Private Messages / Conversations

[JPGSan]

Hi there,

I realize this is a little bit of a weird question, but I am trying to send a private message to one of the members on here, and after I did everything I thought I had to do, the message is still sitting in my outbox. Does this mean it has been sent, or do I need to do something else to send it off?

Please can someone assist?

Jacob

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Jacob

Took me while to work that one out as well. It leaves you to go to them when they next log on - apparently!

 

[JPGSan]

Ahh,

Thanks, so I can stop tressing...

Thanks stax

Jacob
South Africa

 

[ivar]

Once you have "sent" your private message, it goes to your outbox and stays there until the recipient reads it. Then it gets moved to his inbox.

Not to worry

Ivar

 

[Peter Robins]

it also moves to your 'sent messages' folder when read by the recipient; so your outbox is a sort of 'pending' file

 

[Adobe]

I haven't started my walk yet, but when I read some accounts of pilgrim's many say they have to wait for hours until their pasports get stamped.
Is their any symbol/sign telling you who has a stamp?
If I miss one will it stop me from using the next albergue?

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Hi Adobe,
Most of the stamps that you will get are from the albergues themselves, when you arrive there and go to reception. Generally I never faced much of a wait when I arrived at an albergue, though there was an occasional queue. Perhaps the accounts you have read are more from those who travelled in the very busy times in July and August, who arrived at albergues well before they opened, then waited in queues until they opened.

Margaret

 

[WolverineDG]

There's a do-it-yourself one in Cirauqui, in the tunnel formed by the church's (?) archway.
Several bars & stores also have sellos, like the store across from the church in Granon. It was always interesting at the end of the day to compare sellos & see who go what. Even though we walked the same path, no one had the exact same sellos as another.

Kelly

 

[Deirdre]

Hello Adobe,
I've walked the Francés twice in July and August and never waited anywhere more than a couple of minutes for a sello. I have no idea what you might have read. Many sellos are given in bars, churches and of course, the albergues where you stay. Unless you are sitting outside an albergue waiting for it to open (which I never did) I cannot understand why anyone would have to wait. Perhaps what you read pertained to getting the compostela in Santiago. This past summer around 11 am there were long queues to get into the Pilgrim office. However, I was there early in the morning, and only was in the queue for about a half an hour. You just have to know what time to get there.
Buen Camino,

 

[William Marques]

I haven't started my walk yet, but when I read some accounts of pilgrim's many say they have to wait for hours until their passports get stamped.
Is their any symbol/sign telling you who has a stamp?
If I miss one will it stop me from using the next albergue?

Like Deirdre I can only assume what you have read is related to the queue to get your compostela once you have got to Santiago.

There are no obvious signs telling you where there is a stamp but you get used to getting your passport stamped at refugios, churches, bars, town halls (ayuntamiento) etc. Usually the stamp is obviously placed.

If you miss one it will not stop you using the next refugio, in fact for most of the Camino you will walk past one or more refugios each day as they are often not far apart.

 

[DavidF]

There was a slight queue in the albergue in Arzúa when we were there in September. Maybe 5 minutes or so.

On the Camino del Norte we found that some of the places where you can get a stamp had a sign saying, e.g., "come back at 4 pm" and so that might mean waiting several hours depending on time of day. But it isn't common and it isn't really a problem. For example, at the albergue in Gondán this was the case; but if you were staying there the wait didn't matter because the albergue was open and in self-service mode. We decided to keep going since it was early afternoon and managed to get a stamp at a bar in Calzada. Often bars advertise that they can do the stamp or you can ask. A similar thing happened at Ribadeo - we went to the Town Hall to get the stamp there. The Confraternity of St. James Guides do a good job of indicating where you can get a stamp. We took the attitude of getting a stamp whenever we could (within reason).

Getting the Compostela itself involves more of a wait but that is part of the experience.

 

[Alan Pearce]

DavidF wrote
Getting the compostela itself involves more of a wait but that is part of the experience.

It certainly was for us. While waiting to collect ours we spoke to a French lady who had been part of a group of Frenchwomen who had walked from France. They were all cancer sufferers, 4 of them in remission and 4 still being treated. They had walked the camino as part of a trial to test the theory that exercise helped treat the cancer in those still with active tumors, and would help prevent the recurrence of cancer in those currently in remission. Two doctors had walked with them to monitor their condition and to treat those who needed it. We were feeling a bit smug about finishing our trip and the fact that we had earned out compostela. Needless to say. we left holding our document with a lot more humility than when we had entered.
Buen Camino
Alan

 

[quantustremor]

How many sellos did you get on your Credencial in a day?I've heard about some people whose collect 8-10 sellos per day!!!...some of them risked not to get the Compostela...It's true?

 

[jeff001]

If you walk the whole way you need only enough to document that you actually did it. One or 2 a day would be plenty. If you do the minimum of 100 km you need at least 2 per day. Many people collect more but more for souvenirs than because they are needed.

 

[sillydoll]

I almost completed 4 credentials with different sellos and I love them all! I don't get the Compostela - I get the other certificate so the sellos are what remind me of the places we walk through and visit.

 

[spursfan]

on the other hand, I took great pleasure in collecting only one per day from each albergue that I stayed in and having as few days as possible - so that I could get rid of the blank pages in my CSJ pilgrim's passport

 

[quantustremor]

I don't get the Compostela - I get the other certificate so the sellos are what remind me of the places we walk through and visit.

Hi Syllydoll, why dont' you get the Compostela?

 

[sillydoll]

I don't walk for religious reasons. I did get the compostela the first time by saying that I had walked for religious reasons but was more honest the 2nd and 3rd times!

 

[Telluridewalker]

I don't walk for religious reasons. I did get the compostela the first time by saying that I had walked for religious reasons but was more honest the 2nd and 3rd times!

I didn't walk for religious reasons, either. The time I walked I also fibbed/lied to get the Compostela. I felt so bad the next day I threw it in a trash can on the main plaza. I still wonder if that was the right decision.

I recently found this site:

http://www.lossellosdelcamino.com/index.htm

on sellos. It's pretty comprehensive.

-John

 

[Trudy]

A pilgrim walking only the last 100kms eg from Sarria, is required to get two sellos per day. But those walking longer distances need only collect one per day.

In 2007 I skipped the stage before Sarria due to ill-health, and from then on made sure I got at least two sellos each day as I could only claim walking the last 100kms. Just as well I did, as the Pilgrim Office actually counted the daily stamps from Sarria onwards before giving me the Compostela.

But I've never heard of a pilgrim being refused the Compostela for having too many sellos. That sounds really odd.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I got a sello every place they'd give me one!

 

[sillydoll]

Canon Genaro Cebrián (who is in charge of the pilgrims' office) says that the Compostela is no longer used to atone for sins. To be granted the Compostela "it is necessary to confess a religious faith." Pilgrims are not asked about their faith, if they are Catholics, Buddhists or Islamists. We only ask that the reason be religious", he added. Therefore, atheists and agnostics can only aspire to an alternative “welcome” document.
He refused the Queen a compostela for failing to meet the requirements. Queen Sofia visited a few years ago years ago after travelling a few kilometres accompanied by members of the Royal Guard. At the end of their journey they requested the 'Compostela' for her Majesty. But Cebrián refused because she had not fulfilled the requirements, so she was offered a souvenir certificate instead."

This statement is a bit of a misnomer as far as Buddhists are concerned. Buddhism is not a religion and the large majority of Buddhists are atheists. If the Dalai Lama walked the camino he too would be refused a compostela!

 

[quantustremor]

http://www.lossellosdelcamino.com/index.htm

Nice site.Thanks!

 

[JohnnieWalker]

If the Dalai Lama walked the camino he too would be refused a compostela!

I'm sure the Dalai Lama would have the wisdom to discern that religous motives can also be interpreted as spiritual motives and tick the box accordingly.

There again he may have no interest in a piece of paper.

 

[crackmrmac]

Hi, Right now I only collect one sello per day. The http://www.stjamesirl.com provide us with a nice small booklet. I spoke with one of the committee members last summer and he mentioned the possibility of adding your own pages to accommodate extra sellos......especially if you walk right out your own front door on the way to Santiago

Buen Camino

Brian

 

[falcon269]

To the secular walker, the piece of paper is like Dumbo's feather (no insult intended to the religious).

 

[JohnnieWalker]

and also no insult intended to Dumbo presumably.

 

[sillydoll]

I am a secular walker, but I am also a souvenir lover, so the credencial means a lot to me - with all those lovely sellos of places we visited. (I even made one for us to have stamped when we walked the Coast to Coast across England in 2001!)

 

[Rebekah Scott]

One nice thing about Buddhism is it is not so much a religion as a philosophy. It dovetails neatly with already-existing faith and beliefs. So you can be both a Christian (or Hindu, Animist, or Zoroastrian) AND a Buddhist without any undue conflict. Thomas Merton found it so. Thich Nhat Hanh does too.

And so do I.

Reb. (Pure Land Buddhist, practicing Catholic, and Compostela holder)

 

[peregrina nicole]

We started in France and collected one sello per day, but sometimes picked up an extra one when we passed a place of special interest like Santo Domingo de la Calzada Cathedral (the 'chicken place'), El Fuento de Vino, Tomas's place (the Knight Templar before the iron cross), etc. Once we started to accumulate 'Amigos del Camino' we would sit down and compare sellos over a cold beer at the end of the day. The most impressive was a guy (with a pin in his ankle) who started in Holland. He just got stamps where he could before he hit the more traditional routes. He had stamps from petrol stations, vineyards, bars, town halls, police stations, schools, restaurants etc. Because of the pin in the ankle, he could only do about 20 km per day, so he had extension sheets for his credencial. We also noticed the different types of credenciales. Our St Jean de Pied de Port one is different from the Roncesvalles one. Our Via de la Plata one (picked up in Seville) is different yet again.

 

[almastudio]

I got a sello every place they'd give me one!

Hi Anni,
I'm Ángel fron Los sellos del Camino. I invite you to send me your sellos for the web.
Thank you and buen Camino

 

[Javier Martin]

We started in France and collected one sello per day...

It's recommended to collect two sellos a day when you are covering the last 100 km, to avoid problems at the Oficina del Peregrino.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[tohams]

So walking from SJPdP, what does that mean? One per day until you reach Sarria, then two per day until you reach Santiago de Compostela? Or from SJPdP, just one per day the whole way?

 

[JohnnieWalker]

As Javier said the recommendation from the Pilgrims' Office is that pilgrims collect 2 sellos per day during the last 100 kms. But it isn't a rigid rule or formula. However it would be wise to enusre in those last 5 days or so that you have at least one sello per day - preferably two.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I was walking the last 100km with two people from Quebec who, like me, had begun along the Le Puy route. We were running out of room on our second credencials. We'd heard you were supposed to get two stamps in the last 100km, but it seemed like the bars etc that offered stamps had really boring ones :shock: We didn't really want to waste our precious remaining space on them. Luckily, as it was clear we had walked a long way already, the checking of our last 100km stamps in the Pilgrim Office was fairly cursory, and it didn't matter. I guess it is those who begin in Sarria who have to take most care to get the two sellos per day.....
Margaret

 

[Javier Martin]

... I guess it is those who begin in Sarria who have to take most care to get the two sellos per day.....
Margaret

Of course, Margaret.

But, in my opinion, the best sello is your tired but happy face, your broken boots, your dirty trousers, and of course the inside from your digital camera. After more than 1000 km nobody really need something else.

Buen Camino? The best, inside our minds.

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Javier I agree in principle with you of course. But the reality is that some pilgrims walk 100's of kilometres then get the bus for the last stretch. The Compostela is a record of a pilgrimage to Santiago not to Sarria or Leon then the bus!

2 sellos per day if possible for the last 100 kms avoids any issues about this. Many pilgrims collect far more than this.

 

[skilsaw]

The issue of "rides" for whatever reason is one of authenticity of the pilgrim.

Rides, (or not) affected my sense of accomplishment and feelings of personal pride and integrity on completing the Camino.

I walked SJPP to Finistere and had a "walking on air" feeling on finishing that went on for days. I did it!

On the Via de la Plata I ran into a variety of problems that I solved by taking rides.
- A doctor told me not to walk for 3 days to let my blisters dry out.
- I was caught at 7:00 pm in a town with no more beds.
- I was throwing up in the ditch and another pilgrim stopped a car for me and got them to give me a ride to the albergue.
- I took a day off because I was exhausted, but late in the day I decided to taxi to the next town.

The long and short of it is I am going back to Seville in April to do the VdlP again.

I am looking forward to a more peaceful, less anxious journey and the sense of accomplishment and authenticity that I missed on my first Via de la Plata.

I've learned that the journey, not the compostela is the purpose.

David, Victoria, Canada.

 

[Javier Martin]

...I've learned that the journey, not the compostela is the purpose.
David, Victoria, Canada.

Absolutely agree!!
"+Camino, -Compostela"

Buen Camino, always

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[quietwun]

This might be a bit obsessive, but seems like many of us have questions about sellos and how it will all work....

If people take a rest day--I know I will need to, in fact will need and want to do a "long slow distance" camino--- what to do about those extra days? I can see if in a smaller town there might not be extra options and if the sellos are dated, it would be apparent I was not making forward progress in any event.

I do want to get the compostela, and would hate to be excluded on a technicality.

 

[Arn]

As I journeyed on from Sarria I passed many bars where I am sure I could have stopped for a sello and a cerverza. Then again, I made it a habit not to start drinking until I reached my destination for that day.

I started early and stopped by 1300...plenty of time to walk a town...have a drink and collect a sello.

Arn

 

[KiwiNomad06]

quietwun,
I had several rest days.... they are not a problem at all. Many Europeans do the Camino in 1-2 week segments in their holidays and they have long breaks in between. All they are really wanting to try and check at the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago is that you did in fact walk the last 100km, rather than take rides over some of that section.
Margaret

 

[sillydoll]

The only pages they look at is for the last 100km - so you will need about 2 sellos per day over the last few days. It doesn't matter if you have a gazzillion sellos in your credential before that - or none at all - you must prove that you have walked the last 100km to earn the Compostela.

 

[spursfan]

Surely what Sil is really saying (forgive my impudence) is that if you only walk the last 100km then it's wise to collect more than one sello each day; but if you walk more than 100km then you need only collect one per day

 

[sillydoll]

Surely what Sil is really saying (forgive my impudence) is that if you only walk the last 100km then it's wise to collect more than one sello each day; but if you walk more than 100km then you need only collect one per day

If you don't stay in the albergues, you don't even need one a day until the last 100km - because you don't have to prove how far you've walked, only that you have waked the last 100km.
If you want to stay in the albergues, you need sellos to prove that you have walked from the previous place.

 

[kstaylor]

For those of us who do not plan to stay in the albergues, where do we get the sellos? I will be starting in Porto (mid-April) -- and expect to take a lot of full-day (or even twoor three day) stops, taking about 3 1/2 weeks for what looks like 13 actual leisurely days of walking. And I plan to stay in basic hotels. Does this present any problems with respect to the sellos?

And, other than taking public transportation to the outskirts of Porto to start, I do expect to walk it all.

Kit
http://www.arovingvision.com
kst@arovingvision.com

 

[sillydoll]

Kit, I got sellos from albergues, hotels, cafe-bars, restaurants, tourism offices, churches, libraries, even police stations - you can collect them from everywhere.

 

[Javier Martin]

Kit, I got sellos from albergues, hotels, cafe-bars, restaurants, tourism offices, churches, libraries, even police stations - you can collect them from everywhere.

Yes, and it's a good idea to obtain some of them in churches or albergues when possible.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

 

[oursonpolaire]

A Murcian pilgrim told me that I would be deemed very virtuous and religious if I got all of my sellos in churches, but that only having sellos from bars might leave another impression. When I showed him a sello provided by the Guardia Civil in a Catalan pueblo, he was most impressed, and (jokingly, I think) asked me how many days they had kept me in a cell and on what charges. When I told him that the Guardia had hand-squeezed orange juice for me, he told me that few of his friends had shared such experiences.

 

[sulu]

I'm feeling a bit obtuse here. I had assumed that sellos where something you got in certain churches, offices or albergues. Does every little village have its own stamp? Does that mean asking (and stopping) in every bar on the route?
I like the idea of collecting souvenires, I rather feel if there is a stamp going then i want it but this could be very time consuming.
I also thought that some offices are only open at rstricted times, am I wrong?
Sue

 

[sillydoll]

Even people at roadside stalls have sellos.
The most famous was Felica who passed away at age 90 in 2002 but whose daughter has carried on stamping pilgrims' credentials with the Felica stamp that offers love, water and figs - for a donation.
Marcelino Lobato (whose poster showing him in full medieval pilgrim garb adorns every cafe-bar in Span)sits at a three sided hut in the woods beyond Logrono and offers a sello, fruit and nuts (no charge).
Everybody, but everybody has a sello. I filled 4 credentials in 2007.
It would only be too time consuming if you tried to collect the whole bang shoot!

 

[Alan Pearce]

I must admit that I found it tiresome [and puzzling] when my travelling companions in 2008 claimed that somehow their caminos were more meaningful than mine, because their credentials had more stamps.

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous

 

[Javier Martin]

A Murcian pilgrim told me that I would be deemed very virtuous and religious if I got all of my sellos in churches, but that only having sellos from bars might leave another impression. When I showed him a sello provided by the Guardia Civil in a Catalan pueblo, he was most impressed, and (jokingly, I think) asked me how many days they had kept me in a cell and on what charges. When I told him that the Guardia had hand-squeezed orange juice for me, he told me that few of his friends had shared such experiences.

Yes, I agree.

In my opinion a correct mix is OK.

To see an albergue is a good reason to stop, have a chat with the hospitalero and obtain a sello.
The same in a church.
And in a bar if you are thirsty or tired.

But, not all from bars.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain

 

[JohnnieWalker]

"but not all from bars"

The advice not to get sellos exclusively from bars has been around for some time. I discussed this with colleagues in the Pilgrims' Office. They are at pains to point out that rather than seeking to curtail pilgrims having a good time along the Camino they advise pilgrims to collect sellos where they sleep as a record of the stages of their journey. Hence the advice to collect sellos from hostals, hotels and albergues.

 

[sillydoll]

Alan - I only filled 2/3 of my first credential in 2002.
At a St James' Feast Day celebration that year I saw someone's credentials, full of gorgeous stamps from almost every place he had passed through.
From then on, if we stopped at a cafe-bar, visited a church or tourist office, sent emails home from a library etc., I got a stamp from that place.
My subsequent caminos have been made more memorable due to the sellos in the credentials. Perhaps I need something to jog my memory and looking at the stamp reminds me of all the places I stopped at.

 

[FrenchGwen]

Alan - I only filled 2/3 of my first credential in 2002.
At a St James' Feast Day celebration that year I saw someone's credentials, full of gorgeous stamps from almost every place he had passed through.
From then on, if we stopped at a cafe-bar, visited a church or tourist office, sent emails home from a library etc., I got a stamp from that place.
My subsequent caminos have been made more memorable due to the sellos in the credentials. Perhaps I need something to jog my memory and looking at the stamp reminds me of all the places I stopped at.

This does seem a good point. It really makes sense, and I suppose another positive side effect is that it incites you to taking your time and getting in touch with locals on the road.
I'm looking forward to it ! (and reckon that, given my inexistent Spanish, it will be largely as funny as the phone calls in Spanish I'm currently making in order to book our nights in private albergues, hostels,... :mrgreen: )

 

[alipilgrim]

Why not make up a little booklet of blank pieces of paper (ie. 2-3 pages folded in half and stapled) and have the bars, shops, etc stamp this as your 'souvenir', and have the albergues where you sleep at night stamp your Credencial? You won't have to worry about going thru more than one Credencial, you'll still have the 'proof' you need for your Compostela, and, if you get 2+ sellos per day in your booklet, it will make for a lovely souvenir.

 

[Snezbit]

After reading the thread a few questions arise...

Can I obtain more than one credential if I was to fill mine, say before the last 100km?
If so may I ask if these are available at Albergues?

I can't imagine the office being purturbed if I turned up with a booklet full of stamps and my Credencial filled with Sellos from the earlier part of my journey.

Although i may be wrong :?

SnezbitxXx

 

[JohnnieWalker]

After reading the thread a few questions arise...

Can I obtain more than one credential if I was to fill mine, say before the last 100km?
If so may I ask if these are available at Albergues?

I can't imagine the office being purturbed if I turned up with a booklet full of stamps and my Credencial filled with Sellos from the earlier part of my journey.

Although i may be wrong :?

SnezbitxXx

Yes you can have as many credenciales as you wish - some pilgrims having walked from home in say Insbruck or Edinburgh have several credenciales. Credenciales are available at Albergues and some cathedrals along most of the routes.

The Pilgrims' Office will look at the last 100 kms or your journey, apply the stamp of the Cathedral and issue the Compostela if that is your choice.

Buen Camino

John

 

[skilsaw]

Can I obtain more than one credential if I was to fill mine, say before the last 100km?
If so may I ask if these are available at Albergues?
SnezbitxXx

The night I stayed in Sarria, a pilgrim who had filled here credential was concerned about where to get another. We went to the church just before the 7:00 pm service that evening and the priest was able to give her another. She gave him a one Euro donativo.

I suggest you ask at town halls, albergues, and churches before your current credential is totally filled up, and one or another will be able to help you out.

Happy trails,
David, Victoria, Canada

 

[Snezbit]

Thankyou

xXx

 

[vinotinto]

Many pilgrims collect far more than this.

You can also put them in your guidebook or journal...I've got some in my Brierley book, on the lined pages where you can write your own thoughts/reflections...wish I had thought of that earlier in the Camino than about a week away from Santiago... :arrow:

VT

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Although the advice is to collect two sellos per day in the last 100 kms this week I met a Spanish pilgrims who had the longest Credencial I've ever seen with sellos collected on the route from Roncesvalles.

Here he is:

 

[vinotinto]

Then again, I made it a habit not to start drinking until I reached my destination for that day. Arn

Who are you, and what have you done with the real Arn?!! If we ever end up on the Way at the same time I'll have to cure you of that bad habit... :wink: :mrgreen:

VT

 

[Coleen Clark]

Once you have "sent" your private message, it goes to your outbox and stays there until the recipient reads it. Then it gets moved to his inbox.

Not to worry

Ivar

Ivar, I am not as computer savvy as the other members, so I have been absorbing all the information on this site with zeal. I would like to start a new thread, "Souvenirs from your Camino, Spiritual, Physical or Material" to discuss what people really found and brought back from their own personal Camino. I don't know how to start one, or if I am allowed at my low level. Please let me know how I can do this, if I can do this, or if this has been covered elsewhere.
Thank you for my Pilgrim's Passport, I show it off to anyone who will look. Do I receive a number on the first line "nombre de peregrine" at the beginning of my walk or the end?

 

[falcon269]

Do I receive a number on the first line "nombre de peregrine"

Pilgrim's name. You probably have one...

 

[Coleen Clark]

Pilgrim's name. You probably have one...

Well, Duh. And I have been trying to learn Spanish. I need to try a little harder...

 

[Icacos]

I would like to start a new thread, "Souvenirs from your Camino, Spiritual, Physical or Material" to discuss what people really found and brought back from their own personal Camino. I don't know how to start one, or if I am allowed at my low level.

Yes, Coleen, as far as I know even the lowest of the low can start a new thread. You need to find 'Start a New Thread.' This is what I've done: Click on 'Camino de Santiago Forum' (top left, [edited] then click on 'Camino Francés.' You should then see 'Start a New Thread,' then follow the links.