New Pilgrim Office in Santiago for Summer 2015

[jefferyonthecamino]

looks like the office is moving this summer to Rúa Carretas, at least that's what I gather from the news.

 

[SYates]

That office is lately moving around more than some pilgrims ;-) SY

 

[Al the optimist]

Surely not? It has only just moved! Can anyone confirm?

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes, I had heard last year from JohnnieWalker that it was moving over near the Parador somewhere, so that fits with Rua Carretas. Not sure why, but maybe it's a bigger space. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[ivar]

Yes, it looks like this is happening. "Rua das Carretas" (see below) is located on the lower side of the Parador. You get there by walking down the street from the Parador main entrance, then take the first right... If I have understood this correctly, the new place is huge... and has a garden. I think it is the property where you see the "R" in "Rúa das Carretas" below.



I have read that money has been set aside to fix up the building (it is not looking very good now). There is talks of them opening in June 2015, but by the way that the building looks now, I have my doubts.

Not so centric, but once the pilgrims office is there... I don't think they would ever need to move again.

There has also been talks of Pilgrim Associations getting some space there as well. Not much is known yet... We will see.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks, Ivar, looks like it's very close to and across the street from Annie the nurse's favorite Santiago Restaurant, which will be a secret no more once it moves!

 

[Al the optimist]

Thanks Ivar. Maybe the queues will be less of a road block? But it will take away some of that dynamic,buzzy atmosphere that surrounds the current location.

 

[ivar]

Thanks Ivar. Maybe the queues will be less of a road block? But it will take away some of that dynamic,buzzy atmosphere that surrounds the current location.

True. It will be a different atmosphere. But more space to "hang out" and meet up with pilgrims... there is talk of a cafe ++

 

[grayland]

It would be a good area to upgrade your storage space, Ivar.

 

[Al the optimist]

Sounds too good to be true. Fingers crossed. Will we be seeing a slim line JW with all that walking up and down steps?

 

[fraluchi]

I seem to remember a lot of traffic during certain hours of the day?

 

[unadara]

My favourite restaurant too Laurie, have been there 4 times for Celebratory meals with "family" on reaching Santiago, can't believe we found it on our first visit and it hasn't changed a bit, husband and wife still run it on their own, a new home for the Office in this location would in my opinion be a good move, very easy to find on arrival also. Hopefully I will get to see it in 2016 (taking a rest this year!)

 

[Larazet]

Could you bring the opening forward a little to the end of May!

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Laurie, do you mean the restaurant on the corner, Restaurant Casa Paredes?

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie, do you mean the restaurant on the corner, Restaurant Casa Paredes?

No, I don't even know the name of it. I was supposed to meet her there one night last year and all I remember was that when I got there the restaurant was closed for some family event. But it is further down the block, I'll have to get Annie to tell us. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Nice to see there is budget for such a venture. And I like the idea of having it be a meeting point and not just a row of people queuing in the stairs which was a bit dangerous. Never wondered down that way, but that restaurant being mentioned is making me hungry!

 

[Tia Valeria]

Ivar, while this sounds good it would be very helpful to have occasional updates on progress. That would help as the change-over approaches so that folk go to the correct place.

 

[wayfarer]

One thing I would have loved to see in the pilgrims office was a message board where people could messages for people they met along the way and lost contact with. There were several I didn't get contact details for and regretted it, others I was able to find on Facebook.

 

[SYates]

One thing I would have loved to see in the pilgrims office was a message board where people could messages for people they met along the way and lost contact with. There were several I didn't get contact details for and regretted it, others I was able to find on Facebook.

That used to exist in the good old times ;-) but with 230,000+ pilgrims/year it got quickly out of hand and became unmanageable, sadly, I miss it also! SY

 

[Al the optimist]

Great idea Pat but maybe given the volume of people you might need an extra day in SDC just to read them all and find who you seek!

 

[wayfarer]

They have one at the Pilgrim House but I have no information on how successful it is as I haven't been yet.

 

[anniethenurse]

Thanks, Ivar, looks like it's very close to and across the street from Annie the nurse's favorite Santiago Restaurant, which will be a secret no more once it moves!

Hello all,

restaurant Tarara one of my all time favorites in Santiago
There are about 23 seats, so hang in the door when they open at 8 pm.
Senora in the kitchen, senor in the dining room both of Venezuelan origin.


Buen provecho

 

[anniethenurse]

One thing I would have loved to see in the pilgrims office was a message board where people could messages for people they met along the way and lost contact with. There were several I didn't get contact details for and regretted it, others I was able to find on Facebook.

Consigna had a message board

 

[Madidi]

Hello all,

restaurant Tarara one of my all time favorites in Santiago
There are about 23 seats, so hang in the door when they open at 8 pm.
Senora in the kitchen, senor in the dining room both of Venezuelan origin.


Buen provecho

Couldn't agree more with Annie, simple but excellent food, but don't just take our word for it: see below

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau..._de_Compostela_A_Coruna_Province_Galicia.html

Take care, be safe,

S

 

[anniethenurse]

Couldn't agree more with Annie, simple but excellent food, but don't just take our word for it: see below

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau..._de_Compostela_A_Coruna_Province_Galicia.html

Take care, be safe,

S

Exactly Sean, simple but excellent food. If the Pilgs Office is moving as I am told to the same street the rest. Tarara is going to get an upswing

 

[anniethenurse]

Couldn't agree more with Annie, simple but excellent food, but don't just take our word for it: see below

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau..._de_Compostela_A_Coruna_Province_Galicia.html

Take care, be safe,

S

We did go there once or twice @Madidi @Alan Pearce @peregrina2000?

That is our place.

 

[fraluchi]

I would still be interested in eventually reading Johnny Walker's thoughts on this subject.

 

[grayland]

Couldn't agree more with Annie, simple but excellent food, but don't just take our word for it: see below

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau..._de_Compostela_A_Coruna_Province_Galicia.html

Take care, be safe,

S

Sean...
Didn't we eat there as an Amigo group?
I am not sure if Annie was with us that night. I know AlanPearce, Robin, Ellie and Zita were with us
(wherever we were)
Ed

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola

The Regional Government of Galicia has awarded the Cathedral a grant of 1.5 millions € to renovate a church owned property in the Rua Carretas as a new Pilgrims' Centre. It is planned that the building, once a residence for elderly religious and priests, will house, amongst other services, the Pilgrims' Office, Left Luggage, Bicycle Store and a Bicycle Return point. It is intended that there will also be tourist information office and a cafeteria. There is also a chapel for pilgrims.

In October the Cathedral said that the project was "very advanced" the latest news is that it hasn't started. So, it will happen but when is anyone's guess.

Meeting point and message board for pilgrims: My view is that the Meeting Point provided in the excellent Pilgrims' House in the Rua Nova is the best meeting place for pilgrims to meet up with friends. They have very good facilities and a message board:

http://pilgrimhousesantiago.com/support/welcome-center/

Regards

John

 

[SYates]

"The Regional Government of Galicia has awarded the Cathedral a grant of 1.5 €"

I assume that means 1.5 Million Euro, correct? SY

 

[Al the optimist]

Are you back John? I hope you are well and all went OK. If so how about telling us about your walk?

 

[unadara]

No, I don't even know the name of it. I was supposed to meet her there one night last year and all I remember was that when I got there the restaurant was closed for some family event. But it is further down the block, I'll have to get Annie to tell us. Buen camino, Laurie

Tarara...see trip advisor for reviews and images...

 

[JohnnieWalker]

"The Regional Government of Galicia has awarded the Cathedral a grant of 1.5 €"

I assume that means 1.5 Million Euro, correct? SY

Correct - sorry!

 

[fraluchi]

[..] The Regional Government of Galicia has awarded the Cathedral a grant of 1.5 millions € to renovate a church owned property in the Rua Carretas as a new Pilgrims' Centre.[...] the latest news is that it hasn't started. So, it will happen but when is anyone's guess.

Welcome back from your long walk, John. Fit for the new year's challenges in Santiago?
The new pilgrims' center should become a jewel at a 1.5 million Euros investment, considering that the actual property (land and whatever buildings) is already owned by the church. It certainly will be a job security for some companies and time to come. IMO as long as pilgrims keep increasingly coming, there shall be no detailed questioning. Will there?

 

[Madidi]

Sean...
Didn't we eat there as an Amigo group?
I am not sure if Annie was with us that night. I know AlanPearce, Robin, Ellie and Zita were with us
(wherever we were)
Ed

We surely did Ed: one of many great night we had in the city

 

[Madidi]

We did go there once or twice @Madidi @Alan Pearce @peregrina2000?

That is our place.

My view too Annie: one of the better 'Amiga/Amigo'eateries. I hope we can enjoy a meal there again in the not too distant future.

Take care, be safe,

Sean.

 

[fraluchi]

April 2015 - What is the situation of the Pilgrims' Office in Rúa das Carretas? John, Ivar, anyone else to tell us if, when, etc.?

 

[ivar]

April 2015 - What is the situation of the Pilgrims' Office in Rúa das Carretas? John, Ivar, anyone else to tell us if, when, etc.?

I walked past there a few days ago. Not much activity there really... they may be working on the inside, but from the outside it looked quiet.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola - I'm not involved much this year as I am concentrating on the services for English speakers in the Cathedral and out on the Camino. I am in the Pilgrims' Office very seldom these days. However I was speaking with the Cathedral Administrator a few weeks ago and he said there had been little progress. Work hasn't started. Who knows? I noticed from the newspapers yesterday that the Cathedral Administrator has now resigned halfway through his contract.

 

[Kathy F.]

Two years ago, I had a doozy of a time finding the PO. and it has moved since then? Fortunately, Santiago is a lovely place to get lost in.
Ivar, how does this location relate to the location of the forum pilgrim meet up restaurant?

 

[ivar]

Ivar, how does this location relate to the location of the forum pilgrim meet up restaurant?

Both places are down the street in front on the Parador. The new pilgrims office is down the street on your right .. the meetup is straight down.. (on the way to Finisterre). 5 minutes walk between the two places.

 

[Kathy F.]

Both places are down the street in front on the Parador. The new pilgrims office is down the street on your right .. the meetup is straight down.. (on the way to Finisterre). 5 minutes walk between the two places.

Ah!
Thanks.

 

[fraluchi]

[...]I was speaking with the Cathedral Administrator a few weeks ago and he said there had been little progress. Work hasn't started. Who knows? I noticed from the newspapers yesterday that the Cathedral Administrator has now resigned halfway through his contract.

Thank you Ivar and JW. I guessed as much. Probably the usual "how do we finance this idea?"
FWIW, the Cathedral Administrator quit, when his proposal about raising an entrance fee to "people" entering the Cathedral met a tough resistance. He felt that under the negated circumstances "anybody could do the job". During his short tenure, the 2014 administration's accounts could be balanced for the first time since several years. IMO not without some blood letting left right and center.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I walked past today and the place is a hive of activity with one of the larger buildings now fully scaffolded. There is a grant of 1.5million € to carry out the works. I understand this is place.

 

[fraluchi]

[...] one of the larger buildings now fully scaffolded. There is a grant of 1.5million € to carry out the works [...]

Thank you John for this info. Thus we are given to understand that for the time being the present Pilgrims' Office in the Rua do Vilar will continue to be used.

 

[CaroleH]

Exciting developments in Santiago. Hope it all keeps rolling along. . .

 

[ivar]

I walked past there yesterday, and it looks like they are very busy now.

 

[fraluchi]

Thank you JW and Ivar. I hope to be able and check for myself on 5th June. Will be staying just 'round the corner at Hotel Hortas. And hope to meet as planned.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Thank you Ivar and JW. I guessed as much. Probably the usual "how do we finance this idea?"
FWIW, the Cathedral Administrator quit, when his proposal about raising an entrance fee to "people" entering the Cathedral met a tough resistance. He felt that under the negated circumstances "anybody could do the job". During his short tenure, the 2014 administration's accounts could be balanced for the first time since several years. IMO not without some blood letting left right and center.

The idea of an entrance fee to the Cathedral fills me with horror. It is a place of worship and prayer. When I was volunteering as an Amigo I would have gone in to pray on my way to work and again on my way home. I would also have gone in to Mass each day. Thank God the Canons ( or whoever opposed him) still believe in God and "you cannot serve God and mammon"

 

[fraluchi]

The idea of an entrance fee to the Cathedral fills me with horror.[...]

And so it did to the Church elders. There are other ways to finance the cost of the Institution, though not without a tough control on what is done why, when and where.

 

[t2andreo]

I worked as a volunteer Amigo at the Pilgrims Office in June 2014, and will return to help in July and August this year. I recall from informal discussions last summer that there is serious concern over the long lines and an awareness that the pilgrim volumes will continue to go up, not down, as the popularity of the Camino spreads internationally.

Thus, as I understand it, an effort was taken to try to determine how to alter the process of welcoming pilgrims to the "end of the line" where they would obtain their compostelas. I believe the central concern was to address the issue of overly long lines and to improve the overall welcome process. Anyone who has worked in a service-related business knows that the optics of a long line are not positive. Plus, there has been much consideration and discussion regarding how to improve the overall welcome experience, move things along expeditiously, and make this a positive experience for all. The Cathedral authorities and John, in his role advising the authorities should be commended for their foresight and confidence.

The current Pilgrim Office functioned well, where it was, and how it was operated, until it was simply overwhelmed by the numbers of arriving pilgrims. The collective thought was something along the lines of "Oh my gosh...what happens when the annual volume rises to 250,000 or even 300,000...or more?" Clearly the present infrastructure and location was undersized for this potential.

Consider also that the Pope has designated 2016 as a Jubilee Year. While not a Holy Year in the sense that Santiago's feast day does not actually fall on the magic date that makes it a "legal" Holy Year, the Pope wants to focus attention on spirituality and has specifically called for his faithful to make pilgrimage during 2016. So, regardless of where the Pilgrim Office is, the process and physical plant must be able to handle a significantly higher number of pilgrim arrivals.

So, in 2016, it will be "all hands to the pumps..." I sincerely hope the new office can be opened, and all its systems and processes tweaked and honed before the 2016 surge arrives.

I hope this helps the dialog...

 

[fraluchi]

[...]... regardless of where the Pilgrim Office is, the process and physical plant must be able to handle a significantly higher number of pilgrim arrivals. So, in 2016, it will be "all hands to the pumps..." I sincerely hope the new office can be opened, and all its systems and processes tweaked and honed before the 2016 surge arrives.

But at certain times of the year the new office will face Murphy's law: one plans for 1'000 arrivals and, hold and below, you get 1'001, the one more which is the "drop that overflows the bucket"
One should all be aware that whatever is organised, there will be the occasion when one will have to patiently wait in line. ... or choose another moment

 

[KinkyOne]

But at certain times of the year the new office will face Murphy's law: one plans for 1'000 arrivals and, hold and below, you get 1'001, the one more which is the "drop that overflows the bucket"
One should all be aware that whatever is organised, there will be the occasion when one will have to patiently wait in line. ... or choose another moment

Or simply walk on to Muxia/Fisterra

 

[grayland]

Is there actually any estimated time on the relocation?
I know that "summer of 2015" was originally reported....but what does it really look like?

 

[ivar]

Took this 15 minutes ago

 

[VNwalking]

Obviously not soon, then! Hopefully it won't take as long as refurbishing the Cathedral facade!
And.....what a gorgeous evening in SdC!! Thanks for the pic, Ivar.

 

[ivar]

... And this is the street coming down to the new office (as if 30 min ago)