New on Camino / starting 11 Nov 2007

[Thorenburg]

Hello,

my name is Zoltan, i'm from Romania, and i'm planning the details of my first Camino.
Presently working for a big corporation, i lost the "compass" in my life, and searching for a balance.

My plan is to do the portion : Sarria-Santiago, (11Nov-15Nov)
If somebody knows :
- i arrive in Sarria on 10 Nov, evening. The question is : can i sleep in the refuge that night, having that i didn't walk that day on the camino, but is the starting point, next morning?
- i don't have the pilgrim pass, and i need(?) to get it somewhere. Is it possible to get it at the refuge in Sarria? Do i need this document, in order to use the refuges?

thanks in advance,
Zoltan

 

[Trudy]

Hi Zoltan,

You can certainly sleep in the Sarria refugio on the night you arrive, and should be able to buy a pilgrim pass (credencial) there as well for 1 or 2 euros. The refugioe is in the Rua Mayor, and apart from the municipal refugio, there are several private refugios in this street. You will need the pass to stay in refugios along the way.

Trudy

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Zoltan,
Welcome to the Forum. I will be on the Camino at the same time as yourself but I will be behind you and stationary; I will be working at a refugio in Rabanal.
I think I understand a little of what you say regarding losing your 'compass' in life. May I refer to 2 pilgrims I met in 2005. Paolo from Brazil had worked, I think,in high finance (stocks and shares?) and left his job to re-assess where he was, there was the possibility of returning to his job but he was taking a year out and part of this was to go on pilgrimage.
Lulu, from Mexico city, had two businesses there. One day, in her car at the traffic lights, a child had a hand out, begging for money. Lulu suddenly realized that for the previous two years she had seen but not noticed these children. 24 hours later she had sold both businesses and was making arrangements to check on her life, the first stage was the Pilgrimage to Santiago.
So you are not alone in your reasons for going on pilgrimage. But be prepared to find that after your pilgrimage from Sarria you may well be drawn back to the Camino over a longer distance.
There is also a small connection between us. In 2005 my pilgrimage took me through 5 European countries and I used that fact as a symbol of uniting Europe and raising some money for the children of Romania, in the orphanages, who, for me, were the victims of European disunity.
I hope all goes well on your Pilgrimage and that you are able to sort your 'compass' out; the fact that you are aware is an important step.
Buen Camino,
Brendan