<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SERIF" FACE="Palatino Linotype" LANG="0">Hola, <BR>
Last June the Galician Junta released a new Camino CD ROM entitled "El Camino hasta la Meta" (The Camino until its goal). This disc is entirely different from the one released last year that was called The Goal of the Camino and that focused on Iria, Santiago etc. The new one covers the entire French Camino and its very nice and informative.... although it, too, uses the 360 degrees method on specific items which I, for one, find difficult to like.<BR>
Last Saturday was Christmas in September for me. I received six of the packages which I mailed to myself from various points Via de la Plata. They must have come over on the same ship since I mailed them several days apart.<BR>
Besides the Camino I have an intense (very intense) passion for the operas of Richard Wagner, most particularly those of the Ring and Tristan.<BR>
Well, after rejoicing like a child over the contents of the boxes arrived from Spain, I went to the first performance this season of the Walkure at the Metropolitan Opera House.<BR>
Gosh! who could ask for anything more?<BR>
As a committed Wagnerite of very long standing, now and then I hear of someone, terminally ill, whose wish was to die attending a Wagner opera and who succeeded in doing so.<BR>
Strange likelihood, the ways of passions.<BR>
But while wishing to die at a religious shrine is understandable to those of us of strong faith, the last wishes of operatic Wagner lovers also makes sense ... at least to me.<BR>
While at the opera house if you click with the force, the magic, the intensity, the enthralling beauty and the spirit of a Wagner opera you would be in another world already anyway, and wouldn't even notice that you had died.<BR>
(I was in an opera house once when such a death occurred, many years ago; but I have never been at a church wherein someone died)<BR>
(*****Johanne: I read that a Canadian Opera Company will present the Ring next spring in Toronto.... we can finally get to meet then).<BR>
Going back to the CD ROM, I may be able to get it for you directly.... let me know.<BR>
Amidst the contents of the received boxes were many Caiman books, video tapes, DVDs., etc. It surprised me that some of the books are in English. As soon as I organize them I'll post the IBSN numbers, etc. There is also a book of Camino poems by the likes of Federico Garcia Lorca, Francisco Machado, etc. The book, alas! is in Spanish.<BR>
Also, the illustrated, "Dictionary of important and curious terms about the Camino" came It is excellent.<BR>
I can post the poems, but I wouldn't dare attempt to translate them. Perhaps better translators than I (Ana Young? Johanne?) can do so.<BR>
I will post, as soon as I have some time, some of the entries in the "dictionary". They are priceless.<BR>
-------<BR>
I've gotten loads of messages from list members asking for the lists of places to learn Spanish and places to stay in Salamanca for the purpose. The lists contain 27 places wherein foreigners may learn Spanish and 64 places where they may stay while doing so.<BR>
I don't know how to scan, or any such; consequently, I'll post the lists, 10 or so items at a time, as soon as I have some time (probably next weekend).<BR>
Finally, I just got a message from the a higher-up at the Pilgrims' office informing that they've had some glitches in their new computer systemand that the compilation and presentation of pilgrims data has been delayed. The message says that they are up to the middle of May, and have about 140,000 items to process. As soon as they complete May we will have that information.<BR>
Curiously, the message says that the delay has been due to new approaches by "the girls" to process the data.... Funny... I happen to know that the person in charge of the processing is a guy.<BR>
Oh well.<BR>
Warm regards,<BR>
Rosina<BR>
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