UPDATES HERE (AMAZON)
January 2013. Some general remarks about walking the camino annum 2013.
* Making a real pilgrimage to SDC along the Camino francés is still possible,
but only in winter. Forget the other seasons, in particular summer.
One has to be lucky with the weather, or accept a lot of rain and snow.
Many albergues and hotels will be closed. All of this can be overcome, easily.
* The Pilgrim Office in SDC has moved to a new office,
a few meters further down the street.
* The Hostal de los Reyes still serves an excellent meal (free and daily)
to arriving pilgrims.
* The newly opened "Museo das Peregrinacions e de Santiago"
(on the Plaza de las Platerías) houses a very interesting exposition
on what SDC looked like earlier on. The Pilgrim Museum is still in
Calle San Miguel though, on the other side of the cathedral.
The new museum costs €1,50 entrance fee to pilgrims.
The other museum used to be free for pilgrims, but ... who knows?
The Codex Calixtinus can be viewed inside the cathedral,
but only if you show the entrance ticket
to the Cathedral Museum. Obtaining entrance used to be free
for pilgrims, but ... who knows?
* A Compostela dated 1805 can be viewed in Librería Vetusta in Calle Nova,
close to the cathedral.
Some more news:
* The monument between Villafranca Montes and San Juan de Ortega
has been extended. Interesting!
* Good places to stay on the meseta are: Itero de la Vega and Población de Campos.
* Staying overnight in Samos is not recommended in winter for various reasons.
Go to Triacastela or Sarria in stead. The path from Samos to Sarria might be bad;
follow the carretera. It is also shorter.
* In Sarria you will almost certainly be overcharged
in most of the bars and restaurants.
* Be very careful when you use "pilgrim websites" (apps) on your smart phone.
Their pilgrim forums are not accurate at all. A printed guide is usually better.
* Have a look on the MY TOP 10 page.
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September 2012: The latest trend in making a
pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is to do it by camper.
Or, as a lady bar-owner in Castrojeriz (near Burgos) puts it:
"I haven't seen a pilgrim since 2008!" More news here.
It seems that a great number of budget travellers have discovered the camino since
the outbreak of the economic crisis in 2008. They think that the camino is cheap, and
hire taxis to transport their luggage and themselves from one hotel to the next. (Cheap...?)
They carry a stick and have put on a silly hat, and hope to get into contact
with the real pilgrim (who has already moved to another pilgrim road).
To separate these turigrinos from the peregrinos do keep this one rule in mind:
"The tourist demands; the pilgrim appreciates."
You will soon find out "who is what".
27 Juli 2012: I found a picture of my first pilgrimage to Santiago. Here it is.
Support Team Member Dietmar Völkel will start a 1000-kms walk from Hof to Lübeck this week.
This is called the "Kolonnen Route" along the East German border. He starts on 5 July! (BACK HOME SAFE NOW!)
A picture of Dietmar features on the Support Team page.
NOTE 1: While doing my daily exercises near The Hague I met a man who told me
how beautiful the Czechian walking trails are!
NOTE 2: I noticed a yellow sticker (Haarlem - Santiago) on a traffic sign near
Zoetermeer (at 20 kms east from The Hague). One is never far from the camino !
21 MAY 2012: AMAZON BOOKS RECENTLY UPDATED THEIR WRITERS' WEBSITES. HERE'S MINE: 
NEW NEW NEW !!
Do you want to find an author on AMAZON BOOKS?
Here is how!
Example: Author Jack de Groot
¿Buscas a un autor en AMAZON LIBROS?
¡Fácil!
Por ejemplo: Autor Jack de Groot
Astorga
An article of mine was published electronically by "El Correo Gallego",
newspaper based in Santiago de Compostela. Click on the LINK on the LOGO below to go
to a beautiful website, created by Arancha Serantes from the University of
Santiago de Compostela. The text is in English and in Spanish (800 words), and deals
with modern times on the pilgrim road.
Un artículo mío fue publicado electronicamente ayer por "El Correo Gallego",
periódico de Santiago de Compostela. Se puede leer este artículo
(800 palabras) después de tocar el LOGO abajo. Encontrarás un sitio
de web muy bonito e interesante. Fue creado por Arancha Serantes,
de la Universidad de Compostela. El texto mío habla de los tiempos
modernos en el camino, y está escrito en inglés y en español.
On 9 June Jack de Groot broke his ankle
while walking the Salvador Route. He was
cared for by the wonderful staff of the
Hospital Victor Álvarez Buylla
in Mieres (Asturias).
Thanks to all of you: Dr. Menéndez, Mari Luz, Angela, Carmen,
Tatiana, Raymundo, Mar, Gema and all the others,
including the staff from the Administration
and the Library.
Next time we meet I'll be walking on both feet again.
"Si bien sé que han de venir tormentas,
y me caeré, pero al fin de cuentas
he disfrutao, de todo lo bailao." (Lucía Pérez)
On 18 June 2011 I returned home on crutches,
with the brilliant help of many staff members of IBERIA,
ánd the staff at the "Aeropuerto de Oviedo" (Asturias)
ánd the caretakers at Barajas Airport, Madrid.
(A young lady from Ecuador moved me in a wheelchair
at dazzling speed through T4 from gate 74 to 33.
"¡Qué viva Ecuador!" I told her. The Iberia plane
waited 8-9 minutes for me. Thank you, captain.
The staff at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport picked
me up at the door of the Airbus 321, ánd arranged
my transportation home. Finally, many thanks to
the people who picked me up from the grass
in the little village of Santa Marina (Asturias),
ánd arranged for an ambulance to arrive within 30 minutes.
The driver said goodbye to me in the Urgencias of the hospital:
"I found you, and here you are safe!"
Picture left: the locals at Santa Marina.
SEE ALSO THE
NEW "PILGRIMS AD 2013" PAGE
IN THE NAVIGATION MENU
