This week's Camino News Update - 3/13/24! It's a great one! Pilgrims, this is a really can't-miss episode! Loads of news, tips, and updates from Johnniewalker Santiago Rosco TolmanSven Kaven Lindsay Teychenne Russ Eanes - From Santiago, San Antonio, Mozárabe, Route to Finisterre, Camino Portuguese, and more. Thanks to the amazing team pulling this show together each week. Don't worry, Rocco Rossi will be back with us soon during his next walk from a surprise route! More, too, next week from the American Pilgrims on the Camino Gathering! Buen Camino!
The Camino Cafe's intro and outro song with thanks to fellow Pilgrim, Jackson Maloney. Original Song - "Finnis Terre" - written and performed by Jackson Maloney - Singer, Musician, and Songwriter. Connect with Jackson: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3fdQsSqq9pDSwKcWlnBHKR
Speaker 1:
Hello Pilgrims, it's Wednesday, March 13th 2024, and this is the Kamino News Update. I'm Lee Brennan, Johnny Walker and our team of Pilgrims out on the path will join us shortly. Well, first of all, congratulations to the American Pilgrims on the Kamino. They had a very successful annual gathering. It was held in San Antonio, Texas, this past weekend. They had over 300 participants from not only the United States but from around the world. While I was there, I caught up with a really amazing pilgrim by the name of Roscoe Tolman. Roscoe has walked the Kamino Frances from San Juan into Santiago, as well as a couple of other Kaminos. I just want to say, if you need some inspiration to get off your couch and start some training, here's your inspiration. You walked your first Kamino. At what age?
Speaker 2:
I was 82 when I walked my first Kamino.
Speaker 1:
And how many of you walked since.
Speaker 2:
Five.
Speaker 1:
And you're how old right now.
Speaker 2:
I'm 87.
Speaker 1:
And you're getting ready to walk again.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I am. I'll be walking in September and the first half of October.
Speaker 1:
How does that make you feel? Just saying that out loud.
Speaker 2:
It feels great. I feel so fortunate to be able to do what I'm doing at this age. I think I'm the luckiest guy I know.
Speaker 1:
What kind of things do you do to prepare and to keep yourself walking ready?
Speaker 2:
Walking on the set treadmill every morning with a 10 pound pack and an 8% incline, walking in the parks and the local hills. I'm part of a retirement group that goes on walks. There's just lots of opportunities. And as important as the physical exercise is the mental preparation, in my view, because again, it provides an incentive. It provides an incentive to keep going and looking forward to the next Kamino.
Speaker 1:
And what kinds of things do you do to prepare emotionally and mentally?
Speaker 2:
Well, I just think about it a lot and again, I'm in contact with people that I met on the Kamino and lots of people are curious. After my first Kamino I was on the front page of the local newspaper and the title is Ellensburg Pilgrim.
Speaker 1:
Fantastic. Well, I can't wait to see you in Santiago again.
Speaker 2:
I'll see you there.
Speaker 1:
Let's check in with Johnny Walker with this week's weather update, as well as the pilgrim numbers.
Speaker 3:
Thanks, lee. Hello Lee, hello everyone, this is John speaking to you from Santiago on Tuesday, the 12th of March 2024. Already, the city is beginning to feel the presence of more and more pilgrims as the days go past. On the 1st of January, 7,775 Compostellas have been issued by the Pilgrim's office and just in the last week, 5,223 Compostellas have been issued. The numbers are up already. The numbers are up 9% based on last year, and just look at this graph and you can see which way the line is going up and up and up.
Speaker 3:
Johnny, I can be late in the year. Do your planning carefully. You might book accommodation for the first few days and then see how the albergues are placed as you go along, or you may care to book more than that. But people were concerned about accommodation last year and there are some bottlenecks. The best advice is not to stay in the main places where everyone is staying, but to walk on a little.
Speaker 3:
Turning now to the weather is a very beautiful and sunny day here in Santiago. A wee bit cold at 6 degrees, but it's fine weather. But the rain is coming, as you can see, and I thank you to my friend Russ Ains, who's walking the. We've walked in the Camino Portugueses at the moment. You can see behind me the bridge at Nieba on the Camino Portugueses, where the water is up to almost a foot 12 inches below the bridge. And thank you also to Thomas who posted this snowy picture from the Viedela Plata. And we know from friends who are on the Camino Francis at the moment it's still very cold and snowy and blustery in places. So pack your well, pack your layers, pack your thermal underwear and do some preparation, but enjoy your walking. Bye, camino.
Speaker 1:
Here in Santiago, I have a couple of places for you to try. The first one is Agromola. Agromola is a wonderful little bar and they have live Celtic music every Sunday night at around 6 pm and also live Celtic music every other Friday around 10 pm. Now here's a little insider secret Right across the street there's a great little pizza place called Maza Pizza, and Maza is not only an expensive but it's super tasty. And Agromola, if you're just a little bit discreet, they'll let you sneak the pizza in and enjoy some pizza while you're listening to the great live music. Let's check in with pilgrims who are out on the path right now as we speak. First off, lindsay Taitjane. As you know, he's been walking the Camino Mazzurabe. Let's see how Lindsay's doing.
Speaker 4:
Hi, there I'm now in the historical town of Merida, which is the capital of the autonomous community of Extramunda. The past week's walking has been cold, wet and windy, but today I'm enjoying the warm sunshine in the town square. The occasional discomfort at the last few days is thankfully behind me. Due to the rain, there was a lot of places where the water was too deep and I needed my hiking sandals to avoid wet socks and soggy feet for the rest of the day. One thing I've noticed in the past, though, is that hiking sandals can dry out my feet, causing very painful cracking. Moisturizing regularly is essential. The landscape has now settled down as well. It has changed from rugged hills to vast open pastures planted already to be planted with wheat. There is still the occasional aluco to keep things interesting.
Speaker 4:
A couple of fun facts about Merida. There is significant evidence of prehistoric occupation in this area. Merida itself was established by the Romans in 25 BC as a settlement for retired soldiers, with all the luxuries of a large city. Over the years, it has been fought over and occupied by various groups, most notably the Muslims, for about 600 years. Merida boasts the largest amount of Roman architecture in the whole of Spain. Merida also marks the place where the Camino Mosa Rebe merges with the Via de la Plata. So it is here I say goodbye to this Camino that has become my favorite one and I would recommend to any veteran pilgrims. I'm now heading on a new quest, which I will hopefully tell you about later, when Camino Now Russ Eanes, an American pilgrim, has been here walking the Camino Portuguese.
Speaker 1:
He started off on the littoral route, but he found that the weather was just a little dicey. He's having a great time, but the rivers were just too high. He felt for safe crossings. Luckily, on the Camino Portuguese it's super easy to just make a quick switch, and he switched over to the central route. He'll be coming here later this week to Santiago, and can't wait to see him Now. Sven Gavin, on the other hand, a German pilgrim who's based here in Santiago, has been having a beautiful walk as he makes his way to Finasterre. We'll have more from Sven near the end of the show, but before we do that, let's check in for this week's special report from Santiago with Johnny Walker.
Speaker 3:
Again everyone, two items of important news to bring to your attention this week. The first is I suppose you could call it the bad news. As you know, the Botafimero is out of action at the moment following what the cathedral are calling an incident. It was taken down and we think that they are renovating the entire mechanism Now. We expected this to be back up. That Holy Week begins next Friday. Funnily enough, the 20th. It begins a week a few days earlier in Santiago than other places. On Friday, the 22nd, holy Week begins and the Holy Week processions and so forth, and we expected the Botafimero to be back in action, certainly by Easter Sunday. But the cathedral, as you can see from the schedule, usually it would say the functioning of the Botafimero on the Easter Sunday mass and that has been deleted from the agenda. Now it may very well be back and if it is, we'll bring that to your attention.
Speaker 3:
Moving on to better news and I'm sure this is very good news for pilgrims, often people at the start of their Camino or somewhere along the way decide that they're carrying too much and they want to send stuff forward to be collected in Santiago, or they may be going on holiday or travelling further at the end of the Camino and they want to send a suitcase here to Santiago to await them on their arrival.
Speaker 3:
Or when they get to Santiago, they may simply want to send a lot of stuff home if they're continuing to travel.
Speaker 3:
Now the Correos, the official host office system here in Spain, as you know, have been delivering rucksacks and other luggage from a bergie to a bergie, from hotel to hotel along the way, and they now here in Santiago. They have decided to extend that service and they're going to be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from 8.30 in the morning to 8.30 in the evening. Now there are some other, more amateur services that's got to be sent for people who are sometimes in difficulty getting hold of the people who run the service to collect the stuff that they've sent. But fear not. Here in Santiago, the Correos, the main Correos office, which is in the Rua Franco, just a couple of minutes walking from the cathedral, will now be open 12 hours a day, from 8.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night. On this slide you can see further details of how to look up the Spanish post office Correos on the internet. A tremendous service and well done to the Correos.
Speaker 1:
As I promised, we have more from spincaven on his walk, which he's calling a Camino to the Atlantic. So,