Buen Camino! Greetings from Jerusalem!
This is a repost not entirely answering your question but quite relevant. As to France, the Vézelay Camino is much the quieter also less interesting, Le Puy is much the preferred route and will be busier, Arles I didn't like at all due to the summer heat and I haven' walked from Paris...yet. The repost concerns my experiences in 2011 Holy Year walked over Easter - my Holy Year was everything except Holy.
There has been a post entitled "The Cathedral is Closed-Is It Worth It"? Closed? Partially Closed? Sometimes Closed? Often Closed? I can't answer that one. Closed or not the powers that be are preparing for the Holy Year in 2021 and that's not a bad thing. H-o-w-e-v-e-r, having said that I recall my pilgrimage in Holy Year in 2011. Left from SJPP as all "proper" pilgrims should (sarcasm intended we all make the pilgrimage we desire) just before Easter so it was crowded all through Semana Santa and into the week after Easter. Cleared out for most of the way until Sarria and then the fountains of pilgrims from the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven of pilgrims were also opened ! Pilgrims walking, pilgrims on bicycles, pilgrims on horses, pilgrims on motorcycles, pilgrims in minivans as tourist guides popped into cafe/bars to stamp 30-40 credencials at one go for the motorized pilgrims, bus loads of pilgrims, packed albergues as people slept on the floor with taxis lined up next morning to take others away. A Flood of pilgrims pretty awful but bearable. Then I walked triumphantly into SdC to find ... "no room in the inn" anywhere!!! Thousands and thousands of pilgrims and not so pilgrims. Found a freezing private room from an abuela standing out on a on the square and got ready for the pilgrims mass. Now. I had attended probably 30 pilgrim's masses along that Camino, not bad for a Jewish Pilgrim, always a warm welcome after the initial surprise, always a good spiritual experience. In the years that have followed I have attended probably hundreds more. That time, that day, around 1130 I presented myself at the Cathedral to be greeted by hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of people. Entire bus-loads of tourists, entire Old Folk's Homes out with their walkers and caretakers, entire graduating classes from schools, the tour guides and their mini-van myriads, all pushing and shoving for a better view, cameras flashing right and left up and down- no cellular phone cameras back then!, battle cries of "José we've saved you a seat", elbows brandished, and several dozen bedeviled bewildered priests attempting to restore order to no avail - sorry no other description, they were helpless and hopeless in the onslaught, then the mass began! Mira Mira!! Miro Miro!! Mirarán Mirarán! Priests answering Silenciar Silenciar Volver Volver! Couldn't hear a word but miraculously as the priest read out the list of countries from whence the pilgrims arrive I heard Israel - some small compensation - my companion from Hungary broke down and cried. Quite possibly the most anticipated and the very most worst very awful Pilgrims Mass I ever attended. All was almost resolved by hopping a bus for Muxía and my good friend Begonia's guest house! Should you be considering to wait for a pilgrimage in 2021 when all is open perhas and do consider the possible side effects of your decision, me? I would not wait but set out tomorrow!
