[Gocamino] Yellow Arrow "Dumped"

[Pat Rush]

Hello all, especially Patricia in Florida from Patricia in New York--my comments about the collapse of the system to house and feed pilgrims on the Camino Frances refers only to the crowds.  I walked the Camino Frances last September, and west of Punta La Reina I found packed refugios, full at 2 p.m. on some days.  I cannot imagine what the crowds must be like in July and August.  

I encountered many, many wonderful people, both pilgrims and locals.  I also met some stinkers.  The pilgrimage for me was like the broad complex tapestry of humanity, frequently reduced to the very simplest of needs, for food, a bed, a drink of water.  I do believe that people walk the Camino for as many reasons as there are people.  And, sometimes the reasons change as individuals experience the pilgrimage.  I must say that in my experience not all of religiously-motivated pilgrims were necessarily folks I wanted to be around.  And, those I met who were walking for purely secular reasons were great company.  But, we all have different experiences, and we are all different.  

Patricia (upstate New York)


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hathor821 at aol.com 
  To: PatRush1 at verizon.net ; Guha2005 at hotmail.com ; skip at thebrasscannon.com 
  Cc: GoCamino at oakapple.net ; jdufour at videotron.ca ; saintjames at yahoogroups.com ; Santiagobis at yahoogroups.com ; Blaroli at aol.com ; marthacamino at yahoo.com 
  Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 11:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [Gocamino] Yellow Arrow "Dumped"


  The system of housing and feeding pilgrims will collapse; it's
  getting close to that now.
  ------------------------------------------------------
   My first part of my camino ended about l0 days ago and my impression of the same is totally different to what I had anticipated.  My personal  opinion is that el camino, for the majority of people from  those countries east of Spain  that I encountered  take el camino without the spirit that it is meant to be or has meant for many or still means to me.  It has become a way for the cheapest form of tourist in the 21st century.  Albergues 'by donation' shouldn't exist anymore.  From my own personal experience and because I became a 'hospitalera' at different albergues and only for  personal curiosity and only  for a day or two,  I can tell all of you that it was pitiful the donations most people put inside the little box. It is my opinion that the majority of those I met are running their little marathons to reach Compostela so they can brag at home about all those kilometers they walked....other than buying food in the local stores to prepare in those places where food can be prepared or enjoying the 'peregrino menu' at 8 Euro including dessert I fail to understand how this 'camino' could ever become profitable from the tourism point of view.

  Without injuring the feelings of those reading this message, a nice goat sheppart said to me that if the camino was all along France, the French would charge a fee for walking it.  Fortunately, we did it our way, I understand, we had the time but we also had the generosity and contributed in many other ways than by donations.  In one instance of many, a peregrino not only enjoyed the meal I had bought for 50 of them and prepared all afternoon for the 8 PM dinner, he even had the audacity to take bottles of wine and get drunk during the evening; his donation in the box made the sound of a single coin and I am being optimistic if it was 1 Euro., breakfast was included.

  I am not generalizing my thoughts, but the main thought for me after my first camino is that it has become the cheapest way to travel, at least for those which have no boundaries and can move easily throughout the ECC. 

  We did it our way...we learned our own lessons and we appreciated the beauty and the generosity of the Spanish people.  We will not take anything for granted again, not even a stale piece of bread.

  Patricia
  Coconut Grove, Florida