[Gocamino] Back home...(sigh!)

[Blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
Santiago was unbelievably beautiful last week and still very much within the 
spirit of the Xacobean Holy Year.
I was joined by a Brazilian friend who came from Rio de Janeiro, and her 
first-impression reactions to Santiago were refreshingly enthusiastic.
I think that most widely traveled people would agree that Rio de Janeiro is 
the most beautiful city anywhere, since it has that stunning combination of 
natural beauty :  :green green mountains to one side and a blue blue ocean on the 
other bordered by spectacular beaches. The architecture of the city, wedged 
between the mountains and the sea is itself something else to behold.  
Brazilians are, quite rightly, super proud of their country, and somewhat feel kind of 
sorry for those of us who were denied the fortune to be born there.  Of all 
the cities of huge Brazil (if we do not include  Alaska Brazil is larger than 
the continental USA) the most celebrated is Rio de Janeiro; in fact, Brazilians 
from everywhere refer to Rio as the "postcard city". and to Cariocas (those 
born and living in Rio) as too intoxicated by their city to notice any other 
place.  Yet, my Carioca friend walked around Santiago with starry, unbelieving 
eyes, and she told me as she left that she had never been in a more beautifully 
touching place.  At one point she stopped taking pictures because, she told 
me, there can be no way of conveying the glorious beauty of Santiago other than 
being  there in person.
I guess that those of us who have been there fully understand what she meant.
As an attorney herself, she was tearfully grateful to know that there are 
still some places in this world spotlessly clean and totally crime-free.
I had thought that speaking Portuguese she would be able to communicate fully 
with the Gallego-speaking  Santiagoans (Gallego is very similar to what the 
Brazilians call "portunhol", a combination of Portuguese and Spanish), alas! I 
was mistaken and, once again, I spent a heck of a lot of time translating... 
which I really do not like doing.  Oh well..... nothing is perfect.
-As of this week there are a few bartenders in Santiago, including the owner 
of the "As Artes" hotel where we stayed, who now know the true technique of 
preparing a "Caipirinha",  that sugar-cane rum with fresh-quartered and mashed 
lime  and sugar which is Brazil's national (delicious) drink....so my friend 
left a small cultural contribution behind.-.
I've lots of news... lots of pictures.... lots of new camino CDs... a couple 
of new CDroms, and a copy of the movie "Camino de Santiago" , which has an 
international cast of actors and actresses and runs for four hours or more. . The 
movie is on PAL DVDs which do not play in the USA system.  Fortunately, here 
in New York City we have so very many people who come from European and near 
Asian countries  and who get PAL DvDs from their countries , that it is 
possible to purchase a machine that plays such Pal DvDs on a regular TV, rather than 
on a multipurpose one.
I have gotten such machine and can't wait to start watching all the DVDs  I 
brought,  particularly those dealing with the Camino and the 15-hour European 
production of Quo Vadis with Klaus Maria Brandauer.
I will start posting items that maybe of interest to you all in my next 
message, and I think I will start with the Galician Pilgrim poem that is shown on 
painted tiles before  the entrance of the Pilgrims Office at the top of the 
stairway. Afterwards I will try to post the most interesting and unusual Camino  
things by following the "Dictionary of fascinating Camino and Santiago facts." 

Let me close by citing, in full,  the acknowledgment and reference to us that 
appears on page 47 of the October, 2004, edition of the "Compostela" which is 
the (glossy) magazine of the Universal Archicofradia of the Apostle Santiago:

" N.B.  Desde la Oficina de Acogida al Peregrino queremos dejar constancia de 
nuestro profundo y mas sincero agradecimiento a la asociacion  "American 
Friends on the Camino" (sic) , que con su contribucion economica  han hecho 
poisible que la mejora en el sistema informatico de la Oficina se llevase a cabo en 
un ano tan significativo como este Ano Santo Compostelano 2004. Gracias por 
vuestra inestimable colaboracion."

Big hug to you all,

Rosina