101 - Camino News Update 1/24/24 with Leigh Brennan & Johnnie Walker

Camino News Update 1/17/24 with Leigh Brennan & Johnnie Walker

This week’s Links:

Protest March  “In Defence of the Sea” 
https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/somosmar/2024/01/21/manifestacion-defensa-futuro-mar-santiago/00031705837358555550499.htm

A Novena Porta
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8qacgofYUnULDsvQ8

Walk with Dan Mullins
https://www.danmullinsmusic.com/walk

Chapters

• 0:04 Protests, Pilgrims, and Recommendations in Santiago
• 10:20 Explore Ruta De La Plata, Sevilla

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hello Pilgrims, it's Wednesday and we are coming to you live from Santiago de Compostela. I'm Lee Brennan, and Johnny Walker will join us shortly. Well, let's get to it. Last week, I reported on an unfortunate shipping incident that released millions of plastic pellets into the sea just off the coast of Spain. La Voz de Galicia reported that thousands of people took to the streets of Santiago this week to protest in defense of the future of the sea. Well, this demonstration, it was loud and it lasted for over two hours. It was one of the busiest demonstrations I have seen in Santiago. Yet it concluded with the reading of a manifesto saying in part before the tide of pellets even hit our ocean, our sea was damaged. It was sick for many years with waste from the world highway of supermarkets, which are the oceans. We are here to demand that the Shunta and the state coordinate and be more transparent, and the local police estimated there were over 12,000 protesters in the cathedral's main plaza by the end of the demonstration. For more information on this story, press the link in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 1:10

Narrow streets of Santiago are challenged every day by the needs brought on by tourists coming to this beautiful city. Numerous deliveries need to be made in the old town and really the streets aren't even hardly wide enough for some of these trucks. This past week there was so much damage on to one of the terraces on Rua Valar that the city had to come out and place a special planter out front, all to protect passerbyers as well as the ancient building. Now let's get to co-host Johnny Walker. Johnny, what's up this week in Santiago?

Speaker 2: 1:38

Thanks, lee, and hello everybody. As you can see, it's still raining in Santiago, but there are moments of respite, and on Friday we caught a glimpse of pilgrims almost sunbathing in the Plata Quintana, which is one of the four squares of the cathedral. You can see it behind me there, with pilgrims arriving in the rain. So it's not all bad, but we know from the weather forecast that the rain will continue for a little while Now. In the last week, 472 pilgrims have arrived, a magnificent number, and of that 472, my friend, mark McCarthy also arrived. Mark had decided to walk a short pilgrimage from Ponta Vedra on the Camino Portugues to Santiago, but of course, like many other pilgrims at this time of the year, he was battling through the rain with lots of water around. Have a look at the route. So, to Mark and to the other 471 pilgrims who signed up at the pilgrims office in the last week, well done and congratulations.

Speaker 2: 2:52

Talking about the weather people, someone wrote to me recently saying is there dead of winter, is there ever snow in Santiago? And the truth of the matter is no, there's very rarely snow in Santiago. In fact, I was looking back and in 2010, so that's 14 years ago we woke up one morning and the place was covered in snow. Have a look at it and it's very beautiful. But the people of Santiago were astonished. The snow didn't last very long but they got their cameras out, the children got their sledges out and it was a kind of that was the last time and in fact one of the children, I don't know a five or six year old was astonished because it was the first time they'd seen the place covered in snow. Brad, there's also snow on the routes and of course we know that in San Jean-Pierre-de-Port they close the route in Napoleon until the spring because of the risk of the risk of snow and whiteouts and so forth. And of course, the last time I was in Otha Briro, in Haudenay, and a few years ago, the place was covered in snow just like this. So be prepared and have a look at weather forecast if you're walking at this time of the year, whether there's snow or rain or whatever.

Speaker 2: 4:11

In Santiago, if you're looking for things to do, I wrote a guide to Santiago for Pilgrims right to me and I'm happy to send your copy. Part of that guide is 21 things to see and do in Santiago and I thoroughly recommend the Museum of Pilgrimages which is in the Plata Plata Reyes, one of the four squares, another of the four squares of the cathedral, and I found it astonishing because not only is it a very professional museum with lots of exhibitions about pilgrimage, through that museum I discovered that there are pilgrimage routes in every culture of the world, in every continent in the world, and I discovered that I'd entered this world of pilgrimage and became quite addicted to it, frankly. But I was joining people in every culture walking to find themselves, to find answers, to think, to pray, to reflect, to meditate, just like us. Only we're walking here to Santiago. That's our destination and hope to be here to welcome you when you arrive, if you're walking this year.

Speaker 2: 5:27

Thanks for everything Bye, bye, just now.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Thanks, johnny. That was great for this week's restaurant recommendation we have a pilgrim hit and we have a pilgrim miss.

Speaker 1: 5:36

Let's start with the miss. Sadly for churro lovers chocolate they met a day closed permanently this past year. So staff here at Camino news update Well, we were excited to find a new place to get churros. So we went to the new player in town, churreria la quinta Opened this past season. Constantly passing up, we're all seeing the churros in the window, so we actually were pretty excited to try him. But we are sad and disappointed to report that we were not impressed.

Speaker 1: 6:01

Service was poor, the churros that were served cold. Our expectations were high, all admit, but when it's your specialty and the only item on the menu, we think you need to deliver. So for now, stick to ordering your churros wherever you're getting your coffee and we will continue our search for the best churros in Santiago for this week's hit. If you are looking for a cold Guinness on draft, served with free tasty hot dogs until they run out for the day, our staff highly recommends our favorite place for Guinness and English Premier football matches at Novena Porta. Novena Porta is a casual little pub. It's located in old town but it's kind of hidden away, so it's usually filled with mostly locals and university students, but it has these wonderful big tables that are perfect for pilgrim meetups, so check it out. On the Vena Porta, the Santiago de Compostela book club will be holding their next meeting featuring BB U Barami and her latest book, the Way of the Wild Goose, on February 17th at 8 pm Central European time. Check out their Facebook page so you can sign up Now for the podcast roundup for your training walks.

Speaker 1: 7:01

Dan Mullins has been hard at it. My Camino the podcast has a new show out this week with Cindy McGahn and on this show they're talking about celebrating health and more on the Camino. Dave Whitson also has a new show out this week and a really interesting topic all about starting your Camino from England, from Florida, from Texas. So check that one out. And my show, the Camino cafe podcast. This week we celebrated our 100th episode. I can't believe it. It was with Lindsay Tachinae. And Next week I have another big surprise and that interview is going to be with the legendary Dan Mullins. While I was interviewing Dan this week, I asked him hey, would you say a word to our Camino news update group? And so let's hear from Dan. Dan Mullins is going to be coming to Spain to work on his new album. He has a lot of new material and the walk starts in May.

Speaker 4: 8:00

Yeah, the walk in May is gonna be amazing. One of the things that I'm delighted to announce and this is exclusive for you, lee, and your Camino news we're doing a show at La Torre. In Via Franka del Bia, there was a 500 year old winery that's been converted. It was then converted to a castle and now it's been converted to a little speakeasy bar. I'll be playing in the courtyard under the stars. It's going to be absolutely out of this world.

Speaker 1: 8:30

How many shows do you think you're gonna be doing during that walk?

Speaker 4: 8:33

Eight proper concerts, but I might do a lunchtime show somewhere. Yeah well, why not? We're walking. We've got all the time in the world.

Speaker 1: 8:39

Wow, how many spots are remaining open in case people want to sign up to do this walk?

Speaker 4: 8:45

I'd get it. I'd start to get my my walking boots on if I was keen. We've sold well over half. 15 spots still available.

Speaker 1: 8:54

I'll have a link in our show notes in case you want to check out this incredible opportunity with Dan Mullins my Camino, the podcast. Don't Miss an Episode. And if you've missed any at all, don't worry. You have 353 episodes that you can listen while you're training. Get on it.

Speaker 4: 9:11

I'm exhausted thinking about it.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Lee Me too, dan Thanks Dan.

Speaker 4: 9:15

Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1: 9:16

Now tips from pilgrims that are currently walking. As you recall, lindsay Taysha-Nay is on week two of Walking the Via de la Plata, so he had a few tips. Long days, make sure you carry enough water. Make sure that you are carrying something to eat, because you don't want to be rushing to try to make it to a little village before the kitchen's closed for siesta. He reminds us all that rushing can lead to injury. A little time spent in the super Mercado will give you plenty of options for a healthy trail lunch and you won't have to rush.

Speaker 1: 9:42

He also mentioned that it's been raining a lot and the clay soils are really soggy, and that's a common problem when you're walking in the south this time of year. So Lindsay recommended make sure you take hiking poles. Don't let your pride get in your way. It makes navigating these rain puddles a lot easier. Now Rocco Rossi, a pilgrim from Canada, just started his 18th Camino 18 folks. He's walking the Via de la Plata and will be covering his entire 1,000 kilometer walk. So let's check in with Rocco and see his report for the first week on the Via de la Plata.

Speaker 3: 10:16

Buenos dias, peregrinos, peregrinas. This is your roving reporter and fellow pilgrim, rocco Rossi, reporting to you from Sevilla, where I'm about to begin the Ruta de la Plata. Here, in the city that was founded by the Phoenicians, conquered by the Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors, there's so many incredible architectural touches, and right here in this cathedral, alongside all of the religious materials, is also the tomb of Christopher Columbus, that explorer who sought riches and adventures going to the west. And here I've come back to Europe, on a different voyage of discovery, and discovery to the interior, the Ruta de la Plata contains many treasures, including this the Roman ruins of Italica, founded by Scipio and built to its grandeur under Trajan and Hadrian, who were both born here, and I'm here in the remains of the amphitheater. It once held 25,000 spectators. It was the third largest amphitheater in the empire. This has also been the site of filming of Game of Thrones and served as the dragon pit of King's Landing, not to be missed when walking the Camino.

Speaker 1: 11:51

Thanks, Rocco, and from all of us here at the Camino News Update. That's it for this week. We can't wait to see you in Santiago Pilgrims.