Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[peregrina2000]

Looks like it's not only crowded on the Camino Frances! I was just looking at a blog Sil had given the link to and though there's not much detail, the author says

[i]Where I'm headed they had 70 sleeping outside two nights ago. I'm hoping the 'english rain' will put off the crowds as I'll easily be the last to arrive there.[/i]

That was on his first day out of Oviedo, and the next day as well, he reports there was no space in the albergue.

I assume (and hope) this is just the summer crunch since I'm walking in October!
Laurie

[Rebekah Scott]

I´m pretty sure that was the Romeria crowd, a weeklong affair with donkey-carts, saints´images, and music , organized up there that time of year by Don Blas, the sainted priest-hospitalero from Fuenterroble de Salvatierra on the via de la Plata.

Reb.

[Kevin F. O*brien]

Hello Laurie and Rebekah, I had to just smile a bit thinking of Don Blas and all his friends from Fuenteroble. There a few photos in the refugio there taken on this annual outing. There is a saint's name involved or is it Maria Vergine? It looks as though we will be starting on the Camino de Madrid on or about the 10th of October.

All the best,

Kevin and Kari

[Rebekah Scott]

Kevin, good to hear from a fellow FOB (Friend O Blas)...

For a couple of years we looked after the place in Fuenterroble while he went up and Romeria-ed, but we never joined in the festivities ourselves. Fuenterroble is a readymade sitcom. We almost settled in there instead of here (site of our very own sitcom.) We are right on the end of the Camino de Madrid. Stop in and see us when you get up here, OK?

Rebekah

[Kevin F. O*brien]

Hello Rebekah lovely to hear from another Don Blas fan. The evening at Fuenteroble was magic. They had two cooks who had served in the Polish army and the hospitalero was a Spanish-speaking Australian anthropologist called Natasha "tho everyone knew her as Stacey" To top it all off we ate with about a dozen French people who were on an annual trans-bagasje trip to Salamanca.
Don Blas sat about halfway down the table beaming at everyone after blessing our food, the camino, and everyone!
We were wondering about calling in to Moratinos for which many thanks, but did you mention something about being out walking yourself at that time?
Best from,
Kevin and Kari