Your preferred sello (stamp)

[ciccioformaccio]

Which is, in your opinion, the best "sello" you have ever received ? Both considering the esthetic and the difficulty in obtaining it.

 

[Corned Beef]

There is a guy at Finisterre offering the "Ultimo Sello" - the last one. He's set up a a donativo, essentially paying a private individual to ink your paperwork.

Who'd have thought that at the End of the Earth (Finis Terrae) there'd be a souvenir shop and a last opportunity for a sello.

 

[irishrock]

great question...I'd say my favorite was Albergue de Boni which is in Salceda.

 

[Bradypus]

Any of the elaborate combinations of red ink stamp and brush calligraphy that pilgrims receive in their pilgrim record books at each of the 88 temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage circuit.

 

[Former member 92300]

I don't know - I loved all of them because just having the record of where I stopped was so special! I do wish ALL had the name of the albergue or bar and the town/city name on them. I loved the ones that had their special logo/image. And I laughed at the occasional place that basically had a normal business stamp - I can't remember where but I got one like that on the Frances and one like that at the train station in Hendaye.

 

[mspath]

One of my favorite sellos is this from the Sobrado dos Monxes monastery.

In March 2007 I detoured to Sobrado from the Camino Frances at Arzua; the round trip walk was roughly 50 km. Stayed at the pilgrim albergue within the Cistercian/Trappist complex. When the porter saw my American passport he delightedly (and silently) pointed to several library shelves filled with the works of Thomas Merton, the renowned American Trappist.

This monastery complex is a Baroque masterpiece; in the afternoon I wandered through the many structures in awe. No other pilgrims were about.

Alone I attended Vespers. The evening service was held in a splendid circular contemporary space. Walls were either painted white or natural wood. All was lit by thick, sputtering candles. The monks wearing their white robes responded in unison.

It was a true privilege to share such a timeless ambiance; this sello is a memento of that special silent night.

 

[jungleboy]

My favourite stamp is from Casa do Funil in Mértola, Portugal (on the Caminho Nascente). They are not used to receiving pilgrims and didn't have a stamp. But the owner is a sketcher so he sketched and painted a little stamp for both of us showing the town's clocktower:



For good measure, here is the clocktower:

 

[Flog]

The one stamp that always stands out for me when looking over the credentials of pilgrims is the Samos stamp from the Camino Frances. It is much bigger than the others and takes up more space than the standard square that most sellos fit into.

This is interesting, but also important from a distance calculation point of view, because at a glance it's clear that the pilgrim has walked 7km more with the Samos detour than would normally be calculated.

Its a pretty stamp too..

 

[henrythedog]

For difficulty of obtaining the sello, it is the British Embassy in Madrid at the start of the CdMadrid. The security was hard work, as was explaining to the British staff behind the bullet-proof glass, why on earth I wanted the official stamp on a ‘souvenir’. The local Spanish staff came to the rescue.

 

[Ultreia et Suseia!]

Pretty wax seal with ribbon at our lodging in Caldas de Reis. We weren't looking for it, it just surprised us!

P.S. I always wanted a stamp like the El Ramón stamp in the movie The Way, the best stamp!

 

[Matthew_SWilson]

Truthfully, this wasn’t all that difficult to obtain: all it took was eating a delicious plate of pulpo in Melide. But the octopus stamp was always my favourite. Almost as memorable as the lunch itself.

 

[Angus Strongbear]

Which is, in your opinion, the best "sello" you have ever received ? Both considering the esthetic and the difficulty in obtaining it.

Two days ago, I got the ultimate sello from Carlos Pinheiros at Albergue Pinheiros in Alvaiazere. It took about ten minutes for him to do. It has a brass scallop shell, and a brass key, and a red ribbon. Onto these he drips three different colours of heated wax, and then a big circle with three different colours of melting wax, then he Stamos that circle. Then he drips melting wax, in a circuit around the page representing your steps to Santiago. Everyone at the albergue was photographing the entire process including me. Unfortunately, I am not good enough with Smartphones to show a photo here. My phone is definitely smarter than me.

 

[Jodean]

Got a stamp from the Guardia Civil in Portomarine. They had a van outside the church and were offering stamps to people walking out after mass or to anyone walking by. Just kind of unique.

 

[ciccioformaccio]

Thank you to all for the reply, I hope we can continue increasing the number of "special"sellos collect (and maybe depicted by a photo) on this topic.

 

[J.Patrick]

I had a sello made for the parishioners of my parish who walk the Camino. I’ve stamped it for them on the parish altar before they leave for Spain. It may not be the favorite that I've received, but it's my favorite that I've given.






_______________________________________________

Pilgrim Heart, for pilgrims preparing for, and walking the Camino, and for the life that follows.

 

[Tiffany Linda]

Any of the elaborate combinations of red ink stamp and brush calligraphy that pilgrims receive in their pilgrim record books at each of the 88 temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage circuit.

View attachment 133789

Where is it on Frances

 

[Bradypus]

Where is it on Frances

Not on the Frances. One of the islands of Japan.

 

[dougfitz]

Earlier this year I commented in another thread

On my pilgrimages on the St Olavs Ways, where places didn't have stamps, I asked for a drawing, and was never disappointed. When I look at these little drawings I have a much more vivid memory of that day and the circumstances than other days.

These are links to the images:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/attachments/20190516_195112-01-jpeg.122932/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/attachments/20190516_194825-01-jpeg.122933/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/attachments/20190516_194917-01-jpeg.122934/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/attachments/20190516_194639-01-jpeg.122935/

or they can be found at this post.

They remain my favourite entries in all my credentials.

 

[Jacobus]

Which is, in your opinion, the best "sello" you have ever received ? Both considering the esthetic and the difficulty in obtaining it.

The obvious answer for me is the Cathedral cello which appears twice on each of my completed passports. It is a symbol of the result of the completed pilgrimage.
Cheers

 

[Bill905]

This past April my granddaughter and I completed the Camino Portugués. In the town of Caldas des Reis we received a sello from the Albergue Albor that raised the bar on sellos ...

 

[Steven Dwyer]

One of my favorites is the sello I received from Felisa who had a stand set up on the Camino where she offered Figs, water and love as I headed into Logrono. After she died, her daughters kept the stand open. Don’t know if they are still there.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I like the new sello for Albergue Elias Valina in Canfranc, an adaptation from a full-on Icon created last year by California pilgrim-artist Melissa West for the new albergue.

 

[Bradypus]

I like the new sello for Albergue Elias Valina in Canfranc, an adaptation from a full-on Icon created last year by California pilgrim-artist Melissa West for the new albergue.

I love this one @Rebekah Scott ! I walked my first Camino using Don Elias's Camino guide - a copy borrowed from my mother-in-law and which Don Elias had signed for Barbara on her own 1985 Camino. If I have any regrets about that first Camino it is probably that I arrived in O Cebreiro a few months too late to meet the man himself.

 

[ELHS220]

The one stamp that always stands out for me when looking over the credentials of pilgrims is the Samos stamp from the Camino Frances. It is much bigger than the others and takes up more space than the standard square that most sellos fit into.

This is interesting, but also important from a distance calculation point of view, because at a glance it's clear that the pilgrim has walked 7km more with the Samos detour than would normally be calculated.

Its a pretty stamp too..
View attachment 133807

Yes, I also consider this as one of my favorites. I wish they would redesign the final Cathedral stamp to be something more spectacular and memorable than it currently is.

 

[henrythedog]

I’ve had a rethink.

On C.San Lorenzo in Burgos I asked for a sello from the ‘Pez de San Lorenzo’ who didn’t have one but after some thought detached a portion of their ‘own brand’ anchovy tin label and glued to to my credenciale.

 

[BillW]

On the Le Puy route, stopped at a little cafe for a drink and got a stamp. The woman took the time to fill it in with a yellow pencil. Just a small touch, but I cherish this one.

 

[J.Patrick]

On the Le Puy route, stopped at a little cafe for a drink and got a stamp. The woman took the time to fill it in with a yellow pencil. Just a small touch, but I cherish this one.

I think that was very kind. It's lovely that people take the time to make really special stamps.

 

[Purple Backpack]

L’Alcove, Via Podiensis, Conques, France. The owners of this little bed and breakfast were absolutely delightful and owned the art store below. The wife specialized in recreating illuminations, hand drawn/colored images similar to those found in medieval manuscripts. This image is from a TripAdvisor review but similar to my credential.