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We could have a set place, a set time, some days no one there, some days hopefully a few or more. We never got to the actual decision.
Brilliant idea, Laurie.It occurred to me that maybe the Cafe Tertulia would be a good place for us.
I am going to make this a "sticky" for a bit to get a little more exposure.
What would be the best forum to put it in? I will start with it in the Camino Frances forum.
Let me know if you think there is a better location.
It seems a quite "chic" café. I especially like the cute doggy wallpaper.
On the other side, I hope it offers madalenas. This would make or break my approval.
That sounds like a great place to meet! Can I also suggest that the people working at the place we decide on find something easily visible to put on whichever table the first here-to-meet-others pilgrims happen to sit down at - or even to put on one before anyone gets there - so that the ones that arrive later can find the right table easily? Saves having to ask at all the tables if obvious pilgrims are the pilgrims you are looking for. And saves the people working there asking if you are one of 'them' or 'just' an ordinary guest. If you see what I mean. If we agree on something I can make an appearance in late March, I definitely want to see this Tertulia now!
I would think either pre dinner, so 7-ish, or pre mass, as many might want to go to mass? If pre dinner you can always hope to find someone to eat with, a great way to get to know people.
Hy, 7 would be the best time I think. Peter .The problem with lunch is that too many of us will be involved in getting compostela, getting into accommodation, etc. I like the late afternoon range best. If it weren't for the dang botafumeiro on Friday at 7, I'd think 7 would be the best time. But if the numbers are more in favor of lunch, we could do that too. After I talk with JOhn Henry at the Cafe Tertulia, maybe the thing to do it set up a poll.
But more opinions welcome now, of course. Laurie
I am going to make this a "sticky" for a bit to get a little more exposure.
What would be the best forum to put it in? I will start with it in the Camino Frances forum.
Let me know if you think there is a better location.
Hi, John,Also good to remember that the Pilgrim House which a couple of hundred yards from the Pilgrims' Office already offers a meeting place with facilities for coffee etc. They also have a message board to leave messages from pilgrim friends not yet arrived:
http://pilgrimhousesantiago.com/support/welcome-center/
I like this idea but Tertulia is a really SMALL place.
We are too many...
Annie, have you seen the room off to the left -- right before the bar, there is a doorway that leads to a room with 4 or 5 tables. It is rarely occupied, in my experience.
Hi, Annie, how did you all communicate with each other to know who was who? I can't imagine I'd be very successful finding the forum group if I was told to look for a pilgrim in front of the cathedral.I have nothing against Tertulia - on the contrary I love Tertulia.
I liked the idea meeting up in front of the cathedral (Obradoiro) at 7 pm-ish and then decide where to go. We did that a couple of evenings in May 2012 and ended up having a dinner each evening together in different restaurants. We were some 20 pilgrims and it all was very convenient and a great way to hang together before we left Santiago for home.
Hi, Annie, how did you all communicate with each other to know who was who? I can't imagine I'd be very successful finding the forum group if I was told to look for a pilgrim in front of the cathedral. ....
@peregrina2000 they were pilgrims who walked the camino - not particularly Forum members.
Sorry - I am glad to meet up with any pilgrims - Forum members or those I met on the recent camino.
So far I met @ivar , @JohnnieWalker , @Madidi , @Alan Pearce , @nellpilgrim in Dublin, @LTfit in Amsterdam, @grayland and his lovely wife Ellie, @jpflavin1, @peregrina2000, @Josefine, @miguel_gp, @winewalker , @Alan Pearce and many others. And Rebekah in Moratinos of course.
Every few years, some of us start to discuss whether it'd be a good idea to pick a cafe where forum members could have a daily get together in Santiago. We could have a set place, a set time, some days no one there, some days hopefully a few or more. We never got to the actual decision.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/meeting-up-in-santiago.13311/
Now that I'm thinking about it again, I think it should be at a cafe not right in the pilgrim center, maybe a little bit outside. It occurred to me that maybe the Cafe Tertulia would be a good place for us. It has very nice outdoor seating under a big awning and inside there is a little separate room off to the side for overflow where there are usually no people. The owner's name is a young guy who is Spanish but has the English language name John Henry. He speaks excellent English and works like the dickens. He told me that having a child has transformed his work ethic.
Here's some more chatter about the Tertulia: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-great-cafe-on-the-way-out-of-santiago.26594/
It is on the route to Finisterre, on the Rua do Pombal, a straight shot down the stairs in front of the parador. Google maps says it's 400 m from the cathedral. Especially when the pilgrims office moves, it will be just a hop step and a jump away.
So I guess my question is whether people think it's too out of the way to be a good meeting up spot. It is still very central but not in that in-town hub near the cathedral. It's open every day, I believe. Maybe not Sunday evenings.
Anyway, I'll throw this open for discussion and hope to get some ideas. I would be happy to call John Henry to make sure this idea is good for him, but I can't imagine he would have a problem with it.
If you have other suggestions, of course, throw them out there. Buen camino, Laurie
Ekelund, were you walking from Finisterre to Muxia and had taken the turn-off to Lires? I was walking from Muxia to Lires and was heading back to the camino to get to Finisterre. There are not that many heads of totally white hair walking with long pants and long sleeve shirts so I am pretty easy to identify.Great idea, I'm walking the Camino Ingles and should be in Santiago around the 2nd of April. Hope to see some of you in the Tertulia, that would be great. I think I meet Laurie walking between Finisterre and Muxia in July 2014 but it was only later on that I realized it must have been her.
What are GTGs? Gin Tonic Groups? Go to God meetings?Hi, John,
From what I remember the PIlgrim House has weekly GTGs and I am also not sure that everyone would want to go there. I remember we discussed this back when they were opening. Do you think a cafe with a regular time is a bad idea? Do you know anything about the German group?
Not only that, but being in Galicia will likely mean rain as well.Hi, Annie, how did you all communicate with each other to know who was who? I can't imagine I'd be very successful finding the forum group if I was told to look for a pilgrim in front of the cathedral.
Do you think gathering outside and then going somewhere is preferable to having a place that's indoors and where everyone who wants to meet up will go? The advantage of knowing an indoor place is that if you're late, you won't miss the group because they'll still be there, but the group won't still be in front of the cathedral at 7:20.
I should be there 4 - 7 June. Count me inEvery few years, some of us start to discuss whether it'd be a good idea to pick a cafe where forum members could have a daily get together in Santiago. We could have a set place, a set time, some days no one there, some days hopefully a few or more. We never got to the actual decision.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/meeting-up-in-santiago.13311/
Now that I'm thinking about it again, I think it should be at a cafe not right in the pilgrim center, maybe a little bit outside. It occurred to me that maybe the Cafe Tertulia would be a good place for us. It has very nice outdoor seating under a big awning and inside there is a little separate room off to the side for overflow where there are usually no people. The owner is a young guy who is Spanish but has the English language name John Henry. He speaks excellent English and works like the dickens. He told me that having a child has transformed his work ethic.
Here's some more chatter about the Tertulia: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-great-cafe-on-the-way-out-of-santiago.26594/
It is on the route to Finisterre, on the Rua do Pombal, a straight shot down the stairs in front of the parador. Google maps says it's 400 m from the cathedral. Especially when the pilgrims office moves, it will be just a hop step and a jump away.
So I guess my question is whether people think it's too out of the way to be a good meeting up spot. It is still very central but not in that in-town hub near the cathedral. It's open every day, I believe. Maybe not Sunday evenings.
Anyway, I'll throw this open for discussion and hope to get some ideas. I would be happy to call John Henry to make sure this idea is good for him, but I can't imagine he would have a problem with it.
If you have other suggestions, of course, throw them out there. Buen camino, Laurie
I am in.
Maybe the best thing is for Laurie to set a time for a daily meet for those who are in Santiago at any given day.
I don't personally have a good idea of a time..but will be happy to agree with others. It would be great to have a chance to actually meet others from the forum in Santiago. I like the idea that it would be a hit or miss experience.
I do see Johnnie Walker and Ivar when in SdC.....but would enjoy meeting some others.
I will be in Santiago July 5 & 6 (more or less) and again July 27 & 28 (more or less) this year.
Get-Togethers (Get-To-Gethers?) I think!What are GTGs? Gin Tonic Groups? Go to God meetings?
Excelent idea @peregrina2000
I'll be there approx.end of July and will take a peek.
This thread I also find nice to put in our end dates since the new Camino Calendar is so "sophisticated" that you have to start new thread for each entry
It occurred to me that maybe the Cafe Tertulia would be a good place for us. It has very nice outdoor seating under a big awning and inside there is a little separate room off to the side for overflow where there are usually no people. The owner is a young guy who is Spanish but has the English language name John Henry. He speaks excellent English and works like the dickens.
Maybe we could all just meet at Ivar's house every night.
Hi AJ - are you talking about the fantastic bar you, Don, Kat, Anna and I went to last July? The one with the delicious wine served in the bowls?I agree that this is a good place. I visited it quite often during my Amigo gig in 2013 as it is located on the route between the pilgrim office and Amigo apartments. There is another less conventional bar further along Rua da Poza de Bar which I am not going to recommend
Hi all,
It sounds like you are moving in the direction of a cafe, and that sounds wonderful. There are plenty of great cafes in Santiago, Tertulian would be one of them for all of the reasons listed already.
I would like to underline what John has said, and that we would love to be a place where you can meet other pilgrims. One of our goals at Pilgrim House is to be the place where pilgrims gather. As such, we would be more than happy for Pilgrim House to be a meeting point for you. That could be through our already planned 'meet-ups' or informally at any time that we are open. That could be to meet and hang out there or even meet there and head out to a cafe or restaurant of choice.
We do currently run what we call a "meet up" twice a week in Pilgrim House - Mondays and Thursdays at 5pm. We don't have immediate plans to change the time, but as we are new and testing these things out it is possible the days and times could change as we hit high season. It is very informal, we put out some simple snacks and drinks, and folks can drink from our coffee and tea - nothing fancy, but it's warm. Our main goal for meet-ups is simply to create space for pilgrims to meet each other and share stories. We might start the conversation with a few questions, but the most magical meet-ups happen when we get to listen to stories as pilgrims share with each other and ask each other great questions.
Bottom line - we think it's a great idea, and I hope some of our team can find time to attend over the course of the summer. I'm not trying to talk you out of a cafe - I just want to make it clear that it's for reasons like this that we exist and to let you know you would be very welcome in Pilgrim House. Regardless of where you meet, I hope many of you find time to stop in and see us at Pilgrim House when you come through Santiago.
Nate
I guess I'm leaning towards trying to find a cafe and I will call Tertulia tomorrow.
Am I right that a 400 m walk from the cathedral would not be a deal-breaker for people who have walked many many kms?
Please put the thread into a more open section, I picked it up as a new post. We do not all walk or follow the Francés section, but would still like to meet other forum members.
Identification:- In Exeter we have a waymark sticker we stand on the table, but in Santiago itself why not use one of Ivar's forum pack badges on a stick/wooden spoon (like used for table numbers).
Maybe Ivar or you could start a poll on location and time? I think 7PM (19:00) suggestion is very good though.Hi, Tia, I think the thread is back in the News from Santiago section. I hope that this way it will attract the attention of people walking lots of Caminos. Actually, it's the non-Francés walkers who are frequently left alone at the end, since they´ve had so many fewer companions. And I would think that a lot of Francés walkers would like the opportunity to meet and talk with people who have walked other caminos -- since as we know, it´s often the case that your first Francés leads to a long term camino addiction. Anyway, I´m going to wait for a little while to call Tertulia, because Nate has thrown out another possibility in post 55 above and I would just like to let everyone weigh in with opinions on whether to go with Pilgrim House or a café, time or anything else.
I also like the idea of having a badge on a stick to identify the table. Thanks, Tia. Laurie
Hi, Nate, I know we have had a conversation about your place before. I think it's very generous of you, and I'm certainly not trying to steal "business" away from you (though I know you are not in business), but I think the goal here is to have a place where forum members can go any day of the week. And rather than say, Mondays and Thursdays at 5 at the Pilgrim House, Tuesdays and Wednesdays somewhere else, etc etc, I just thought it would be better to have one consistent place every day. Also, the vast majority of people who have responded to me either on the thread or privately have suggested a 7 pm meeting time. So I think that's the direction we'll go for now, unless other forum members disagree. But I will be sure to stop in the Pilgrim House in July when arrive, and I'm sure a lot of other forum members will too. Buen camino, Laurie
Someone floated the idea a while back of a bar, and no offense meant, but that would completely put me off. There may be others in the same boat. So the idea of a cafe (Tertulia or otherwise) is great. And I hope that by the time I get to Santiago in mid April this idea has already become a happy tradition!
I'm in if it's gin and tonic...no matter how much further I have to walk!What are GTGs? Gin Tonic Groups? Go to God meetings?
I'm in if it's gin and tonic...no matter how much further I have to walk!
Hi AJ - are you talking about the fantastic bar you, Don, Kat, Anna and I went to last July? The one with the delicious wine served in the bowls?
I have had the good fortune to have eaten a breakfast and a few snacks at the Turtulia when I was in Santiago because it was cute; the staff was kind and welcoming to this exhausted pilgrim and her friends; and it was on the route between my albergue and the cathedral. I had one of those lovely rushes of nostalgia when I realized that I knew the cafe suggested in this thread. I would be very happy to meet other pilgrims there next time I'm in Santiago, and I do not think it is too far from the cathedral--but of course my albergue was about double that distance from the cathedral!
The albergue Piccata is referring to is, I believe, Roots and Boots, which is very close to the Tertulia.
Maybe we could all just meet at Ivar's house every night.
It is also rated as Number TWO out of 402 restaurants in Santiago on TripAdvisor!1.When the new Pilgrim Office opens...it will be very close.
2. The owner is very receptive to the idea.
3. If it does not work out for any reason...we can always change the location in the future.
Oh, yes, he'd SURE like to see us every single night!
His wife and family would no doubt love that too.
Yes peregrina2000, Roots and Boots is the albergue I was referring to. I didn't mention it by name because although it was acceptable, I didn't feel positively enough about it to recommend it here.
Any specific complaints you´d care to share?
I also like the idea of a regular meeting place for members of the forum in Santiago.
I walked the entire CF with that #%*!! Forum patch sewn on my backpack and not one person ever came up to me and said "Hey, I'm a member, too . . . etc."
All that wasted weight for nothing. NOTHING!!
And, yeah, I'd walk another half kilometer to the other side of town for a gin and tonic. Even if I had to pay for it myself.
Buen Camino, see you all this spring/summer.
One morning I was the first customer of the day. When I asked for a coffee the owner explained that the first customer each day had to say "Good Morning" to the coffee machine before it would work. I asked could the owner do this, but no, it had to be the customer. So I said "Good morning, coffee machine" and guess what - it worked!Like JohnnieW, I had also heard good things about it last year, so I´m guessing that things have improved since you were there. Good to know that your experience is from three years ago. I met a couple of people staying there (they were hanging out in La Tertulia) and they were happy. And it is definitely the best placed for those starting out in the morning for Finisterre. First a quick breakfast in la Tertulia (he opens between 7 and 7:30 depending on the season) and they you are on your way!
I'm in! My mom and I plan to arrive at the end of July. I would love to meet some forum members, wherever/whenever, though 7 at a cafe sounds ideal to me.
Yes. There is no obligation to post for the "free spirits"! The rest might like to be able to see who might be there.Should we have a place on the forum where people can announce their intentions
Yes. There is no obligation to post for the "free spirits"! The rest might like to be able to see who might be there.
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