THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
ULTIMATE HANDBOOK
SUPPORT TEAM
We physically walk parts of the camino on a bi-monthly basis, and do not rely on information obtained through
the Internet or from other pilgrim guides. We do not trust information obtained by phone only ("Let our fingers
do the walking?") All participating (veteran) pilgrims are fluent in Spanish. Their motto is: "Correct information
may even save a life!"
Dr. Jack de Groot: Routing, Updates, pictures
Picture taken by Jack de Groot, just outside Castrojeriz
Dr. Stefanie K. Winter (Ludwig Maximilian University Munich): Medical Issues
Pictures taken by Jack de Groot in the Valcarce Valley and in Triacastela
Dr. Alain Saint-Saëns: Publisher, Production Co-Ordination
Picture taken by the University Press of the South, New Orleans USA
Remie Marco Pastor (ZeNNeC Labs Inc.): Webhosting, Design and Maintenance
Picture taken in Amsterdam by Jan Pastor
Dietmar Völkel: Updates on the Northern, French and German Roads
Free-Lance journalist of "Der Westfälische Anzeiger" (www.wa-online.de)
Picture taken by Jack de Groot in Cóbreces (Cantabria)
Inge and Eugene Carroll, Denmark: Updates on the Vía de la Plata
Picture taken by Jack de Groot in Santiago de Compostela
Dina Ugarte, Owner / Head Chef of Mesón "El Buen Yantar", Nájera (La Rioja)
Dina Ugarte: Updates on "La Rioja"
Rebekah Scott, Moratinos (Spain): Proofreader of the Camino de Santiago Handbook
Moratinos, (Palencia)
Juyeon Ines Lee, Seoul, South-Korea: Advice on issues which concern Asian pilgrims
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Here pictured in the kitchen of the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos
Andreas Schuehler: Pilgrim's Philosophy & Updates on the French Road
Picture taken by Jack de Groot near the cathedral in Burgos (on the plaza)
Emily Burns - Higley (New York): Proofreader & Website Ethics Advisor
Picture: Emily Burns - Higley
Raquel Sanjuás (Hostal / Albergue La Salle): Updates on Santiago de Compostela
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The albergue is on the top floor
Unai Espanta Ezcunna, Pamplona: Updates on Navarra
Picture taken by Jack de Groot in Viana
Jesús Hernández, Bargota, Navarra: Updates on the French Road
Picture taken by Jack de Groot in Torres del Río
Leon Baken, Flash Banner
Leon Baken, Flash and PhP Programmer
Ginés Pérez, Oviedo (Asturias): Updates on Oviedo and Regional Asturias
He gave me his phone number just in case I needed some information
Here pictured just outside Tineo. Picture taken by Jack de Groot
Not all yet pictured, but essential in developing this Handbook:
Sander de Bakker: Programming and Computer Hardware Configuration
Robert B. Bultsma: Proofreading & Translations
Robert Bultsma, guitarist
Rosana Sánchez: Cover Design Handbook
Isabel (Hostal La Salle, SDC): Updates on Santiago de Compostela
Mark & Janice De Frayne, Michigan, USA: Updates on the Northern Road
And many informants in albergues, hotels, restaurants shops and cafetarias in northern Spain.
BEFORE YOU PURCHASE ANYTHING CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING
What have the other 'camino guides' offered their readers so far?
What do 'camino websites' offer you?
How about pilgrim forums and associations?
What exactly do you need to successfully walk to Santiago de Compostela?
How to get the best value for the money you invest in your pilgrimage?
THE GUIDES
Many 'camino guides' are published by companies which initially produced road maps only. In order to branch out they acquired the services of an historian to inform their readers about the cultural treasures along the camino, as well as its many historic aspects. Usually a list of refuges with phone numbers is included, as well as a short intro with practical advice. Names of hotels and restaurants are also listed.
Other guides concentrate on the impressive nature by which the camino is surrounded. Plants, animals, rivers and mountains are being described in detail. Also the reader is informed on where to encounter them.
The most common problem with the camino guides is that they are not up to date. The two main reasons for not being up to date are: 1) The Spanish law prohibits a publisher to publish the same book (in a new version) every year, 2) The publisher cannot afford to send one or two persons to northern Spain regularly to check out the details along thousands of kilometers of camino. One US$ will get you 0,70 Euro cent at best. The AUS$ and NZ$ are worth even less.
Another problem is that some (Spanish) guides are biased. The writer(s) have friends all along the camino (hotel owners, restaurateurs) and therefore promote certain establishments. Some of the editors of these guides are not capable to judge the quality of the food offered. Others have enemies on the camino who need to be "punished". One guide sends the pilgrim from Portomarín to Pedrouzo in two days to avoid sleeping or eating in Palas de Rei. Do they really think that pilgrims are going to walk 73,1 kms / 45,3 miles in two days?
Most editors of pilgrim guides do not physically walk the camino. To obtain information they ring up hotels.
CAMINO WEBSITES
Web sites are being paid for by a company, by a government or by a local Council. A substantial amount of money is spent on this type of promotion. However, once the site is on air nobody maintains it. Slowly but surely the information provided runs out of date and becomes confusing to the visitor, rather than helpful.
Still, the site - with all its flashing pictures and mini movies - looks magnificent. The 'pilgrim to be' wonders whether this information is still accurate because the site does not provide the most essential information: last update ......
Other recommended websites are not even on air anymore: "server not found!"
FORUMS AND ASSOCIATIONS
There are many forums and associations of 'Amigos del Camino' and they do good work. One can easily encounter them on the Internet and become a member. The forums are being run by moderators so that the members stick to certain rules ("do not insult each other" etc.) What these moderators cannot and will not verify is whether the information given on refuges, routes and transportation etc. is accurate. Other comments/advice cannot be criticized at all because they contain a religious or spiritual message. What to say to a mother who intends to walk with a young mentally and physically handicapped child three-hundred miles to Santiago? ("The forum will be with you in thoughts?" "Good luck?" "Buen camino?" "Don't do it; think of the child?")
Other issues discussed on these forums are (believe it or not): "shall I carry a portable toilet in my backpack?", "what happens if my umbrella is struck by lightning?", "I am from California and therefore I do not know what lightning is!", "does it ever rain in California?" Etcetera.
Another significant thing that stands out is that just about every forum member plans to walk next year from Vezelay, Le Puy, Moissac or Arles to Santiago, distances of well over 1000 kilometers. Are they doing a virtual camino?
In general the forums tend to represent every possible opinion on any issue. Most of the commentary is well meant, but unfortunately these forums are also inhabited by entrepreneurs who have taught themselves to speak the language of the forum in order to do business. They sell what they have in stock (books, equipment, services), often under nicknames. These infestations cannot be prevented because most forums are open to all public.
Some forum members suffer unnecessarily because they do not accept the advice given by a veteran who has just come back from Santiago. Rather they look up the information in a book written by one of their countrymen.
Associations often require a considerable amount of money to become a member. For that one receives a magazine and assistance in obtaining a Pilgrim Pass. They usually represent a religious movement, not necessarily the Catholic Church only.
In some cases it is difficult to terminate your alliance to a forum or organization not withstanding their assurances of the opposite. Therefore, never give them your 'best' EMail address, because the number of EMails received in a month will run in the hundreds. If the amount of unwanted messages and SPAM becomes too much to bear you simply discard this EMail address and open a new one.
Finally, the forums claim to have thousands of (active) members. This is not always true.
WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY
MAKE A PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA?
"Historical Atlases" won't bring you to Santiago. Detailed, colorful maps with hundreds of villages, rivers, mountains, creeks, mills, towers, electricity plants etc. etc. will only give you a false sense of security while still at home. You possess all the information "just in case", just like the university student who buys or photocopies his study books but never reads them, not even after the exam. However, some pilgrims like detailed maps because they long for "the old boy scout feeling". Or maybe they are on a treasure hunt?
The reality is that the camino is well indicated by yellow arrows and other signs, so that the pilgrim cannot get lost. During the day pilgrims hardly ever look at the maps in their books.
Detailed descriptions of "Gothic altars" and "Medieval villages which were established in 1158 by King Sancho II" do not help much either, because the churches are closed to prevent robbery. The same applies to descriptions of natural wonders. Colorful pictures and romantic stories printed on heavy paper won't bring you to Santiago. To the contrary: they feel like a rock in your backpack. Do you really need to know that the village San Juan de la Sierra has 64 inhabitants and is situated at 765 kilometers from Madrid at an altitude of 123 feet above sea level?
Finally a few words on camino books written by famous persons. Some of them didn't even make it to Santiago ...
What you need to successfully reach Santiago is good advice. Indeed you need specialized information, with the right details to guide you: pilgrim. Also accurrate lists of distances and altitudes are important, as well as names, addresses and accurate phone numbers of albergues, hotels, medical centers and bus companies. Good descriptions of upcoming tracks - and what you might expect - are essential.
All information should come from veterans who have walked the camino many times, and do understand the Iberian languages and cultures. This takes years, if not decades. Good, accurate information (if only one phone number) might even save your life.
CONCLUSION
You will make a pilgrimage which will require a significant amount of preparations. Also quite some money will be invested in equipment, travel, accommodation, food, whatever.
Of course you won't leave home without some well tried-out boots, good rainwear, a strong backpack, reliable travel insurance and decent credit cards. You might have to spend a few thousand dollars to realize your dream to enter the 'Gates of Compostellae'. If you are a couple you might even spend many thousands of dollars.
This undertaking has been a dream for years, you saved up and prepared yourselves. Finally there you are, you have arrived at the airport of Madrid and it all starts now. It's expensive and hopefully it's worth every penny. However ...
Are you going to put this enterprise at great risk by downloading the necessary information illegally from some unknown Internet site? Do you buy a $7= guide which hasn't been updated for years? How about spending 0,5 % of your budget on a decent, verified guide?
The 'Camino de Santiago' Handbook will be published by the University Press of the South in New Orleans. This Handbook will be updated continuously through the Internet. Persons on the road will physically challenge the written text and revise it when necessary. This is surely going to happen because the camino is very much alive. Purchasers of the book will have access to an exclusive forum through which these changes will be discussed. Newsletters and updates will be sent out to subscribers. No unsolicited mail or pop ups will ever be sent out to you.
One final note before finalizing this essay. The 'Camino Handbook' will inform you where you can sleep well and have a good meal. Numerous establishments have been tried out extensively and anonymously. However, the Handbook also tells you where you may sleep and eat for free (or for nor so much money), so the amount invested in the book will probably be returned to you already within days. The costs to stay overnight in the albergues between Roncesvalles and Santiago may be kept as low as € 68=. Make your own tea and coffee, spend 5 Euros a day on food and keep the total expenses at just over € 350=. Think about it, have a good walk and a safe arrival.
¿Dónde está el camino?
"Casa de los Somoza"
Tel. 981 50 73 72
Rebekah Scott: Proofreader & Updates on the Meseta
Rebehah lives in Moratinos, just before Sahagún, on the Meseta
Read her blog here: http://moratinoslife.blogspot.com
Dina is the Head Chef / Owner of Restaurant "El Buen Yantar" in Nájera (in the old town centre).
She provides updates on the Rioja. Her restaurant is the best on the 'Camino' in La Rioja.
