[Gocamino] Pilgrims, the Pope, the Portico, others

[Rosina]

Hello you all,
1. Just today, Friday, the Pilgrims office granted 1,349 Compostelas, The waiting lines have been so crowded that traffic has been blocked from the area close to the Deans House where the office is located.
And the fun is just beginning.  The 12,000 young men and women expected on Aug.7-8 for the Youth Council are well on their way and, incredibly enough, places for them to stay and accompanying facilities have been secured. 
2. The province of Catalonia (where Barcelona is) has outlawed bullfights. While this is a first, it must be mentioned that other provinces have never, or seldom, indulged in the so-called spectacle.  The entire province of Galicia has only one bullfight ring which is  used, almost exclusively, for public civic events. The heart of the bullfighting culture lies, of course, in Andalucia, which per force is also the cradle of Flamenco art and music.  For the life of me, I cannot conceive, ever, the suppression of bullfights or flamenco in Al-Andalus.
3. Plans have been completed to build a two and a half meters tall statue of Pope Benedict to be erected before he goes to Santiago on November 6.  The bronze statue will be the work of the sculptor Candido Pasos and will be placed by the Puerta de Europa ("Europe's Door" ) where other eminent Santiago pilgrims like Pope John Paul II and Dante Alighieri are represented. Pope Benedict's sculpture will cost about 100,000 Euros ($150,000) which will be entirely contributed by Santiago inhabitants.
4. You know, I was kind of sorry that not everyone got to see the intricate and lovely details of the Portico de Gloria in as close a manner as those of us who climbed the scaffold up to it were able to admire. Well, it seems that the Cathedral has done something about it.  A video has been prepared of the Portico that illuminates everything that we were able to see, and then some.  Further, the video has added the original colors which  through the passing of time and lack of care and foreseeability slowly disappeared.  The video will be shown, free of charge, commencing August 2nd., in the crypt of the Cathedral, but it will be necessary to make reservations and/or arrangements for the viewings since the area is rather small. Details can be obtained at the entrance of the crypt (between the ascending stairs  to the Cathedral on Obradoiro) or at the museum.
You may remember that the entire concrete choir, also fashioned by Maestro Mateo, that used to occupy the center of the Cathedral was removed several centuries ago to make room for the parishioners. The pieces were carefully preserved and a couple of years ago were put together in the radiant and glorious manner which today can be seen in the museum. (Those of you who have had the fortune of coming to Santiago through Ourense will have admired the Portico de Gloria in the Cathedral there, and will have noticed that much of the polichromia in that portico is still extant.)
5. Lastly, during the Youth Jubilee the Cathedral will open at 5:30 a.m. for Mass and will remain open until midnight for a multitude of functions.  3 Cardinals, 18 Archbishops and 3o Bishops from outside Galicia will preside at some or other of the functions.

Me? I'll be on my way to the cool hills of Bavaria for the Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth.  We have had an absolutely wearisome and horrid heat-wave here in New York City and I am truly counting the minutes until alighting in Germany.

Hugs!

Rosina