111 - Camino News Update 3/6/24 - Featuring Santiago, Camino Mozarabe, Pilgrim House, San Martin Pinario, Pilgrim Photos of the Week, Age in Spain, Camino Angel Award Winners, and more…..

https://www.facebook.com/alberguelabiznagaFeaturing Santiago, Camino Mozarabe, Pilgrim House, San Martin Pinario, Pilgrim Photos of the Week, Age in Spain, Camino Angel Award Winners,  and more…..
with:

Johnnie Walker Santiago
Leigh Brennan
Rocco Rossi
Lindsay Teychenne

Links:
Camino Angel Winner- Juan José Sierra from  El Camino de La Lana desde Valencia
https://www.caminolanavalencia.es/

Gonzalo Salvado
Conga 7
https://www.instagram.com/conga__7?igsh=MThodHo5bmZkaXQ1bw==


Tanya Valdes:
La Cala Inn - A Pilgrims Inn
https://lacalainn.com/

Interview with Tanya at the Camino Cafe:
https://youtu.be/0rVlGrMs0Kw?si=6icbT1qCtDozIDcE

La Biznaga Albergue
https://www.facebook.com/alberguelabiznaga


Pilgrim House
https://www.pilgrimhousesantiago.com/

Camino Cafe Podcast Interview with Nate and Faith
https://youtu.be/gfeJS3WoMW0?si=ooMOzR0oOaDQOMkj

San Martin Pinario
http://www.hsanmartinpinario.com/


Camino Cafe Podcast Interviews this week:

With Kristina Jacobsen
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/110-melodies-of-the-soul-a-singers-journey/id1562037974?i=1000647863435
With American Pilgrims on the Camino
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/109-american-pilgrims-on-the-camino-stories-support/id1562037974?i=1000647702311

Interview with Rocco Rossi  at The Camino Cafe
https://youtu.be/9zu5amFLjSA?si=r1U18AUMfJ9stRoU

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:03

Hello Pilgrims . It's Wednesday March 6th . I'm Lee Brennan , johnny Walker and our team will join us shortly . This and all the past episodes of the Camino News updates are available on Facebook , the Camino Cafe Podcast YouTube page and by audio on the Camino Cafe Podcast , available wherever you listen to your podcasts . Now let's get to it . Great news this week , the Pilgrim House reopened for the 2024 season and we want to visit them on opening day , just so we can get a little tour for you . Let's go .

Speaker 2 0:34

Welcome to Pilgrim House . Come on in . What you see up front here is our living room , so to speak . This is a space that's really meant to house the social aspect of the Camino , the community , and so you're welcome to come and join and sit with us here . You can bring your friends , meet your friends . You can see a desk over here . It's kind of our operational hub in Pilgrim House , and this is where we help a lot of the practical needs . So if you have boarding passes to print , if you have laundry to do , we will help you with those things . We'll help you figure out how to find things in the city . We have some things we can share with you , like debriefing guides to help process your journey . Those can be found up front here , and so we offer all that through the front room and as you move through . The next room we have is the kitchen . You can see that through the window there and that's for pilgrim use . You may come in and use the kitchen . We have coffee , we have tea , you can grab a drink and sit down with us and chat about your journey , about whatever is on your mind for that day , and then , as I said , this is all about the community of the Camino . You're just come be part of the Pilgrim community here .

Speaker 2 1:42

When you go through this door we're going to head to the back . We have a room that we call the Reflection Room and it's all about the solitude of the Camino . So if you need time to yourself to read , to write , to process , do that here . So follow me back . We've got a wall here with some art , some information . There's a board here you can interact with . We have a question every year , so we have a brand new question for 2024 . So you can engage and answer that question for us and then all the way back you'll see a really beautiful Reflective Room .

Speaker 2 2:12

We've got a few desks . If you want to sit in the right , we've got some couches and chairs to sit . We've got what works as a candle filled space to light a candle and kind of set the mood and really just make yourself at home . We've got a small library that if you like a book you can read it . We do ask that you leave it here , but they are good books , ideally suited to processing the Camino , and we will do on a daily basis . If people are interested , we will do what we call a Pilgrim debrief , and we meet back here for that frequently as well and that's a time to just process your journey and talk about what's been happening , think about going home and work that way , and so that's part of what we are . So we want to help with practical needs , we want to be social with you and we want to help process help you process your journey and think about returning home . So we're excited to have you Come visit us when you get to Santiago . We're super close to the cathedral .

Speaker 1 3:10

Here's Johnny Walker with this week's weather report and the Pilgrim numbers . Hello .

Speaker 3 3:15

Lee , hello everyone , this is John speaking to you from Santiago , Although the scene behind me is of the ascent , the Othabraero on the Camino Francesa and , as you can see , there's plenty of snow around and pretty cold here in Santiago . You can still be rainy and blustery Out there on the Camino Francesa in particular and on the Camino del Norte . Pilgrims need to be very careful of the changing weather . There has been snow around On Thebidon was cut off for a day or so and , of course , snow at the Cruz de Ferro . So it's very important to have pilgrims you look at the weather forecast and that you dress and you prepare accordingly and the pilgrims are still around . You know , since the 1st of January until the 4th of March , 5,799 compostelas have been issued here in Santiago and that means there are more pilgrims out walking parts of the route . Just in the last week , 988 compostelas have been issued here in Santiago and in total that means , compared to last year in the same period , 7% more programmes arriving and , as we say , we'll see whether that trend continues or not .

Speaker 3 4:35

I have walked in winter many times . I've walked over to the Briro when you couldn't see the path for the snow . I was with a friend , we knew what we were doing , we were well prepared and we had all of the equipment . And I would also advise people always download the app left covers and register for it . I've done that . You send them a photograph , you send them your details and with GPS , they will track where you are . So if you need help , you can text them in English or call them and they will respond in your language and they'll know where you are and send help immediately .

Speaker 1 5:12

Johnny will be back in a few moments with a special report . Rocco Rossi arrived in Santiago this past week and he wanted to share his favourite place to stay when he's in town . Let's see it .

Speaker 4 5:24

There is the traditional entrance to the Plaza de Doia for those coming on the Cathedral of Francesca . Here is the Cathedral and over here you have the major seminary Pro tip . One wing of the seminary has been turned into a hotel , the San Martín Panario , and their website doesn't show it , but if you know the exact date of your time in Santiago , there is a special pilgrim raid . It's not unlimited , there are only a certain number of rooms , but for 29 euros , including an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast , it is the best deal in the city and you cannot beat this location . Buen camino . Being off season , I totally lucked out the pilgrim rooms . The regular cells were under renovation , so I was upgraded , for the same charge of $29 a night , including breakfast , to this deluxe room , and it just keeps getting better and better .

Speaker 1 6:56

Buen camino . I published two new episodes of the Camino Cafe podcast this week . They're great ones to listen to during your training walks and on commutes to and fro . The first one was the third annual interview with the board of the American Pilgrims on the Camino . This talk was so informative and it was so much fun getting to know them . And the second interview is with Dr Christina Jacobson , and she's a pilgrim , a professor and a professional singer-songwriter and she offers wonderful singer-songwriting combined retreats with a walk on the Camino . I hope you'll take a listen . Now here's Johnny Walker with his special report on awards for some very , very special pilgrims .

Speaker 3 7:35

Hello everyone . As well as being a pilgrim and living in Santiago , I'm also the president of a charity called Age in Spain , and one of the things that Age in Spain does is it runs a good neighbour award , a campaign every year to find an example of really good neighbours throughout the country . And when we advertise this , we began to get nominations from pilgrims pilgrims nominating people along the Camino routes who had given them special help , and so we've introduced a Camino Angel award , and this year I'm delighted to tell you about the winners , and the overall winner is Juan José Sierra from Valencia , and he runs a website , wwwcaminovalenciaes , and he provides particular information on the route in the south , the Camino de la Lana , the Will route . But the pilgrims who nominated him spoke about the particular personal help and support he gives to pilgrims meeting them , giving them information , showing them around and generally being a really good pilgrim friend . Now we got many nominations , and so we decided to also issue some special commendations .

Speaker 3 8:54

Commendations to Tania Valdez of the La Cala Pilgrims Inn . Tania took over this derelict building in Oya on the Portuguese coastal route . She's turned it into the most wonderful Pilgrims hostel , and the Pilgrims speak about her hospitality and the food that she provides , also nominated by a pilgrim to whom Gonzalo Thalo gave special help . Now we know Gonzalo . He lives in Santiago , he used to be the most helpful taxi driver in the city and he now runs a bar , the Conga 7 , where some pilgrims congregate just near the cathedral . And for his friendliness and help and the help he always provides when it's needed , we commend Gonzalo Thalo .

Speaker 3 9:41

And finally , a pilgrim wrote to us . They were suffering from the contracted COVID out on the Camino and they got in touch with Susan and Rothio from the Albergue Beeth Naga . They came , picked the pilgrim up , took the pilgrim to their albergue and nursed them back to health over several days and weeks and looked after them . And this pilgrim has a special place of funness in their heart . And to all of these winners we say , on behalf of pilgrims everywhere thank you very much .

Speaker 1 10:17

Lindsay made it to Cordoba this week . Let's see how he's doing .

Speaker 5 10:20

Hi there , lindsay . Here I'm on day 21 of my Camino Mazzarrabe . Today I walk from Cordoba to Cerro Muriano , which was a slightly challenging uphill walk of about 18 kilometres . Yesterday I had a rest day in Cordoba , taking in its rich architecture which preserves much of its Arabic and Muslim heritage . Before the day was over , though , I was keen to put on my backpack and back to the relative solitude of the Camino . The Camino route through these towns seemed to be very well planned to visit all the key sites , so I haven't missed out on anything .

Speaker 5 11:04

It took me a while to get out of Cordoba because I was trying to find an ATM that wasn't going to charge me a lot of money to withdraw cash . I found in the past that any bank in the Euro 6000 network is cheap . I needed cash , as many places I've come through haven't accepted credit card . I eventually found one in the suburbs , well away from the Camino , but I got back okay and I arrived here . As much as I love the intense agricultural areas I've been through up till now , it was something of a relief today to walk in the forests . The wildflowers are making full use of the recent rain and the warm spring sun , and I'm hoping the forests follow me from now on . Tonight I have a private room in a hostel for 25 euros . I mean , what can only be considered the Camino Suite , with Camino memorabilia adorning all of its walls . So now I'm on the homeward stretch , and until next time , buen Camino .

Speaker 1 12:16

And now for the pilgrim photos of the week . These are courtesy of Rocco Rossi and they are good and well . That's a wrap for this week's news . Thanks to our amazing team that contributed this week . We'll be back next Wednesday . And pilgrims , hey , we'll see you when you're in Santiago . Ciao .