[Gocamino] [saintjames] Re:Two Sellos per Etapa for a Compostela

[Grant Spangler]

Howard nailed it. Thank you, Howard. Mas Caminos, Menos Compostelas.

In the end it's nice to have the piece of paper, but it's just that, a piece 
of paper. Having it or not having it does not make you more of - or less of 
- a Pilgrim. It is the Road Within. The hidden path, less traveled path. I 
have seen the pseudo pilgrims going from town to town by taxi. They leave 
after you do but will arrive the next pueblito before you, sometimes several 
stops daily. I wonder who they think they are fooling. In the end, they are 
the ones who have cheated themselves.

I tend to fill Credenciales up to the rafters with sellos, so two per day 
has never been an issue. I was questioning,” What is an Etapa?” Some people 
might walk 10 km in a day, some 20, and others will do 40. Also, summertime 
has more bars and sello-bearing facilities open for business than say, 
winter. I understand the Oficina del Peregrino’s desire to sift the wheat 
from the chaff right at the source. Still, there is a basic dishonesty about 
the Turigrinos. They are often less interested in getting to Mass as they 
are getting cheap lodgings. The real fix is with consistently staffed Xunta 
Albergues that screen for taxi tourists and the bus brigade. Believe it or 
not, many of the hospitaleros in Galicia are actually on the Xunta payroll. 
They seem to be oft absent during Pilgrim arrival time.

As far as two stamps for the entire route, they are not looking for that. If 
you walk from Vienna to Sarria, take the taxi to Barbadelo (6 km), then walk 
the rest of the way, you will not qualify for a Compostela. For walkers, 
they only look for the last 100 km being contiguous, period. Being able to 
show the rest many give them warm fuzzies, but the qualifier is simply the 
last 100.

Buen Camino,

Grant

Grant Spangler
GASpangler at hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago
http://community.webshots.com/user/ElCaminoSantiago