to sleep (and eat) in Santiago

[Rosina Lila]

Rereading the message sent translating Pieter's Brazilian fact sheet it
appeared that some clarification is needed:
The Monte del Gozo albergue is by no means a convenience hotel, despite its
impressive facilities.  It is, simply, an albergue; a significant number of
the beds are
bunks, although there are many semiprivate rooms, and some private,  given to
older pilgrims, or pilgrims with children, or married pilgrims.  In addition
to the information given on the Brazilian Website, it also has a very
efficient and complete pilgrim's information center.
Although I did not stay there I had an opportunity to see it throughout. (I
had started walking from Lavacolla, some 10 kms. away,  intending to arrive
at the Cathedral on time for the Pilgrims'  Mass, but as I reached Monte del
Gozo I realized that I wouldn't make it to the Cathedral on time and stayed
around waiting for the albergue to open, at 1:00 p.m., to have my pilgrim's
credential stamped).
During the Summer, the albergue is generally full by 3:00 p.m., although they
hold in reserve a few rooms for sick or older pilgrims (they offered me one
although I wasn't even in the queue; but I didn't need it).
Monte del Gozo means "Mount of Joy", named thus because of the joy which
pilgrims felt as they neared Santiago and caught the first glimpse of the
Cathedral. It is, generally, the principal approach to the City by pilgrims
following the French or Silver Ways.  It is quite noticeable because of a
striking, modernistic, very large monument placed at its peak to commemorate
a Papal visit not so long ago. Next to the monument  there is a small
medieval chapel, very cool, cozy and welcoming.
The site actually is composed of not one, but two, verdant and gently rolling
adjacent hills, where one can see cows, sheep and horses roaming about.  At
the peak of the abutting  hill there is a very touching three-dimensional,
quite large, bronze monument representing  pilgrims of old as they expressed
their almost heavenly joy upon seeing the Cathedral and the site of the
Apostle's tomb..
It appears that more often than not, in times gone by, pilgrims traveled  in
groups. During medieval times the first in the group to reach the mount and
see the Cathedral was given the appellation of "Rey" (king) and the legal
right to adopt such second name for himself and his descendants.  Hence,
those  hundreds of thousands of  Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian and
Spanish-American people whose last name is "Rey" or "Reyes", may be descended
from  a medieval first-to-get-there Santiago pilgrim.