[Gocamino] Santiago guide. Trains' pilgrim discount. Croatian pilgrims. Estimates.

[Blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
The Galicia Xunta's tourism council has put in circulation an MP3 (?) 
Santiago audio guide.  The gizmo can be obtained at any tourist information office 
for a charge of 12 Euros and a returnable deposit of 100 Euros.  The rental is 
good for 24 hours and it covers 23 points of interest throughout the City 
including the Cathedral, of course, the Center of Contemporary Art, the  Plaza de 
Abastos (fascinating open-air food market), the Trojan House, the Alameda and 
the University parks, among others.
It appears that a great number of pilgrims and visitors to Santiago go alone; 
the audioguide will provide them with the means of making informed visits to 
places of interest at their leisure. The guide, with a background of music, 
anecdotes and historical information, covers the Casco in general and is 
accompanied by a related mad and a booklet.
At present the audioguide is available in Spanish and English, but versions 
in other languages are being readied.

RENFRE (the railroad company) has made available a "Tarjeta de Peregrino"  
(pilgrim's card) which will entitle the holder to a 20% discount on all railroad 
fares within Galicia and trips to any point in Leon commenced in Galicia.  To 
obtain the card one must be over 12 years of age and must show that at least 
two stages of the Camino were covered.  The card will also be good for the 
free transportation of bicycles (one per pilgrim)

The Archdiocese informed that 150 pilgrims from Croatia will commence their 
pilgrimage so as to arrive in Santiago in October to commemorate the 450 
anniversary of the founding of Saint James Cathedral in Sibenik. 

"Edu" (Eduardo Perez) the Pilgrims' Office statistics coordinator  informed 
that as of last week  about 40,000 pilgrims  had made the Santiago pilgrimage.  
He also estimated that the total for this year will be around 85,000 
pilgrims; that is, about 11,000 more than the last non Holy Xacobean year. While the 
vast majority of the 
pilgrims have been Spaniards, with an average age of forty years, who start 
out at Sarria and O Cebreiro, he expects that, true to form,  as the summer 
ebbs and passes, the number of foreign pilgrims will increase, adding that such 
pilgrims walk or bicycle different and longer routes.
So far, about 90% of the pilgrims have gone over the French Way, but there 
has been a significant increase in the use of both the Portuguese Way and the 
Via de la Plata.  The detailes of the pilgrims for June and July will be 
available in a couple of weeks.

Big hug!

Rosina