<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" LANG="0">Hello you all,<BR>
I am enjoying a couple of days at home, with my little Maltese dog, before jumping into the professional frey next Monday, and can take care of a few Camino-related things.<BR>
First, I have received and read your goodwill messages; they've made me very happy. Simply, I cannot thank you enough.<BR>
Secondly, while I was gone New York suffered a rather long-lasting black out; while I, happily, missed it, it did create some havoc in much of my electronic equipment including, apparently, my computers.<BR>
Before I left for the Camino, and while I was there, some of you asked me to locate some things for you, and to get some particular books and other objects, which I did. But the messages I'd saved with the names of those of you who made the requests, as well as many other messages, somehow have disappeared. Please let me know who asked me for what and I shall send the things on. <BR>
I have a lot of key rings, from here and there, with specific pendants such as little wooden backpacks from Roncesvalles, rotating altars and papamoscas from Burgos, Leon rosettas, the Portico de Gloria and the Apostle's tomb, lots of bells, and others. Equally, the "18 voices" book, the "Pilgrim Picardias book" the Museum of Leon cut-out books, and several others that I had in my "ListServ" list of things to get.<BR>
Also, while in Santiago I attended some functions having to do with practical aspects of the Camino. It is estimated that next year more than 700,000 pilgrims will go over the Camino Frances.<BR>
Because of this, the Archdiocese, the Xunta, and indeed, the Spanish government, are taking steps to encourage pilgrims to traverse pilgrimage routes to Santiago other than the Camino Frances.<BR>
As part of this effort, the Deputation of A Coruna has funded various means of disseminating knowledge about the other routes. One of the steps already begun is a website, ancillary to the popular vagamundos.net page<BR>
that will contain the diary of Carlos Olmo as he walks the other routes and reports on them. <BR>
Carlos Olmo is not simply another Camino-srtruck pilgrim that opens a web page. He has been "on the road" since 1976 and travelled, pilgrim-like, through more than 100 countries. A Galician, he is a frequent radio and TV commentator as well as an author. Under the purview of the Coruna Deputation he will report on the other Camino routes on a web-page for such purpose. The effort has begun and the diary/report , that will have an English translation, can be read in the caminoasantiago.com page.<BR>
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While in Santiago I met several piltrims that spoke glowingly about the Portuguese Way and the English Way. I had no idea! (Albergues by the sea?)<BR>
I already knew about the wonders of the Via de la Plata, but did not know that the others arer equally enticing. In fact, I have already sort of made up my mind to walk the Portuguese Way next year.<BR>
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Again, than k you for your lovely messages.<BR>
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Affectionate regards,<BR>
Rosina </FONT></HTML>