[Gocamino] German ideas

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
At the risk of providing the gist for vituperative commentaries and attacks which, sadly, do appear from time to time, even on this list, perhaps I can tell you some of the suggestions:
First of all, there was a strong push on the part of the German and Austrian pilgrims to look after their own in?Spanish lands as they do on their own.? Indeed, the albergues and attentions afforded to pilgrims in Germany and?Austria are admirable? (I wrote about the Austrian Jacobsweg, Santiago Camino,?last year from Vienna). Germany, Bavaria, at least, does have the same facilities for its pilgrims.? I was literally dumbfounded to find that in little Bayreuth, that high temple of worshippers of Richard Wagner's music, there is a refuge for Santiago pilgrims.? (I can send pictures to those of you may be interested).
The discussions?contemplated German and Austrian?tents forming sort-of-refuges through the French Way, and perhaps in the Via de la Plata, cared for by the particular country's Confraternity.? Whether such set-ups would be approved by the zillion municipal authorities throughout Spain?that hold sway over such things, is likely to create insurmountable problems.
Another possibility would be the redefining of the existing public albergues making them available to those who would make the pilgrimage for religious reasons? (as indeed, was the case?centuries ago). Such pilgrims would obtain a different type of credential?granted upon presentation of a letter of introduction by their priest, minister, rabbi, guru, or what-have-you, that the bearer of such letter intends the pilgrimage for religious reasons.? Presumable such pilgrims would have to attend religious services throughout (confesion, communion and mass for Catholics) in order to continue to?qualify for shelter in the "public" albergues, which.... by the way,? will charge 3 Euros beginning next January 1st.
Cultural and non-religious pilgrims would still qualify for a Compostela, but they would have to stay at albergues run by private persons, or by those religious orders, like the nuns in Sto. Domingo de la Calzada and Astorga.
While these considerations may seem premature, and, perhaps, extreme to those who are accustomed to "cheap" lodgings just for walking and who may have forgotten the original purpose of albergues, etc., the fact is that there have been a lot of problems recently, which can only be expected to get worse if not addressed.
Another idea was to double the membership fees of confraternities' members, and to increase fund-raising, with the money going to the Xunta and those who oversee the Camino so that they may better pilgrims' facilities.??But the Xunta does not have much to do with, let's say, the Via de la?Plata?and such generous purpose may step on the toes of those who are turf-sensitive.
Anyway, there are more than two years to go until 2010.?Several Archconfraternity meetings are scheduled all over the place and surely some workable?plans may come out of them.
....Meanwhile,?because of fake-pilgrims abuses, and "turigrinos" that insist on getting a Compostela as a sort-of-souvenir, the?Pilgrims' Office has began to implement the requirement that Compostelas will only be awarded to those pilgrims whose credentials show at least two "sellos" (stamps) for each of the Camino stages walked, or bicycled, on the last 100/200 kms.
A plea has gone out to Confraternity members to plan to volunteer.... volunteer..... volunteer, whenever and however we may be of use.

Well..... I guess this is what happens when hundreds of thousands of people want to carry out the endeavor.

For myself, I definitely plan to go since it will very likely? be the last Holy Year in my lifetime. After walking I'll stay on in Santiago for whatever I can do which will probably be translating (sigh!)

Hugs,

Rosina?
??

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