<html><div style='background-color:'><P>Greetings to all. Having just returned home from Spain, I have a few thoughts and recommendations for those walking the Camino this year. It did get crowded from about Ponferrada on and there were those annoying instances of people who I <EM>knew</EM> had not walked getting beds, but that happened four years ago also, so I suppose it is a given. I suggest avoiding the albergue in Gonzo, if possible. It was revolting. I highly recommend seeing the movie Tres en el Camino when you are in Santiago or whenever it comes out on DVD. It is a documentary following a Japanese woman, a Dutch man and a Brazilian woman on their separate and very different caminos, narrated in English with Spanish subtitles, with the three pilgrims speaking Japanese, Portugese, English and Spanish. As one of the hospitaleras in Rabanal del Camino from June 30- July 15, I saw the numbers climb steadily each day. It seems that many walkers tried to avoid S!
antiago on the 25th, while there were increased numbers of priests and monks who were traveling this year specifically because it is a holy year. We had five monks from Orkney, Scotland, who were carrying their own tent for performing mass and wearing full wool vestments. I saw people standing in line in the hot sun waiting to pass through the holy door, but there was no line on any morning I was there before 8:30 (unspeakably early in Spain). Have a fabulous time!</P>
<P>Susan<BR><BR></P><BR><BR><BR>
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<DIV>85 degrees, palm trees and piña coladas, every day of the week.</DIV></DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr> <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMBENUS/2740??PS=47575">Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!</a> </html>