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Pretty much obligatory on my first Camino as a few of the refugios only offered bare floor space on which you could lay out your own mat and sleeping bag. In many places there were no private rooms and refugios were the only option. And later a...
As a person who books those nefarious ‘tour groups’ each year, let me assure you that we are NOT the ones taking up albergue beds!
The people booking in groups are often older or retired and do not WANT to sleep in a room with others. They want...
This is a bad policy to let tour groups book. The policy has traditionally been to give beds to those on foot who walked a long way first. We are the ones that keep the Camino alive.
From a purely practical standpoint another factor is that walking a Camino now is physically far easier than it used to be. Vastly improved infrastructure of albergues, hostals, bars and so on. So stages now can be shorter and there is less to...
The behaviour patterns of large populations (pilgrims and others) intrigues me ☺️.
As to the more recent growth rates for Compostela numbers from one year to the next where such a comparison makes sense (i.e. 2011 to 2019), they were: 5%, 12%...
I reserve the right to be thoroughly gobsmacked by the current numbers! :cool: Over 5,000 Compostelas issued in the last two days. More than were handed out in the entire year of my first Camino. In April!
Pilgrims sleeping on floors, in doorways, outside??? OMG!!!
We have upgraded and monetized and marketed the camino right back to the Old Days, when lords and ladies slept secure in their pre-booked beds, and pilgrims slept on floors, in doorways...
Pilgrims need to remember they are not customers. Nobody owes them anything, including a trouble-free breezy check-in, or even a bed. The people working at Roncesvalles are volunteers, and should be treated with respect and kindness, no matter...
of my 8-9 walks, my 2013 LePuy to SdC was the best. 70 days of lovely walking and first half the French experience of local hospitality, and the second half the tradational Spanish experience of fellow pilgrims.
Do it!!!
@Tom Conklin you’re not drinking enough water when you’re walking and you know you’re not. It’s habituated self-destruction and you badly need to break that habit. Waiting to drink until you feel thirsty is like planning for a car crash. Drink at...
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