<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SERIF" FACE="Palatino Linotype" LANG="0">Hello you all,<BR>
Xesus Perez Varela of the Galician Xunta informed that in the first eight months of this year 572,890 pilgrims used the 52 albergues sponsored by the Xunta and various municipalities.<BR>
The largest number of pilgrims, 432,205, availed themselves of the albergues on the French Route, followed by those on the Portuguese Route, 55,807, and those on the Via de la Plata, 30,292, which, Mr. Perez Varela informed, has experienced a "spectacular increase in the number of pilgrims".<BR>
22,070 pilgrims used the albergues in the Fisterra-Muxia Way, 21,001 those of the Northern Way, 7,953 the English Way and 3,562 the Primitive Way.<BR>
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Mr. Perez Varela added that the above numbers are almost double those of the last Xacobean Year, 1999 , and that the Xunta estimates that about another 150,000 pilgrims procured accommodations in hotels and privately run facilities.<BR>
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This morning I got an e-message from a pilgrim from New Hampshire who is in Santiago at the moment after having walked from Sarria. She says that she was on line two hours to get to hug the Apostle's image and that the city is very crowded depite the rain. She also says that there was quite a do around the Cathedral owing, no doubt, to the arrival of the large group from Malta and their prince.<BR>
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Warm regards,<BR>
Rosina</FONT></HTML>