[Gocamino] [Santiagobis] The Camino and Spain's Economic Situation

[Rebekah Scott]

Speaking from already-depopulated Palencia, in the middle of Castilla y Leon, I have to disagree. 
We are seeing a lot more homeless people on the camino, or unemployed people who have hit the road looking for opportunities. The number of men who come to our door asking for work has more than doubled -- the last couple were from Catalunya, they said they lost their jobs a year ago and hadn´t found anything since. (it´s always men.) 
 
Wages already were low, and now they´re going lower. Businesses are closing as regulators tighten the screws and rents and costs-of-living rise. 
 
How this directly effects peregrinos I am unsure... they may have more opportunities to share albergues, food and kitchen facilities with less-than-wealthy pilgrims this year. Hospitaleros may have to carefully scan credentials, and tell homeless people to sleep somewhere else. I know of at least two hostel-keepers who are in a very bad temper lately, dealing with more people who settle in and have have a shower first, then inform them later on that they can´t pay anything. (if the owner gets upset, the pilgrim tells him he is "violating the spirit of the camino!") 
 
I´ve had no trouble at all with any of the homeless who´ve stopped here. A year ago, they would have been indistinguishable from the rest of the pilgrims.  

Rebekah Scott 
www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." -- Albert Camus

--- On Sun, 1/30/11, Tim <tim at errecaldia.com> wrote:


From: Tim <tim at errecaldia.com>
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] [Santiagobis] The Camino and Spain's Economic Situation
To: Santiagobis at yahoogroups.com, "GoCamino" <gocamino at oakapple.net>
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011, 1:35 PM


Hi Glenn and all,
    I don't think it will have a great impact. The fact is that it is 
very much a central and southern tragedy.  The Basque country,  
Pamplona, Vitoria, San Sebastian, Bilbao have hardly felt a thing In 
fact they are still enjoying growth, Asturias and Galicia have seen a 
downturn but nothing like the massive damage seen in Andalucia.  The 
whole thing was a speculative property boom which was, as I said, in the 
south.  The Catalans have also seen far less problems and so I feel that 
the Camino will be relatively untouched by it all. 
Tim

pilger05 wrote:
> I wonder how the current economic situation in Spain will affect the Camino?  I just read the the unemployment rate is over 20%,  the highest in the EU. Any thoughts????
>
> Glenn
>
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