Earning and presenting multiple Compostelas in Santiago

[miwico72]

Hello all, thanks in advance for advice and opinion.

Short version- Spring 2022 I plan to walk the entirety of 4 different Caminos from their traditional starting points, arriving in Santiago 4 different times. Would I have to request the Compostela (present that Camino's credential) at each arrival OR can I present all four, at once, at the end of the fourth Camino (with each valid individual credential). Reason I ask, with the recent changes in the queuing method at the Pilgrim's office in Santiago, a peregrino may have to spend an extra day in Santiago to get their Compostela (arrive Santiago in the afternoon, wait until tomorrow morning to get a ticket # for the line, wait until later in the day at some unknown time to go back to the office to receive the Compostela, thereby losing a travel day to begin the next Camino).

Other version- Fly into Madrid early March, begin Camino de Madrid, north to Sahagun, west to Ponferrada. Pause C-d-Madrid, begin Camino Invierno (avoiding O Cebreiro during early spring snow). Arrive Santiago, fly to Bilbao, train to Irun, begin and finish Camino Norte. Arrive Santiago, bus to back to Ponferrada, resume C-d-Madrid. Arrive Santiago, bus down to Porto. Begin and finish Camino Portuguese. Arrive Santiago, enjoy the bag pipe player for all of three seconds (ugh), next morning get ticket # for the daily queue at the Pilgrim's office, present all four completed and valid credentials/passports for four Compostelas at the same time.

Instead of going through the line 4 times, I go through only once. It avoids me having to carry around the Compostelas as I do each Camino. Most importantly, I save precious travel days not waiting around Santiago each time. Being that as an American I am allowed only 90 days to be in Schengen and as structured, the Caminos will take somewhere between 81-88 days, this becomes a logistical consideration.

Another thought occurs to me. I do not condone what I am about to ask. Can an individual work towards two Caminos at the same time. For example, Camino Madrid and Camino Frances both cover the same path (partly). As you would walk (from Sahagun on), you're stamping two different credentials, getting credit for two different Caminos, but only covering that stage once. I would think that there would be an issue at albergues/lodging trying to present 2 credentials for stamps on each and then when getting to Santiago, presenting 2 credentials with stamps & dates that match each other. As I said, I wouldn't do this nor think its possible, but I haven't read anything about this very thing yet.

Thanks guys & gals -Michael

 

[VNwalking]

Michael, welcome here.
Are you talking distance certificates or Compostellas? The're different.
See here.
The distance certificate is the only one that actually names the camino you've walked.

Someone more in the know can answer the specifics of your question.

 

[henrythedog]

I suppose the answer to your last question would be ‘technically -yes’; but it comes down to whether you’re following the letter or spirit of the ‘rules’; such as they are. I’d expect it to be difficult if you presented two such credenciales simultaneously, but if one were inclined to do it then there are certainly sufficient sello opportunities in the last 100km to complete two or more credenciales with different sellos at the same time.

Personally, I wouldn’t - but then I stopped getting compostellas some time ago and just treasure my pile of credenciales and journals.

 

[miwico72]

VNwalking- Good point/question. I guess I do mean the distance certificates, as they are in addition to receiving the Compostela. The "distance certificates" show additional information like the distance and starting point. When I did Frances in 2019, I paid the extra euros to get this one as well. But, yes, receiving four individual distance certificates (and Compostelas). Thank you -Michael

 

[Tincatinker]

I see no problem with the Distance Certificates though I don't see how you can claim two for walking the same Camino on the same day. The Compostela acknowledges the arrival of the Pilgrim, in a sense of piety etc, at the Cathedral of St James. I guess that if you can clearly demonstrate that you have walked into Santiago on 4 different routes on four different dates then you may be awarded with four.

However, I would advise you to get to the Pilgrims Office as early in the day as you possibly can. You are going to cause one hell of a hiccup in the queue.

 

[Former member 49149]

I see no problem with the Distance Certificates though I don't see how you can claim two for walking the same Camino on the same day. The Compostela acknowledges the arrival of the Pilgrim, in a sense of piety etc, at the Cathedral of St James. I guess that if you can clearly demonstrate that you have walked into Santiago on 4 different routes on four different dates then you may be awarded with four.

However, I would advise you to get to the Pilgrims Office as early in the day as you possibly can. You are going to cause one hell of a hiccup in the queue.

I love the last line of the response quoted. Please: what do you want? To walk caminos? To make pilgrimages? Forgive me, my eldest brother dropped dead recently. Please decide what is your priority, then take your place in the queue. And frame your compostela. They are works of art.

 

[Kathor1]

Can an individual work towards two Caminos at the same time. For example, Camino Madrid and Camino Frances both cover the same path (partly). As you would walk (from Sahagun on), you're stamping two different credentials, getting credit for two different Caminos, but only covering that stage once. I would think that there would be an issue at albergues/lodging trying to present 2 credentials for stamps on each and then when getting to Santiago, presenting 2 credentials with stamps & dates that match each other.

Pushing aside all other thoughts that I had when I read about your plan , I am confident that there is nothing easier than having two credentials stamped from Sahagun onwards if your heart so desires. You need only one stamp per day and per credential, you can get stamps from your accommodation, from bars, restaurants, churches, shops. And in general, commercial lodgings and other businesses will stamp anything you have and as often as you want. You will even find places where you can do the stamping yourself.

There may be one fly in the ointment: there may be no distance certificates for a Camino de Madrid to be had from the Pilgrim Office. There is some limitation in what the Pilgrim Office regards as a Camino that is worthy of their distance certificate. We've had this discussion repeatedly and it has never been satisfactorily clarified. While I can see how to use the online form to apply for a distance certificate for the Camino Levante for example, I do not see this same option for the Camino de Madrid and a number of other caminos. You can always try to ask for it or argue with them, of course.

Don't mention that you have little time to spend in Santiago. They do regard the destination as more important than the journey.

 

[Kathor1]

You need only one stamp per day and per credential, you can get stamps from your accommodation, from bars, restaurants, churches, shops. And in general, commercial lodgings and other businesses will stamp anythi

And obviously two stamps per day and per credential for the last 100 km before Santiago but there the opportunities for stamping are plentiful anyway.

 

[Kathor1]

This thought just occurred to me: should I ever do a marathon again, I will not only take my well deserved medal for the 42 km but will also ask for a medal for a half marathon and for a 10 km and 5 km race.

Only joking. I collect neither medals nor Compostelas nor distance certificates.

 

[VNwalking]

, I do not see this same option for the Camino de Madrid and a number of other caminos.

There are limited options for anyone coming into Santiago having done some 'different' itineraries.

If you choose 'otros caminos,' for example, you cannot start in the Pays Vasco or anywhere outside of Spain. So, say, were you walking the Baztanes, Vasco, Viejo, or Olvidado, and then connecting with the Invierno to get to Santiago...there doesn't seem a way to indicate the correct start point.

 

[miwico72]

I like Kathar1na's point, in respect to multiple achievements during the same marathon. To carry on with the other thought, what if you're doing 4 different marathons? I would think you're collecting the medal (or free t-shirt or photo at the finish) from each one separately. As in you completed the entirety of the Boston marathon, then the New York, then the London, then the Los Angeles. If I understand Kathar1na, I didn't register to do any of the marathons, I simply ran the same path as the others, at about the same time, and at the end, I crossed the finish line and headed directly to the nearest bar for a celebratory beer with other participants! Let me be clear, my intent here is a humorous one, not sarcastic, I mean no disrespect. -Michael

 

[J Willhaus]

Sounds like a wonderful pilgrimage trip. If you don't collect them all on the same day you don't have to carry them with you. Send them home, to Ivar or To your final hotel destination by mail. Phil and I have sent things via Correos to our hotel or to Ivar and collected them before flying home. There is a charge, but it is less than lugging things along when you want your pack to be small and light.

 

[gollygolly]

Other version- Fly into Madrid early March, begin Camino de Madrid, north to Sahagun, west to Ponferrada. Pause C-d-Madrid, begin Camino Invierno (avoiding O Cebreiro during early spring snow). Arrive Santiago, fly to Bilbao, train to Irun, begin and finish Camino Norte. Arrive Santiago, bus to back to Ponferrada, resume C-d-Madrid. Arrive Santiago, bus down to Porto. Begin and finish Camino Portuguese. Arrive Santiago, enjoy the bag pipe player for all of three seconds (ugh), next morning get ticket # for the daily queue at the Pilgrim's office, present all four completed and valid credentials/passports for four Compostelas at the same time.

No judgement on your plans, as each to their own.

My understanding is that you are entering Spain and will have a visa giving 90 days in the country for you to undertake your plan of walking 4 separate Caminos, and you're allowing 88 days for the walking. A very, very tight planned schedule.

Would strongly suggest that perhaps dropping one of those planned Camino might allow you some margin for unforeseen events, and perhaps remember the old adage of “If you want to make God laugh, tell God about your plans.”

 

[VNwalking]

@gollygolly has a point. That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself with no flex about time. It would feel 'driven' to me.

Arrive Santiago, bus to back to Ponferrada, resume C-d-Madrid

So if you needed to give yourself more time, this is the one bit you could change out. Delete this part, and perhaps do a shorter fourth camino as a separate entity, like the Ingles or the Sanabres from Ourense.
So it would look like:
1. Madrid + Invierno
2. Norte
3. Portuges
4. 100+ km on Ingles or Sanabres

 

[miwico72]

The tight schedule is a point well taken. Currently @ 81 days. Another 3 for transiting puts it @ 84. A buffer of 6 days? Yeah, questionable, 50/50. Throw Camino Norte overboard gains me 31 days which allows Paris for a week, slow walking the other Caminos, round trip through Fisterra & Muxia, and maybe 14 days volunteering @ the Pilgrim's Office (per Tomas' latest update to the Announcement info, its a consideration).

Distances and topography don't bother me as I am a long distance hiker here in the US. What does bother me is weather (Snow/blizzard/ice/rainstorms/lightning/mud), so an early March start on Camino Madrid gives me pause. Thanks everyone for opinions, keep them coming! -Michael

 

[t2andreo]

Several of the folks above got the solution at least partially correct.

Major Point #1: YES, you CAN present multiple credencials for having completed multiple Caminos on the same day. You do not need to return 3 or 4 times. I have seen it done for 2 Caminos, so I imagine it can be done for more, provided it is for the same person.

Major Point #2: You CANNOT walk a stretch of a Camino and have it count for completing multiple Camino routes at the same time. For example, you cannot walk the Madrid into Leon and on to Santiago, and claim credit for the Madrid and Frances Routes in the same time frame. You must claim one or the other. You cannot have it both ways.

You have to walk the Sarria to Santiago stretch twice to qualify for the second Compostela. The same holds true for the Sanabres extension to the Via de la Plata and the Invierno routes. The same paradigm holds true for the Norte and Primitivo as well.

From your route descriptions above, it appears that you are planning to walk several discrete Caminos that all enter Santiago via a different direction. That is the key fact. This should pose no problem in requesting multiple Compostelas or Distance Certificates.

It is the final 100 km that holds the potential for abuse, accidental or otherwise. You cannot count the same route more than once in the same time period - with overlapping dates. If you repeat the same segment in sequence, on different dates in line with a different route, that is okay.

This said, following the rules, the Compostela is earned for walking the final 100 km of any route and ENDING at Plaza Obradoiro in Santiago. It does not matter for Compostela purposes how many km you walked before that. It DOES factor into the distance certificate.

Coincidentally, that is why the final 100 - 110 km from Ferrol, Sarria, and Tui are getting so popular.

I hope that I stated this all clearly and that it helps.

Tom

 

[oursonpolaire]

There may be something I am missing here. In my understanding all the Cathedral wants is assurance that you have walked the 100km immediately before the tomb of the Apostle (or ridden a bicycle or horse 200km), with spiritual or religious intent. Anything aside from that is irrelevant for the purposes of the Compostela. When I staggered in with two credentials full of stamps from Montserrat up through Catalonia, Aragon etc, or from Mont Saint Michel and onward down the Camino Vadieniense, that was the same for them as the teenager with her buddies sauntering from Sarria-- labourers in the vineyard and all that (Matthew 20). So the 100km is all @miwico72 has to worry about.

As others have suggested the clerk doing the distance certificates may not have tables ready for some of the routes proposed.

To me, the stamped credentials were great souvenirs, in the etymological sense, bringing up memories of where I stayed in Abejar, or the truck stop in Candasnos, and the hilarious Slovak nurses in Tapia, or the WWII veteran from Hamburg outside Los Arcos etc. If @miwico72 is doing memorial pilgrimages for different people, perhaps then his (IMHO complex) plans are perhaps understandable. Otherwise, I just really can't figure out why he wants so many compostelas for one journey. Why not just get the recreativo certificates rather than compostelas? Or do these routes over several years, with a pilgrimage devoted to each Camino? Enjoy the company, enjoy the hospitality of the Spanish and Portuguese people, enjoy the food and wine (and orujo), and count the storks on the steeples.

a PS- I see that @t2andreo has given the technical answers-- I have followed his posts over years on this forum and it is solid info. He has much experience at the Pilgrims' Office and their doings.

 

[miwico72]

Wow, have a lively discussion going! Thank you all!

Slept outside almost exclusively, with children?! That is impressive, I tip my cap to you.

Enjoying the food & wine? Absolutely! That was part of the last time where the wine was the reward at the end of the day (except one day when it was the punishment )!

The distance certificates (along w/ the credential) are a nice token/momento/keepsake to bring back with me to the states, but is not the purpose of my intended (multiple) journey(s). It is being able to be on trail for as many days as possible and experience different Caminos from (traditional) start to finish, not just doing a bunch of 100km walks. But that's my approach to it.

I am dejected that I cannot add the Via Francigena, in part or the entirety, onto this Europe trip as well. To Rome in a different year.

 

[J Willhaus]

Wow, have a lively discussion going! Thank you all!

The distance certificates (along w/ the credential) are a nice token/momento/keepsake to bring back with me to the states, but is not the purpose of my intended (multiple) journey(s). It is being able to be on trail for as many days as possible and experience different Caminos from (traditional) start to finish, not just doing a bunch of 100km walks. But that's my approach to it.

I don't even allow myself to attach the patch on the pack unless the entire trail is done on foot!

Hi Michael,
It sounds like you don't need the external approval of the certificates and are more interested in the challenge of the journey. They are great memory pieces, but I find mine are languishing in a drawer while what I enjoy most are looking at pictures or re-reading my journals. My advice is remain as flexible as you can and just enjoy your trip. My husband is just completing a two month trip to Spain and it included being a pilgrim, volunteering, and a couple of other great unexpected opportunities that he would not have been able to experience if he had not been flexible. At this very moment he is people watching while enjoying a beverage and a tapa in a vibrant and bustling residential neighborhood in Madrid--something he did not plan for and did not expect. I hope that you will find similar unexpected and priceless moments on your journey.
Janet

 

[danielgzepeda]

Several of the folks above got the solution at least partially correct.

Major Point #1: YES, you CAN present multiple credencials for having completed multiple Caminos on the same day. You do not need to return 3 or 4 times. I have seen it done for 2 Caminos, so I imagine it can be done for more, provided it is for the same person.

Major Point #2: You CANNOT walk a stretch of a Camino and have it count for completing multiple Camino routes at the same time. For example, you cannot walk the Madrid into Leon and on to Santiago, and claim credit for the Madrid and Frances Routes in the same time frame. You must claim one or the other. You cannot have it both ways.

You have to walk the Sarria to Santiago stretch twice to qualify for the second Compostela. The same holds true for the Sanabres extension to the Via de la Plata and the Invierno routes. The same paradigm holds true for the Norte and Primitivo as well.

From your route descriptions above, it appears that you are planning to walk several discrete Caminos that all enter Santiago via a different direction. That is the key fact. This should pose no problem in requesting multiple Compostelas or Distance Certificates.

It is the final 100 km that holds the potential for abuse, accidental or otherwise. You cannot count the same route more than once in the same time period - with overlapping dates. If you repeat the same segment in sequence, on different dates in line with a different route, that is okay.

This said, following the rules, the Compostela is earned for walking the final 100 km of any route and ENDING at Plaza Obradoiro in Santiago. It does not matter for Compostela purposes how many km you walked before that. It DOES factor into the distance certificate.

Coincidentally, that is why the final 100 - 110 km from Ferrol, Sarria, and Tui are getting so popular.

I hope that I stated this all clearly and that it helps.

Tom

Thank you for this clarification for all Caminos. My plans are to first do the CF. To include Muxia to Finisterre to SDC triangle. Next CP. And as physical ability allows, several others. No time constraints. Have been retired for over a year and lost my wife almost 2 years ago. She encouraged me to do my CF pilgrimage. But due to her medical situation I postponed it over 4 years plus 2 years for COVID. Plans are for May thru June 2022. Thanks again!

 

[trecile]

As others have suggested the clerk doing the distance certificates may not have tables ready for some of the routes proposed.

When I walked a "combo Camino" Frances-San Salvador-Norte I kept track of the distance and gave that information to the volunteer at the Pilgrim's Office.

No time constraints.

Except the 90 days permitted in the Schengen zone, unless you have a long term Visa or citizenship in a Schengen country.

 

[Tincatinker]

@danielgzepeda, may all your roads be straight.

 

[nickymd1]

Throw Camino Norte overboard gains me 31 days which allows Paris for a week, slow walking the other Caminos, round trip through Fisterra & Muxia, and maybe 14 days volunteering @ the Pilgrim's Office (per Tomas' latest update to the Announcement info, its a consideration).

Please, please don't remove the Norte from the list. It's unlike any of the other Caminos in the very best way and if anyone ever said to me they could only choose one Camino to do for a lifetime, I would always recommend the CdN.
There are plenty of ways to cut a few days here and there on the 'Frances' without rushing it, while motoring through the last 100/40km (which you'll do twice on the CdM(CF)/CdN once they join) when beds are plentiful is really not a hardship. With your fitness level by the time you get there and experience with how your body handles long hikes, you can do the Arzua (or Melide) to Santiago stretch in a long day and have a comfy sleep when you arrive. And depending on how you've planned it, the day from Santiago to Porto can be a walking day and get you through the industrial portion of Porto to Maia without too much strain. Just saying - there are other ways to have and enjoy it all and still keep to your 90 limit.

 

[danielgzepeda]

@danielgzepeda, may all your roads be straight.

Many thanks for your well wishes!

 

[Former member 99290]

Hi @miwico72 if you want to do 4 ‘entire’ Caminos and are a little short of time with your current plan how about the Primitivo instead of the Norte - the starting point being Oviedo. I walked the Primitivo for the second time in October 2019 and it was as wonderful as the first time 5 years earlier.

Some people are huge fans of the Norte - Too much asphalt for me, though others may disagree and there are variants all over the place. That said, I do think the first week to Bilbao is wonderful.

If my choice - I wouldn’t drop the Madrid or the Invierno. ( I haven’t walked the latter but have read enough to have it near the top of my upcoming Caminos list.

Anyhoo just another idea - as if you needed it.

 

[shefollowsshells]

Please, please don't remove the Norte from the list. It's unlike any of the other Caminos in the very best way and if anyone ever said to me they could only choose one Camino to do for a lifetime, I would always recommend the CdN.
There are plenty of ways to cut a few days here and there on the 'Frances' without rushing it, while motoring through the last 100/40km (which you'll do twice on the CdM(CF)/CdN once they join) when beds are plentiful is really not a hardship. With your fitness level by the time you get there and experience with how your body handles long hikes, you can do the Arzua (or Melide) to Santiago stretch in a long day and have a comfy sleep when you arrive. And depending on how you've planned it, the day from Santiago to Porto can be a walking day and get you through the industrial portion of Porto to Maia without too much strain. Just saying - there are other ways to have and enjoy it all and still keep to your 90 limit.

Edited to say I hadn’t read all the comments before responding, I don’t mean to step on the suggestion to miss the Norte. I just really love the Norte BUT ONLY IF YOU TAKE THE E9 at every choice you get. The Norte is what you make of it! and agree the Primitivo is awesome!

This advice is PERFECTION! I’d add I’m not a huge Melide fan , we stayed in Salceda ( spelling?), nice walk to Santiago from there!!! Salceda was two hours after Melide, we watched all our friends stop in Melida, we stopped for drinks and snack and the route to Salceda we both agreed was a perfect late afternoon!!!! Great restaurant at the family place ( found with wise pilgrim app), and wonderful! There are about three “ complementary” sections in these two hours that didn’t say how much distance they added, I concluded they added little to none and took them all! It was pouring and we still enjoyed this lonely stretch just the two of us!!!!

 

[Kathor1]

@miwico72, so your project is to walk as many km as possible in Spain within 90 days, and you want to do this on named trails and from their trailheads and obtain certificates as mementos. Nothing wrong with this. What amuses me a little is that you've used repeatedly the word "traditional starting points". There is nothing traditional about these starting points, unless one thinks that a 20-30 year old popular habit weighs more than centuries of tradition. People start in Irun, or Madrid, or Saint Jean Pied de Port because it's convenient, because the infrastructure is there, because the trail is marked, because their guidebook says so. The traditional Ways of Saint James, as they used to be called before the word Camino replaced them in English had no fixed trailheads, just a common destination: the tomb of Saint James.

BTW, 'traditionally', the Camino de Madrid ends in Sahagún, and you then join the Camino Francés. Just like the 'traditional' Caminos in France end in a border town in France, and the pilgrims then join the Camino Francés or Aragones.

This may not be important to you. But perhaps you want to review your plans. On every trail, you can start further back or closer to Santiago. It is still a camino to Santiago and no matter how many km you walk, it is complete.

 

[wayfarer]

All the off topic posts have been moved to the link below. Please stay on topic.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/latin-names-on-compostellas.72047/

 

[alexwalker]

I do not get the point of this thread. The Camino is/should not be a race for getting rewarded various diplomas, IMHO.

I really do not get it.

 

[C clearly]

I do not get the point of this thread. The Camino is/should not be a race for getting rewarded various diplomas, IMHO.

I really do not get it.

This thread is not about what the Camino "should be." The OP asked some questions about the credencial/compostela process and policies, and we are trying to answer those questions.

 

[shefollowsshells]

Thank you for this clarification for all Caminos. My plans are to first do the CF. To include Muxia to Finisterre to SDC triangle. Next CP. And as physical ability allows, several others. No time constraints. Have been retired for over a year and lost my wife almost 2 years ago. She encouraged me to do my CF pilgrimage. But due to her medical situation I postponed it over 4 years plus 2 years for COVID. Plans are for May thru June 2022. Thanks again!

Sorry for loss.
If you had to carve a few days you could make Santiago, Finesterre, Muxia not a triangle back to Santiago …. and bus back to Santiago! You might find a trip back to Muxia at the very end a good decision.

 

[t2andreo]

Just remember that qualifying for a Compostela - if that is your object - always involves walking the FINAL 100 km of any established route INTO Santiago de Compostela.

Completing your Camino at Muxia, Finisterre, or any other place other than Santiago de Compostela does not make you eligible for a Compostela.

Just sayin -

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[miwico72]

I want to thank you all for your answers, comments, suggestions. They were most informative and helpful in figuring out what I would like to do. Especially to you Tom/Tomas/t2andreo. Thank you all. -Michael

 

[danielgzepeda]

Sorry for loss.
If you had to carve a few days you could make Santiago, Finesterre, Muxia not a triangle back to Santiago …. and bus back to Santiago! You might find a trip back to Muxia at the very end a good decision.

Thanks for the input. Will definitely consider.

 

[tigermike]

I want to thank you all for your answers, comments, suggestions. They were most informative and helpful in figuring out what I would like to do. Especially to you Tom/Tomas/t2andreo. Thank you all. -Michael

Hi Michael
Some recent experience here for you to consider.
On July 30 I left SJPDP to walk my 6th CF arriving in SdC in late morning 26 days later.
Being the busy month of August the 1400 or so ticket allocation for the day had long gone and so I queued for my number the next day, collected both my Compostella and Distancia and continued on to my way to Muxia.
On September 1st, having taken the train from SdC to Lisbon, I began the CP. First to Fatima, then Porto and up the Coastal 'literal' and 'espiritual' to SdC, arriving early enough, around 10am, to collect my compostella + the same day.
Next I took a bus to Astorga and walked the 270 odd kms back again, once more arriving in time to collect my third, and last, set of papers from the Pilgrim's office.
All in all approx 1750kms in +/- 67 days.
Now here's the thing....
To me, although I am not in the slightest bit religious, arriving in the Cathedral Square in SdC is generally a truly wonderful experience. Not because it marks the end of my Camino but because I always get to see and meet up again with people with whom I have shared the journey. And that is what keeps me coming back year after year - the people - fellow pilgrims - once strangers people that I know will remain lifelong friends...
So don't rush to leave SdC, plan to arrive early morning, get your number (there was no queue at all by 10am) and then return to the Square and look out for those very special people you met along the way.
Collect your Compostella when your number comes up and guess what ?
You'll probably meet others you have known at the same time.
The Camino, again for me, is about slowing down my life, literally, to walking pace.
If you need to 'get a move on' then get up early, walk with the moon and the stars and you'll be surprised just how far you've gone by breakfast time.... 100kms in three days is easily achievable once you're in the zone and those happy feet feel like they're walking on air.
Chill, relax don't overthink; they say "The Camino will Provide" and in my experience it always has.

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

Michael, it seems your entire premise is based on not spending an "extra day" in Santiago after the completion of each camino based on the check in / queue and returning the next day. My wife and I just completed our fourth Camino Frances. We arrived in Santiago on Thursday, Oct 21. We read and heard various stories about how and when to get a compostela. We decided to head straight to the Pilgrim's office to learn first hand. There was a barrier in front of the office, with several staff members meeting arriving pilgrims. My wife and I did not have the internet turned on our cell phones, but had our pilgrim's passports and other documentation. A friendly staff member said no problem, escorted us inside. We completed simple paper forms, handed this to another staff member, then she issued us our numbers to wait in the queue. We were expecting a long wait and possibly returning later in the day or the next day to get our compostela. In fact, our numbers were only +25 or so away so we patiently awaited our turns. Our wait was not more than 45 minutes. We got our compostelas, put them in the cardboard tube, and were done!

By the way, we also heard about the difficulty of getting a Covid test in Santiago within three days of flying back to the US. We stopped at the Pilgrim house. Faith and Maggie were quite helpful. They told us how to make an appointment the next morning and showed us where the clinic was on the map. Next morning Cindi and I hiked the short distance, got antigen tests and the results were available within 15 minutes (hard copy and email). All for 35 Euros each.

In both cases, the processes and waiting times were much less than had been described. Bob