temple money lenders had nothing to do with profit making by free market entrepreneurs and merchants selling goods and services outside of the Temple.
Jesus was angry because of the interference of worship at the Temple, ie the requirement by Temple authorities which forced worshipers to buy specific goods in order to gain access to worship their God and to conduct other practices.
I, too, find the inundation of souvenir shops and such annoying, I doubt that Jesus would take personal umbrage. In some ways, He might even be amused
The lines are easily crossed, though ... I'm waiting with bated breath for a future post where someone picks this up to go "full religion" ... but I agree in principle with your comment.... also .. moderators, I am doing Christian history here (as written in the NT), not religious belief ...
Isn't it great not to be tempted to buy anything extra to add to ones burden. Somewhere there is a warehouse of unsold tourist junk looking for a documentary film.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
I understand your surprise at the commercialisation of the Camino. However it has always been thus. The Camino Frances was the main economic artery of post-Visigothic Spanish Kingdoms and to this day there are numerous villages in Navarra, La Rioja, Burgos, Leon, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia who would join the sad list of depopulated towns in this country without the income that they receive from peregrinos. Without the commercialisation a lot of the new or resurrected caminos would not exist and so while it might seem regrettable, it is something that an offended peregrino can easily ignore.Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
It was money changers,Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
Thank you!I will admit to buying a fridge magnet from the Cathedral shop. And a friend I see who has not been able to walk a camino in 5 years has a standing order for the crazily expensivo soap they sell there.
Tasteful shell keychains are hits as gifts. I received one several years ago from @CaminoDebrita when I met her in Santiago and goes with me everwhere. And the there are all those little bracelets fellow pilgrims give each other as tokens of comeraderie and connection.
Stuff like this brings a small puff of joy to the mind, remembering Santiago, and the long walk to get there, and the connection with the person we give to or get something from.
That's all good, because it inclines the heart to good. So I'm loathe to look down on the endless stalls of tasteless stuff.
And at the same time @PeterM, you're right: there is also a vivid contrast between the marketplace and what happens in the sacred space of the cathedral, and in the heart. The vividness of that just is. And there will always be that contrast. But the thing is - right? - you know in the end what really matters, and what really has substance. And it's not the stuff.
Your post has been with me this afternoon, and what shines through the superficial aversion is how you deeply value the sacred. The trick is not using that to separate, but instead to bring together. And that's what we all have to learn. We all 'piled on,' agreeing in our disagreement. But I think there is something deeper here than that....
I agree within part the money lenders were essential in Temple time because they had to make an exchange from roman coinage to Temple money and there was somewhat of a great profit for money lenders. However, we pilgrims on the Camino are also providing some benefit for the way. I do not begrudge in some of these poor villages to make a decent living and they do a great job in proving for us. Am grateful to the people in these villages and city who put up with us. Buen CaminoHmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
I live in a place that is extremely touristy in the summer, in the northeast of the US in the state of Maine. Many people who live here are grateful for the tourism dollars that add or even totally support their livelihood. I’m sure the people that live near the Camino feel the same way. it’s incidental that the tourism is religious-based. It’s sad that so many peoples taste run to ugly kitsch, but unfortunately you can't easily legislate good taste or sophisticated presentation.
I agree with you that the tourist shops are often ugly, but instead look past that to see a child that doesn’t have to leave their town to find a job, and the infrastructure that is there because they are supported by the locals who have money. Makes it a little easier to bear.
If you were looking for a non-commercialised Camino I think you are nearly 30 years too late.
Rockland.Not Portland by chance ?
Rockland.
Have you considered that we are lucky they are giving us such a good deal during the slow times?It seems inevitable and expected as those folks make their livelihood from those walking the Way. What bothers me more is that we are already hearing that for the Holy Year of 2021 the prices of albergues are already planned to be increased. A bargain still at 12 euro instead of 10 or 10 instead of 8 - but it reminds me of how US hotels inflate their prices on Friday-Saturday nights or triple the rates for football weekends!
It seems inevitable and expected as those folks make their livelihood from those walking the Way. What bothers me more is that we are already hearing that for the Holy Year of 2021 the prices of albergues are already planned to be increased. A bargain still at 12 euro instead of 10 or 10 instead of 8 - but it reminds me of how US hotels inflate their prices on Friday-Saturday nights or triple the rates for football weekends!
I don't think the price of things was the point he was trying to make. I suspect he was disappointed at the seeming crassness of the mementos (not the essentials).And your point is? The Pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago is a Pilgrimage. The ways to Santiago are many and various. Those who make pilgrimage to the shrine are supported by those who provide shelter, food, and occasionally the Tshirt. I'm wondering whether you think that the providers should have done so without regard to their own comfort and survival or whether your own pilgrimage would have been improved if everything you got was for free?
The church/chapel doors are far more open along the Chemin St Jacques in France than has lately been the case on many of the caminos in Spain. My understanding is that it has to do with an increase in thefts, but I may be mistaken.I find paying to enter a sacred place (cathedral) more disturbing. The stall holders etc leave a choice to buy or not. Paying to enter a place of worship sadly keeps people out ( reference here to the UK, not Santiago) and the 'commercial' aspect has altered the atmosphere subtly, there is no longer a sense of the numinous.
One of the things we have loved about the Camino is the churches and cathedrals and their open doors; and yes I know some places now charge, which IMO is not helpful. A shop or stall nearby would be preferable to me personally
Amen!If you think SDC is bad, don't ever go to Lourdes.
When I went on Camino in 2016 I made a conscious decision at the beginning to give to all who asked for charity. It seemed to me to be in the spirit of the holy trek I was undertaking. I think I managed to stick with it and I did the same in 2018. I also try and keep some change to provide to those who ask for it now that I am back, but I must admit that my success rate is not as good.Similarly, I don't give to street beggars in the UK as a lot of that is organised begging. However, when leaving Puente La Reina early one morning in September I crossed the old Pilgrim bridge to exit the town and get back on the trail I passed a beggar, whom I promptly ignored. But, by the time I got to the other end of the bridge the look of disappointment on his face registered with me, I went back, put a couple of Euro's in his cap and made his day. My biggest joy was realising that somehow, slowly, I was changing some of my attitudes on this darn walk.
it's called help for maintenance of building!!!!The church/chapel doors are far more open along the Chemin St Jacques in France than has lately been the case on many of the caminos in Spain. My understanding is that it has to do with an increase in thefts, but I may be mistaken.
I could never and will never understand how they can kneel there for hours on end when they could find some sort of work; now understand when say they are forced by organized criminals. Very sad situation. Thanks for this enlightenment.When I went on Camino in 2016 I made a conscious decision at the beginning to give to all who asked for charity. It seemed to me to be in the spirit of the holy trek I was undertaking. I think I managed to stick with it and I did the same in 2018. I also try and keep some change to provide to those who ask for it now that I am back, but I must admit that my success rate is not as good.
I was later much saddened to read that some of the people begging in Santiago were forced to do so by organized criminals.
That is easily said: they could find some sort of work. And not all of them are forced to beg by organised criminals, by the so-called beggar mafia. And just in case not everyone is aware of what we are talking here as there is a tendency to beat around the bush: Roma people from Southeastern Europe who travel to Spain and other countries to beg there for a while. I came across a well made recent ARTE program. It's a report that is 33 minutes long and slow moving. Worth watching to better understand the situation of these people we see so often in major cities throughout Spain and France and Germany and similar countries. ARTE reports are always available in German or French, either original in French and dubbed in German or the other way round, and there is an option to have English subtitles and the translation is good. Recommended.I could never and will never understand how they can kneel there for hours on end when they could find some sort of work; now understand when say they are forced by organized criminals.
That is easily said: they could find some sort of work. And not all of them are forced to beg by organised criminals, by the so-called beggar mafia. And just in case not everyone is aware of what we are talking here as there is a tendency to beat around the bush: Roma people from Southeastern Europe who travel to Spain and other countries to beg there for a while. I came across a well made recent ARTE program. It's a report that is 33 minutes long and slow moving. Worth watching to better understand the situation of these people we see so often in major cities throughout Spain and France and Germany and similar countries. ARTE reports are always available in German or French, either original in French and dubbed in German or the other way round, and there is an option to have English subtitles and the translation is good. Recommended.
The cheapo souvenirs along the Spanish Camino, btw, may well have been produced by people who really need this work. Not easy, everything, is it for the discerning pilgrim who can afford a plane ticket and a lot of leisure time to go on Camino.
Re: Organised Begging | ARTE in English
Who are these people sitting on the streets in Germany begging for money? Are they part of an organised gang? To find out, the ARTE Regards team followed young mum Narcisa for a year. The team heads back with her to her native village, a desolate shanty town in rural Romania, where her life is...www.arte.tv
Anyone else having trouble viewing this video?
All in all with this thread is a statement I once saw I believe on this site which stated. " A pilgrimage is always grateful ". And surely we should be grateful to who all make the Camino happen.As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Forgive the irreverence..but i read the title and took it as Jesus and the Monkey lenders..who lends out monkeys and do they have little ones?Hmmm, finished the CP earlier this year, my first Camino, from Lisbon to SDC and one thing that resonated with me was the profit making efforts of many and various along the way particularly in SDC not to mention the numerous books, maps, equipment and so on available to a potential pilgrim prior to setting out.
Am not overly religious and didn't do the CP for religious reasons however was certainly exposed to the bible in my school days and as my Camino unfolded and most certainly in SDC I was reminded of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple. along the CP I diverged to Fatima and 'boy o boy' I don't think I have seen so much stuff for sale depicting the 3 children and St Mary and so many attempts to lighten the pilgrim's, any anyone else's for that matter, wallets. Was talking with a German pilgrim as I wandered along and he told me a story about a small town not far from where he lived who attempted to manufacture a miracle or two as a tourist drawcard, regrettably to the town's disappointment it didn't work but hey, full marks for effort.
Whereas I enjoyed doing the Camino I was just a bit disappointed some might say disillusioned at the rampant efforts of the numerous entrepreneurs. No problem with people making a $ particularly in the small villages but have a real problem with row after row of shops selling everything possibly related to the Camino and religion in general. Suffice to say the 'money lenders' are alive and well. My overarching impression is the Camino is big business.
Cheers
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