peregrina nicole
RIP 2016
Hi! I've done 'live from the camino' posts for serveral of the routes I have done (Portugues, Ingles and Primitivo routes). This year I am working as a volunteer in the Peregrino Office in Santiago so I thought that I would start a stream on this. I wanted to get into 'camino' mode, so I did just over 100km from Lugo to Santiago. This entitles you to a credencial and is less crowded than starting in Sarria. See my 'live from the Primitivo' posts for more info on this.
I'm working as an 'amiga' along with Julie. This is a new initiative which has been set up by the Confraternidads of St James of Great Britain AND Ireland. The aim of this initiative is to give pilgrims a better arrival experience. The amigos and amigas have blue t-shirs with 'welcome' in various languages on the front and 'amigo' on the back. Julie and I have a two week stint and we are now on day 2. Amigos(as) need to have experience of having done walking caminos, be involved in the peregrino community and be members of the confraternidad. Language skills (I speak English, Spainish, French, and a bit of Italian) are VERY helpful. As pilgrims come in, we welcome them, ask them about their camino, ask them to get their credenciales out, answer basic questions and direct them to a free desk where the peregrino office workers take over and issue either a compostella or a certificate of completion. The programme seems to be a success so it would be good to get feedback from people who have been welcomed by us. We are not on duty during the entire day as the office is open from 9am to 9pm. However, we are there for peak times. So, appologies to those of you weren't greated by us.
I thought that it might be helpful to answer some basic questions about what happens in the pilgrimage office.
Where is it? We are on Rua do Vilar near the end that is closest to the Cathedral. There is a big sign outside with a yellow arrow on it. We are pretty hard to miss.
When is it open? The office opens at 9am and closes at 9pm. When we arrive in the morning, there are usually pilgrims waiting at the door.
Is there a place to leave bikes or bags? Once you enter the door from the street, you are in a court yard. People park their bikes here. Straight ahead there are bathrooms and there is a luggage storage area. This is normally open from 10am to 2pm and then from 4pm onwards. If this is closed when you arrive or when you need to pick up your bag, you can ask at the office to have the door opened. We charge 1 euro. Today, the luggage area had to close early because it was full (ie. no space to put in new bags). NOTE: (added in on June 6): Today we had over 1000 pilgrims arrive so the people who run the baggage/toilet area where redeployed to the office to deal with the crowds. This meant that the toilets were closed. However, people who wanted to retrieve bags could come to the office to ask for someone to open it, It is worth noting that in Spain, toilets in bars/restaurants are supposed to be open to the public (some places, nevertheless put up a sign saying "solo clientes").
Where do I go to get my final stamp and a compostella? As you enter the courtyard, you go through a door on the right and go up stairs to the peregrino office. Here we will ask you to queue to the right (leaving the left hand side free for people leaving the office). As you approach the front of the line, we would ask you to have your credencial ready. If you come at a peak time, you will have to wait to be sent to a desk where office staff will look at your credencial. They look at your stamps to verify that you have either walked or cycled the route. The most important stamps (sellos) are those you get in the last 100km if you walk and the last 200km in you cycle. PLEASE make sure that you get at least 2 stamps a day for the last 100km/200km. You are asked to fill out a form which asks for your name, nationality, starting point, if you are on foot/cycle/horse, your profession, age, etc. This info is entered into a database. So, if you see someone who looks like their desk is free, they might well be busy entering data. So please WAIT until you are called to come forward. There is a sign that says this, but not everyone respects this. Also, the staff prefer to deal with pilgrims one at a time. There isn't much room by each desk and you will in all likelyhood be processed more quickly if you each wait your turn. On the form, you will be asked if you are doing the pilgrimage for religious, religous/spiritual or cultural/tourist reasons. If you put an X in the religious or spiritual boxes, you get a compostella. This is in Latin. You name is written on it in latin. There is a translation of the credencial on the wall of the peregrino office. If you put an X in the 'cultural/tourism' box, you get a certificate of completion. Once you get your certificate/credenical you can't change it for the other type. That is, we have had people come in where 3 out of 4 in the group put down that they are doing the pilgrimage for religious reasons and get a credencial and then the 4th puts down 'tourism', gets the certificate, sees their friends compostellas and then come back and try to get theirs changed. The office will only change something if an error has been made (like the incorrect date entered). So PLEASE think carefully about your motivations and tick the right box. Note: (added on June 6) we have had people who have collected stamps along the way for friends as souveniers. The office is quite firm that the cathedral stamp is only to be used on the credenciales of pilgrims who arrive in Santiago. We did have one pilgrim today who also wanted his bible stamped. The office did this.
Do I have to pay for my compostella/certificate? No. That being said, the office needs funding so there are boxes where you can give a donation if you like.
How do a get a tube for my compostella/certificate? When you get your compostella/certificate, you can buy a protective tube for 1 euro from the person at the desk. You can also get a tube from the amigos if we are on duty. If you leave and decide that you want a tube, just come straight to us and we'll get your sorted with your tube. NOTE (added June 6): The money earned from the tubes goes towards funding the Albergue de Peregrino
I want to start a camino. Can I get a credencial from the Office? Yes. HOWEVER, you can only get a credencial if you are going from somewhere (like Sarria) TO Santiago. If you want to go from Santiago to Muxia or Fisterra (Finisterre) you can either continue to use your credenical (get two stamps per day) OR if you are starting from scratch, you need to go to the Galicia Tourist Office (on the same street but on the other side). The view of the Pilgrim/Peregrino Office is that they are there to assist peregrios who ARRIVE in Santigo or want to arrive in Santiago. People who are leaving Santiago and going to other parts of Galica are taken care of by the Galician Tourist Office.
Where do I get tourist info, maps, book a hotel, etc? The Peregrino Office can help with basic info, however there are state run dedicated tourism offices on the same street as us. On the same side as us, but further down Rua do Villar (near the other end) you will find the city of Santiago Tourist Office. They can tell you what hotels still have rooms, give you a map and help you out with basic info about the city. Halfway down Rua do Villar and on the opposite side of the street from us is the Galician tourist office. They deal with everything outside of the city. There is also an excellent bookshop on Rua do Vilar with guide books on the camino (either for your next camino or if you want to go onto Finisterre). The Confraternidad of St James website also has downloadable guides (http://www.csj.org.uk/guides.htm). These are free, but it is appreciated if you make a donation. Please make sure that you also look for the updates. The CSJ guides only have directions. They don't have maps or altitude charts.
Where the albergues in Santiago? There are two public ones. There is one just off St Lazarus which is the broad avenue you walk down as you approach the old part of the city (if you are on the French Route). This is called the Albergue de Peregrinos del Final del Camino. It is open from 11:30am to midnight. You have to leave by 9am. The phone is 981 58 73 24 and it is possible to book at place. They have a strorage area, washing machines, microwave ovens, bike storage and can arrange to ship bikes home, free wifi, vending machines and there are restaurants, bars and a pharmacy nearby. This is 15min from the Cathedral. It costs 8 euros. There is also the Seminario Menor. It is also 15 min from the Cathedral. It is in an old building outside of old part of town. It involves an uphill climb. It is on the tourist info maps in the lower right hand corner on the far side of the Parque de Belivis. You can book ahead. When I did an internet search on the "Seminario Menor" in Santiago de Compostella, it came up on booking.com. It is 12 euros for a bed in a dorm and 17 euros for a single room. I would recommend booking in advance. There is a good description of the facilities on booking.com.
I'm injured and need to go to hospital! The office staff are used to seeing damaged peregrinos. They can tell you where the hosptial is and how to get there.
I've lost my credencial, camera, compostella etc. There is a lost and found box in the office. If compostellas get lost in the city, someone usually brings it back to the office. Some objects lost on the route also get sent to us. So if you have lost your credenical, it is always worth asking to see if it has been handed in. Please try to take care of your credencial.
When is the pilgrim's mass? This is from 12 -1pm. If you want to get a seat, I would recommend arriving at LEAST by 11:30. I you want a good seat, I would arrive by 11am, especially on the weekends. If you are in the database by 11:30am, you will be mentioned at the mass. There are too many pergrinos for people to be mentioned by name. However, what will be read out is your nationality (city of origin for Spaniards) and your starting point. If you arrive after 11:30am, you will be mentioned at the mass the following day.
When does the botafumero come out? There is no guarentee that you will see the botafumero in action. I was lucky enough to see it at the end of my first camino (the Frances in 2008). I've done a camino every year since and haven't seen it since. The botafumero comes out when a group sponsors it (i.e. pays for it) and this is arranged in advance. We don't know when this happens. A basic rule of thumb is that if you arrive at mass and see it hanging up, there is a good chance that it will be used. If you are unlucky enough to not see it, YouTube has excellent clips.
Where can I get a shower if I am just passing through Santiago? [Updated July 17: We got asked this by cyclists on two days. On one day when it rained hard and cyclists were mud spattered and today when the temperature was up to 35 C. Most foot peregrinos choose to stay in Santiago and so have access to showers, but some cyclists wanting to push onto Finisterre only stay long enough to get their compostellas. According to Tourist Info, peregrinos can get showers at the Seminario Menor. You have to pay for this, the cost is not very decipherable on my note from Tourist Info, but I think it is 3 euros. An option that is closer to the city center is Mundo Albergue on Rua de San Clemente for 5 euros (continue down Traversa de Fonseca off Rua do Franco)].
Julie and I are both really enjoying being amigas. People arriving at the Office are generally tired but very happy!It is lovely working with happy people. We have, however, had one or two unfriendly people, such as one person today who angry with the staff because he was told that he couldn't get a credencial to walk to Fisterra (Finisterre) from the Peregrino office.
I'd like to say 'buen camino' to everyone that Julie and I have greated and who are still out there on the camino and will be arriving within the next two weeks. A special buen camino has to go out to the guy today who walked all the way from Nuremburg! We insisted on taking a photo of him holding his credencial at full lenght (with his camera). Yesterday, we were very charmed by the infant who was carried by his/her parents for the camino. They had their own credenical and got a compostella!
I'm working as an 'amiga' along with Julie. This is a new initiative which has been set up by the Confraternidads of St James of Great Britain AND Ireland. The aim of this initiative is to give pilgrims a better arrival experience. The amigos and amigas have blue t-shirs with 'welcome' in various languages on the front and 'amigo' on the back. Julie and I have a two week stint and we are now on day 2. Amigos(as) need to have experience of having done walking caminos, be involved in the peregrino community and be members of the confraternidad. Language skills (I speak English, Spainish, French, and a bit of Italian) are VERY helpful. As pilgrims come in, we welcome them, ask them about their camino, ask them to get their credenciales out, answer basic questions and direct them to a free desk where the peregrino office workers take over and issue either a compostella or a certificate of completion. The programme seems to be a success so it would be good to get feedback from people who have been welcomed by us. We are not on duty during the entire day as the office is open from 9am to 9pm. However, we are there for peak times. So, appologies to those of you weren't greated by us.
I thought that it might be helpful to answer some basic questions about what happens in the pilgrimage office.
Where is it? We are on Rua do Vilar near the end that is closest to the Cathedral. There is a big sign outside with a yellow arrow on it. We are pretty hard to miss.
When is it open? The office opens at 9am and closes at 9pm. When we arrive in the morning, there are usually pilgrims waiting at the door.
Is there a place to leave bikes or bags? Once you enter the door from the street, you are in a court yard. People park their bikes here. Straight ahead there are bathrooms and there is a luggage storage area. This is normally open from 10am to 2pm and then from 4pm onwards. If this is closed when you arrive or when you need to pick up your bag, you can ask at the office to have the door opened. We charge 1 euro. Today, the luggage area had to close early because it was full (ie. no space to put in new bags). NOTE: (added in on June 6): Today we had over 1000 pilgrims arrive so the people who run the baggage/toilet area where redeployed to the office to deal with the crowds. This meant that the toilets were closed. However, people who wanted to retrieve bags could come to the office to ask for someone to open it, It is worth noting that in Spain, toilets in bars/restaurants are supposed to be open to the public (some places, nevertheless put up a sign saying "solo clientes").
Where do I go to get my final stamp and a compostella? As you enter the courtyard, you go through a door on the right and go up stairs to the peregrino office. Here we will ask you to queue to the right (leaving the left hand side free for people leaving the office). As you approach the front of the line, we would ask you to have your credencial ready. If you come at a peak time, you will have to wait to be sent to a desk where office staff will look at your credencial. They look at your stamps to verify that you have either walked or cycled the route. The most important stamps (sellos) are those you get in the last 100km if you walk and the last 200km in you cycle. PLEASE make sure that you get at least 2 stamps a day for the last 100km/200km. You are asked to fill out a form which asks for your name, nationality, starting point, if you are on foot/cycle/horse, your profession, age, etc. This info is entered into a database. So, if you see someone who looks like their desk is free, they might well be busy entering data. So please WAIT until you are called to come forward. There is a sign that says this, but not everyone respects this. Also, the staff prefer to deal with pilgrims one at a time. There isn't much room by each desk and you will in all likelyhood be processed more quickly if you each wait your turn. On the form, you will be asked if you are doing the pilgrimage for religious, religous/spiritual or cultural/tourist reasons. If you put an X in the religious or spiritual boxes, you get a compostella. This is in Latin. You name is written on it in latin. There is a translation of the credencial on the wall of the peregrino office. If you put an X in the 'cultural/tourism' box, you get a certificate of completion. Once you get your certificate/credenical you can't change it for the other type. That is, we have had people come in where 3 out of 4 in the group put down that they are doing the pilgrimage for religious reasons and get a credencial and then the 4th puts down 'tourism', gets the certificate, sees their friends compostellas and then come back and try to get theirs changed. The office will only change something if an error has been made (like the incorrect date entered). So PLEASE think carefully about your motivations and tick the right box. Note: (added on June 6) we have had people who have collected stamps along the way for friends as souveniers. The office is quite firm that the cathedral stamp is only to be used on the credenciales of pilgrims who arrive in Santiago. We did have one pilgrim today who also wanted his bible stamped. The office did this.
Do I have to pay for my compostella/certificate? No. That being said, the office needs funding so there are boxes where you can give a donation if you like.
How do a get a tube for my compostella/certificate? When you get your compostella/certificate, you can buy a protective tube for 1 euro from the person at the desk. You can also get a tube from the amigos if we are on duty. If you leave and decide that you want a tube, just come straight to us and we'll get your sorted with your tube. NOTE (added June 6): The money earned from the tubes goes towards funding the Albergue de Peregrino
I want to start a camino. Can I get a credencial from the Office? Yes. HOWEVER, you can only get a credencial if you are going from somewhere (like Sarria) TO Santiago. If you want to go from Santiago to Muxia or Fisterra (Finisterre) you can either continue to use your credenical (get two stamps per day) OR if you are starting from scratch, you need to go to the Galicia Tourist Office (on the same street but on the other side). The view of the Pilgrim/Peregrino Office is that they are there to assist peregrios who ARRIVE in Santigo or want to arrive in Santiago. People who are leaving Santiago and going to other parts of Galica are taken care of by the Galician Tourist Office.
Where do I get tourist info, maps, book a hotel, etc? The Peregrino Office can help with basic info, however there are state run dedicated tourism offices on the same street as us. On the same side as us, but further down Rua do Villar (near the other end) you will find the city of Santiago Tourist Office. They can tell you what hotels still have rooms, give you a map and help you out with basic info about the city. Halfway down Rua do Villar and on the opposite side of the street from us is the Galician tourist office. They deal with everything outside of the city. There is also an excellent bookshop on Rua do Vilar with guide books on the camino (either for your next camino or if you want to go onto Finisterre). The Confraternidad of St James website also has downloadable guides (http://www.csj.org.uk/guides.htm). These are free, but it is appreciated if you make a donation. Please make sure that you also look for the updates. The CSJ guides only have directions. They don't have maps or altitude charts.
Where the albergues in Santiago? There are two public ones. There is one just off St Lazarus which is the broad avenue you walk down as you approach the old part of the city (if you are on the French Route). This is called the Albergue de Peregrinos del Final del Camino. It is open from 11:30am to midnight. You have to leave by 9am. The phone is 981 58 73 24 and it is possible to book at place. They have a strorage area, washing machines, microwave ovens, bike storage and can arrange to ship bikes home, free wifi, vending machines and there are restaurants, bars and a pharmacy nearby. This is 15min from the Cathedral. It costs 8 euros. There is also the Seminario Menor. It is also 15 min from the Cathedral. It is in an old building outside of old part of town. It involves an uphill climb. It is on the tourist info maps in the lower right hand corner on the far side of the Parque de Belivis. You can book ahead. When I did an internet search on the "Seminario Menor" in Santiago de Compostella, it came up on booking.com. It is 12 euros for a bed in a dorm and 17 euros for a single room. I would recommend booking in advance. There is a good description of the facilities on booking.com.
I'm injured and need to go to hospital! The office staff are used to seeing damaged peregrinos. They can tell you where the hosptial is and how to get there.
I've lost my credencial, camera, compostella etc. There is a lost and found box in the office. If compostellas get lost in the city, someone usually brings it back to the office. Some objects lost on the route also get sent to us. So if you have lost your credenical, it is always worth asking to see if it has been handed in. Please try to take care of your credencial.
When is the pilgrim's mass? This is from 12 -1pm. If you want to get a seat, I would recommend arriving at LEAST by 11:30. I you want a good seat, I would arrive by 11am, especially on the weekends. If you are in the database by 11:30am, you will be mentioned at the mass. There are too many pergrinos for people to be mentioned by name. However, what will be read out is your nationality (city of origin for Spaniards) and your starting point. If you arrive after 11:30am, you will be mentioned at the mass the following day.
When does the botafumero come out? There is no guarentee that you will see the botafumero in action. I was lucky enough to see it at the end of my first camino (the Frances in 2008). I've done a camino every year since and haven't seen it since. The botafumero comes out when a group sponsors it (i.e. pays for it) and this is arranged in advance. We don't know when this happens. A basic rule of thumb is that if you arrive at mass and see it hanging up, there is a good chance that it will be used. If you are unlucky enough to not see it, YouTube has excellent clips.
Where can I get a shower if I am just passing through Santiago? [Updated July 17: We got asked this by cyclists on two days. On one day when it rained hard and cyclists were mud spattered and today when the temperature was up to 35 C. Most foot peregrinos choose to stay in Santiago and so have access to showers, but some cyclists wanting to push onto Finisterre only stay long enough to get their compostellas. According to Tourist Info, peregrinos can get showers at the Seminario Menor. You have to pay for this, the cost is not very decipherable on my note from Tourist Info, but I think it is 3 euros. An option that is closer to the city center is Mundo Albergue on Rua de San Clemente for 5 euros (continue down Traversa de Fonseca off Rua do Franco)].
Julie and I are both really enjoying being amigas. People arriving at the Office are generally tired but very happy!It is lovely working with happy people. We have, however, had one or two unfriendly people, such as one person today who angry with the staff because he was told that he couldn't get a credencial to walk to Fisterra (Finisterre) from the Peregrino office.
I'd like to say 'buen camino' to everyone that Julie and I have greated and who are still out there on the camino and will be arriving within the next two weeks. A special buen camino has to go out to the guy today who walked all the way from Nuremburg! We insisted on taking a photo of him holding his credencial at full lenght (with his camera). Yesterday, we were very charmed by the infant who was carried by his/her parents for the camino. They had their own credenical and got a compostella!
