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Line at the "new" pilgrims office right now

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It is the second week in October and they are still cranking out more than one compostela per minute!
 
Tell me about it! We finally got in, after seeing really long queues all day, around 7 pm last night. :)
 
This is interesting.

When I arrived in Santiago in June 2011, they had the second office open it what appears to be the same location as this new office.
Basically you could decide to go upstairs to the old office or simply enter the courtyard and go left into the new office

When I was there this past spring the new office on the left was gone (closed). Only the old office was open

Now the new office is back again?

Was the new office back in 2011 just a temporary office which is now a permanent office?
 
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For 20 years until 2010 the Pilgrims' Office was on the first floor of number 1 Rua do Vilar. Pilgrims will remember many hours of waiting on the broad stone staircase. Waiting times of 3 - 4 hours were not unusual. In fact on one occasion the police report the queue was so long it went round the block and stretched down to the Plaza Toural. Some pilgrims reported 5 hours waiting.

The cathedral decided to devote all of number 3 Rua do Vilar to the Pilgrims' Office - it has a broad front door,a courtyard, for the first time toilet for pilgrims and room for parking bicycles. In 2010 the office "upstairs" at Number 3 opened but quickly proved to be inadequate - the staircase was narrower and a single door entry and exit proved impractical for rucksack bearing pilgrims. Therefore in August for the last two years an auxiliary office was opened off of the courtyard. It is that office which has now become the main pilgrim's office. It is on the level and has a double entrance and exit. It is custom designed for the purpose.

The"upstairs" office will continue to be used as the offices of the administration and it is our intention also to use it to receive larger groups in summer - these will be diverted from the main queue to the upstairs office and will get their compostelas there. This should make life better for everyone.

I hope this explains the background to the change.

Best regards

John
 
Thanks John for the clarification.

Back in 2011 we were in and out of the office within minutes, so this is good news all around.

Photo from 2011 arrival at the "new office before it became the official new office"
 

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I like the old office. Waiting in a queue outside 1 Rua do Vilar. Entering the dark entrance of the building. Climbing those old stairs with that wooden hand railing. The queue moving slowly as you passed thru the upstairs door. Then waiting for someone wave at you as it was your turn. Handing in your "credencial" and answering a few questions.Then you eyes would open wide as you looked at your "compostela" and a smile of happiness would appear on your face. Thanking the person who handed it to you. Turning round and passing all the other peregrinos who were waiting for theirs.
Damn I´going to miss all that next time.:(

Buen Camino!
 
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I'm so glad we stayed at Monte do Gozo the night before we walked into Santiago....so it was a very short walk that last day....... to the cathedral for a quick look, then raced to the Pilgrims' Office, having heard reports of waiting for hours.....and straight up the stairs. No waiting at all. I think we might do it that way again - although we'll be arriving in July rather than September so that might make a difference.
 
I like the old office. Waiting in a queue outside 1 Rua do Vilar. Entering the dark entrance of the building. Climbing those old stairs with that wooden hand railing. The queue moving slowly as you passed thru the upstairs door. Then waiting for someone wave at you as it was your turn. Handing in your "credencial" and answering a few questions.Then you eyes would open wide as you looked at your "compostela" and a smile of happiness would appear on your face. Thanking the person who handed it to you. Turning round and passing all the other peregrinos who were waiting for theirs.
Damn I´going to miss all that next time.:(

Buen Camino!

And posing on the stairs makes for a great photo .

We will just have to go back and see if the new office is as good .
 
And posing on the stairs makes for a great photo .

We will just have to go back and see if the new office is as good .

From the photo it was there Aug 2.011 . Not the same.:(

Looks like we´ll have to join a group as Johnnie Walker says above in order to get a "compostela" upstairs again.:rolleyes:


Buen Camino!
 
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