[Gocamino] Mone on 2008 Compostela=receiving pilgrims

[Rosina]

Hello you all,
First. for those of you who have asked:? you don't need a special invitation for the Viennese Balls. Just go to any tourist information office and they will give you a list of the Balls with information as?to where to get the tickets etc. Women do need to wear?evening gowns and men tuxedos. Ticket or no ticket no one informally dressed is allowed in.
All balls begin with a formal entrance (like the erstwhile "cotillions"), but afterwards? music that can be danced by anyone is played.....?no "disco" music, however;?mostly waltzes and Viennese polkas, and now and then popular melodic music?.? Many ball goers just like to sit on the sidelines, or the balconies, drinking "sekt" (Austrian/German sparkling wine) and watching the enchanting spectacle. The cost of the tickets for the Balls ranges from 25 Euros to 1,500 Euros (for the Opera Ball at the StaatsOpera theatre, for instance). Usually the proceeds go to a charitable cause.? (The take from the Pilgrims Ball will be used to better the albergues in the Jakobsweg (Santiago Camino), etc, etc.

As to the 2008 pilgrims:
Out of the 133 countries wherefrom? they?hailed, those who numbered more than 1,000 pilgrims were, in descending order,? the following:? (2007 figures in parenthesis)

Germany (13,837)?15,746
Italy (10,275) 10,707
France (6,982) 6,618
Portugal (4,001) 4,341
U. S. A. (2,229) 2,214
Canada (1,850)? 1,933
Holland (1,655) 1,864
Austria (785) 1,847
United Kingdom? (1,696) 1,559
Ireland (1,090) 1,535
Brasil? (1,395) 1,365
Belgium (1,332) 1,291
Switzerland (1,136)? 1,246
Poland (867) 1,102
Australia (785) 1,022

-Let me know if you are specially interested in the pilgrims from a country not listed above-

Routes followed:

French Camino (91,872)? 98,729
Portuguese Camino (8,110) 9,770
Northern Camino (5,871) 7,035
Via de la Plata (4,193) 5,104
Primitive Camino (2,569) 2,719
English Camino (1,085) 1,451
Ad-hoc Caminos (147) 229
Muxia-Fisterre (179) 104?

The starting points are very interesting, and will be posted in a subsequent message.

Hugs!

Rosina