Refuge, refugio, albergue (del peregrino), pilgrim hostel (click here to view video)

Refuge, refugio, albergue (del peregrino), pilgrim hostel – these are all terms for the pilgrim shelters along the various camino routes in Spain. If you can spare 10 minutes to watch the Youtube video of the DVD "Welcome", you will get a sense of what the pilgrim albergues are all about.

What are they? Where are they? What are they like? Are they all huge, noisy, crammed dormitories with snoring, snuffling pilgrims? What are the beds like, and the showers? Do they give you meals?

Pilgrim shelters - albergues - are places for pilgrims (not tourists) to sleep overnight while on their pilgrimage. Found in almost every town and village, they follow in the thousand year tradition of providing shelter to pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Saint James in Compostela.

They are found in restored churches, halls, renovated barns, private homes and many other structures. Some are open all year, others only in summer so always check your guide book before deciding on where to stay.

In Ribadiso do Baixo, also known by pilgrims as Puente Paradiso, there is an award winning albergue in the restored hospice of San Anton on the banks of the Rio Isa , which dates from the fourteenth century. It has modern ablutions, a washroom for clothes, kitchen, and in 2007 we found a new bar and restaurant right next door - business must be booming!

In Leon, one of the most cramped shelters but also one of the few that separates men and women, your hosts are the nuns of the Convento Santa Maria de las Carabjalas. You can attend a mass at 8pm and will have a blessing and breakfast before you leave in the morning. There is no kitchen but you can make tea or coffee in the common room.

In Manjarin, a donativo albergue, 10 people sleep in a small stone barn on mattresses laid out on a wooden platform. There is no running water, toilet or electricity. Tomas Le Paz is a Knight Templar who conducts a Templarios ceremony every morning at 11am (when it is 12pm in Jersualem). He provides an evening meal -cooked on a gas stove - and a breakfast. He also provides tea or coffee to passing and visiting pilgrims throughout the day.

In Hospital de San Nicolas, 10 people sleep on mattresses in the loft of a restored hermitage church. The monks wash the pilgrims' feet - following the tradition of Maundy Thursday when Christ washed the feet of his disciples - you have a pilgrim blessing and sing pilgrim songs at dinner by lamplight.

Some modern albergues are like university campus digs with all mod-cons including vending machines, cafeteria, bar and computer room for internet. Not much atmosphere and little camaraderie with other pilgrims.

There are over 120 pilgrim albergues (refuges) on the Camino Frances. Some are provided by the church, some by the local government or municipality; others are owned and run by volunteers from different Confraternities of St James around the world such as the 'donativo' Gaucelmo albergue in Rabanal which is owned and run by the CSJ - UK.

There are albergues that are owned by individuals or families who have devoted their lives to providing shelter to pilgrims, such as the refuge at Manjarin which is run by Tomas Martinez Le Paz, and Ave Fenix at Villafranca del Bierzo which Jesus Jato and his family have been running almost all their lives.

Most of the church, municipal and confraternity owned albergues are ‘donativo’ – donation. However, from 1 January 2008, all the municipal or church sponsored albergues in the Province of Galicia started levying a charge of 3€.

You cannot book a bed ahead at a church, municipal or CSJ owned albergue. These are run on a first come, first served basis. Most of these also don’t accept pilgrims with vehicle back-up, those who have sent their backpacks on ahead, or who have arrived by bus, train or taxi, and many do not accept large groups.
These albergues also have a ‘pecking order’ in that walking pilgrims take priority and pilgrims on bicycles often have to wait until evening before being told whether or not they have a bed for the night.

Many of the privately owned albergues have come together under the umbrella of an organisation called Red de Albergues Camino de Santiago. They publish an annually updated fold out list of all the albergues along the Camino Frances ‘donde el camino se hace reposo’ (where the camino sleeps) with the mileage between villages and towns, and symbols indicating whether the establishment has internet, a kitchen, laundry facilities, a bar or restaurant etc.

Their ‘Rules of Use’ are that the albergues are for the exclusive use of pilgrims on foot, bicycle or horseback who have the pilgrims’ credential. However, they also provide contact details for pilgrims wanting to send their backpacks on ahead. You can download a brochure from their website:
(Redalberguessantiago.com)

Some of the newer albergues offer single and double rooms, rooms for 4 people in 2 bunk beds with en suite bathroom, rooms for 10 people and dormitories that sleep up to 80 pilgrims. The charges vary from 5€ for a general dormitory to 9€ for a private room.

Few albergues offer any meals but some, in the more remote areas, offer a communal evening meal and, perhaps, bread, biscuits, tea and coffee for breakfast. These are either ‘donativo’ or for a few euros. Some that come to mind are Eunate, Villa Mayor Monjardin, Granón, Tosantos, Arroyo San Bol and Manjarin. Pilgrims might be asked to help prepare the evening meal and to wash the dishes afterwards.

Some albergues have kitchens although most of these are usually poorly equipped with shortages of pots and pans, crockery and cutlery. Most albergues have electricity and those that don’t, cook on gas stoves and eat by lamplight.

There are very few albergues that have single beds. Villadangos is an exception with beds in one large room and bunks in smaller rooms: Bercianos also has a room with beds and in Azofra - a large modern albergue - there are two beds per cubicle.

Most provide bunk beds in dormitories or rooms that sleep from 10 people to 200 people. None provide linen so sleeping bags or liners are essential. The majority offer blankets and some even provide a pillow.

There are a number of albergues where pilgrims sleep on mattresses on the floor. This, in my opinion, is often more comfortable than sleeping on a bunk bed especially if the mattress is soft or lumpy or if the bunk is a triple deck bunk!

All but the most basic albergues have showers, basins, toilets and wash tubs for washing clothes. Some provide washing machines and dryers. There are a minimal number of albergues that do not have electricity, running water or even toilets. (Manjarin, San Bol, Hospital San Nicholas, Convento San Anton). These, almost medieval refuges, are often the most spiritual, atmospheric places to stay.

Itzandegia at Roncesvalles is the first albergue a pilgrim will stay in along the Camino Frances in Spain. It is a large restored 12th century stone building with a vaulted ceiling that has 100 bunk beds, a heating system and hot water for the showers. It is necessary to show the Pilgrims' Credential and the inscription ticket at the entrance. Price: 5 euros. (They do not have blankets).

In Larrasoana the beds are in the old municipal hall as well as a second building not far away that caters for overflow numbers. The ablutions are in a pre-fab hut alongside the building.

There are two albergues in Pamplona – Paderbon which is run by the German St Jakob Association and for 4€ you can stay in a large modern albergue in the newly restored church of Maria y Jesus.

The albergue ANFAS outside Estella is run by people with special needs.

In Granón you climb a spiral stairway up a tall bell tower of the church and sleep on mattresses on the floor. The donativo albergue has a box with an inscription – “Give what you can – take what you need’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEkftcdOmjk

Yellow Arrows lead the way along the camino paths and also in the towns and villages to the albergues.
Albergues close for most of the day so that volunteers can clean up and get it ready for the daily influx of new pilgrims. Most only open at about 2pm and you have to leave by 8am or 8h30 the next morning.
If you arrive at an albergue that is still closed, you put your backpack down on the ground in line and wait for the volunteer 'hospitalero' to arrive. Some hospitaleros ask you to take your boots off before entering the dormitories. You might also be asked to leave your walking sticks in a predetermined place.
You usually have to sign in by writing your name, age, nationality, starting place, whether you are walking, cycling etc. into a register. Your credential is stamped and you give a donation or pay the required amount.
You might be shown where the bedrooms and ablutions are, and you might also be told the rules of the house - lights out, time to vacate in the morning etc.
You mark your bed by unrolling your sleeping bag onto it. You leave your backpack next to the bed and go off to shower, wash clothes, find food or sightsee.
Shower and bathrooms are usually uni-sex. Two places I've stayed in did not have shower curtains or doors.
Most albergues have a curfew - 10h30pm or 11pm when lights are switched off and doors are locked. Pilgrims may only stay one night and the only exception might be if you are injured and cannot walk the next day.
Pilgrims staying in the albergues will have free medical treatment for minor injuries such as blisters, tendinitis or pulled muscles.

In most towns you have the option of staying in alternative accommodations such as small hotels, hostales, fondas (inns) or even up-market paradors. A single room in a small inn can cost from 20 - 30 euro: hotales from 30 - 45 euro: hotels from 45 - 60 euro.

Paradors are the state-run hotels that are found throughout Spain. In 2008, they range from 100€ a room to 500€ a suite. Many are restored medieval castles, Arab fortresses, palaces, monasteries and convents.

The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago was built in 1499 as a pilgrim hospice and hospital. It became a hotel in 1953 and is one of Spain’s most sumptuous state run Paradors. The cost of the rooms range from 210E to 525E per night. It retains the tradition of providing a free meal to at least 10 pilgrims each day.

Stone barn at Manjarin. Pilgrims sleep on mattresses on the floor

Modern albergue in Azofra: Kitchen, 2 beds to a cubicle, splash pool.

Albergue Vegetariano in La Faba run by a German 'hippie'.

El Parral - huts in the park in Burgos (A new albergue will open in the city in September 2008)

Albergue de Atapuerca. Small kitchen/no cooking/8 to a room: www.albergueatapuerca.com

Albergue San Javier in Astorga - noisy, wooden floors, nice courtyard, equipped kitchen, friendly hospitaleros

New, private albergue in el Ganso. Friendly owner, use of kitchen, 3 bed room downstairs, bunk beds upstairs, use of washing machine

Beautiful gardens - Boadilla - bunk beds or on mattresses in the loft: family run

http://www.boadilladelcamino.com/

Arroyo San Bol - very basic, bunk beds, no running water, medicinal spring, gas stove (no electricity) no toilet. New Knight Templar took over in 2008

New Terradillos de los Templarios albergue: Cafeteria, bar: 4 bed ensuite rooms cost 9 E: general dorm 5 E: www.terradillos-jdemolay.com

My favourite albergues? (Not the 'best' most upmarket, clean, modern, but the best for atmosphere, caring and spirituality.

*Eunate – meal by candlelight – walk around the church in the moonlight (Check opening times – sometimes is closed if there is no hospitalero)

*Granon – sleep on mattresses in the bell tower of a church – sing for your supper (Open all year)

*Tosantos – sleep on mattresses - pilgrim blessing in the attic chapel – pray for pilgrims who have left a prayer request (not sure of opening times)

*Arroyo San Bol - Run by Francisco, a Knight Templar – no running water, 1000yr old medicinal spring at the back, no electricity, no toilet –.(Open April – mid October)

*Convento San Anton – magical, basic albergue in the ruins of the San Anton convent (Open to end of September)

*San Nicolas - – sleep on mattresses in the loft of a restored church – communal meal cooked by Italian hospitaleros, pilgrim blessing includes washing of pilgrims feet (late June to mid-September)

*Bercianos – ancient straw and mud house, watch the sunset before being allowed to have a communal dinner
*Manjarin – Atmospheric albergue run by Tomas the Templar - basic, no running water, electricity or toilet. Sleep in a stone barn on mattresses – stay for the Templario blessing and ceremony at 11am. (Open all year)
*Villafranca del Bierzo - Ave Fenix run by the Jato family for almost 30 years – Jesus Jato is a healer. (Open all year)
*La Faba – Albergue Vegetariano run by a German hippie who sells incense and Eastern jewellery: pick the vegetables in the field next door and help cook the dinner.

WEIGHT WATCHERS - FOR BACKPACKS

Travel light ......don’t take too much stuff.........your backpack should not weigh more than 10 – 15% of your bodyweight……. a too heavy backpack will spoil your pilgrimage .....
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! We all hear this, over and over again, at workshops, on Forums, in Guidebooks and from experienced pilgrims. But it just doesn’t sink in.

How on earth can you travel for 4 – 6 weeks with only 3 pairs of knickers? How can you manage with only 2 pairs of shorts – come on!
2 T-shirts, 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 warm jacket, a raincoat and no pajamas – give me a break!
What do I sleep in? What do I wear when we go out to a restaurant? (** See answers at the end of this post.)
What about when I come out of the showers – surely a light sarong can’t weigh much, or a little black jacket, or a flimsy nightdress? Surely an extra two pairs of lacy panties weigh nothing at all and an extra bra or two can’t overload the backpack? If I take those lightweight, two-in-one trousers – that will give me an extra pair of long trousers and a pair of shorts – clever me! If I take these trousers I could slip in a pair of lightweight matching shoes to wear in the evenings. After all, I can’t go out with boots, or flip-flop sandals. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Don't be fooled – EVERYTHING WEIGHS SOMETHING.
And, when you add all those somethings up, you find that instead of a 7kg pack, you have a 12kg pack: and, if you start off with a 12kg pack – before adding water, food and perhaps a guide book – your pack will grow to 15kgs, and then you WILL be in trouble. Put your backpack on Weight-Watchers or a Weigh-Less program. Treat it like an overweight friend who you will have to carry for 800km. Weigh it empty and weigh EVERYTHING that goes into it's mouth!

So, the first thing you need to buy is a good digital scale that will weigh articles up to 5kg and take it shopping with you. Weigh everything you buy and if one t-shirt weighs less than another, buy the lighter one: remember - every ounce, every gram - counts.


Start off by weighing your friend - does your pack weigh too much to begin with? 1kg to 2kg is too heavy.
Because most backpacks are made for people who climb mountains, or go on long camping trips they are made of heavy duty, rip-proof fabrics to cater for stoves, cooking gear, tents, pins and food. Some have facilities for snow hooks and poles. They invariably have inner frames to help stabilize the loaded pack and they come with wide, padded hip belts to take the weight off the shoulders and onto the hips.

The Mountain Backpackers of SA will tell you that you don't need any of this reinforcing if you intend carrying less than 8kg of 'soft' contents, consisting mainly of clothing. Unfortunately, few outdoor centres have even heard of the camino and when they hear "... I'm going on an 800km hike..." they will obviously try to sell you a heavyweight, sturdy, endurance model that probably weighs up to 2kg empty. Don't buy it!!
Most backpacks that are sold in the outdoor shops today are of the "internal frame" variety. This means that there are metal strips embedded in the backpack on the side which will be next to your back to help make the pack more rigid and therefore more comfortable to wear. These strips can be bent so that the pack fits more snugly against the body.
If you keep your pack weight down to under 10kg you don't need an internal frame.

New generation backpacks are made with ultra-lightweight, rip-stop fabrics with features like thermarest backing for comfort and rigidity, detachable hip belts, shoulder pockets to stuff with socks or camping towels for extra padding and so on.

EG: The Gossamer Gear Murmur ultralight pack is for loads of 9 kg (20 lbs) or less and for trips of 1,000 miles/50 trail days or less. It sports a webbing only hip belt, is a one size fits most pack and weighs in at a paltry 212g (7.5 oz) fully loaded with all its features. The Murmur has side pockets, side compression straps, a pad holder pocket, an adjustable sternum strap and a minimal hydration bladder shelf. http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Murmur

Or you could try the OMM 32L that weighs 575g lean weight and 77gg with all fixtures: This pack can do it all. It's been on the top of Everest and on a major new route in Peru. And of course help people win numerous marathons. It has the Lean-weight chassis system for a comfortable and stable carry. The unique UGR enables skis and ice axes to be carried. It's covered in mesh pouches for extra storage (big enough for a helmet) and has zipped waist band pockets. Compression straps give a stable carry when your not fully loaded. Tow loop. This bag can be used for any sport where a rucksack is required.
If you want something a little more substantial, the GoLite range have packs like the GoLite Gust that weighs as little as 570g (1lb 4oz).

It is a good idea to try on several backpacks before choosing one to purchase. If in doubt, take along an experienced backpacker to help you with your choice. (Don't buy a backpack that is too large for you with the idea that you might at some time need the extra capacity.)

What about clothing? Make a list based on experienced pilgrims' list and stick to it - no extras! These days you are spoiled for choice. Even chain stores like Mr. Price Sports stock ultralight underwear, shirts and shorts made of wicking fabrics that wick the sweat away from the body. They wash well and dry quickly. Weigh the clothing - you might have a choice of 2 pairs of shorts, or trousers, don't buy on colour preference - buy the pair that weighs less. If you are a short person and the t-shirts are all mid-thigh in length, cut a few inches of the bottom of the shirt. Every gram/ounce counts!

If you are walking in summer, you won't need a -10oC sleeping bag that weighs over 1kg (2.2lbs). Buy a sleeping bag liner instead. Silk liners weigh about 230g and a polyester liner only a few grams more. (Most pilgrim refuges have blankets so you won't freeze. If it is very cold, wear all your clothes to keep warm.

Toiletries: Take sample or hotel sizes bottles of shampoo/soap/toothpaste etc: Spain is a first world country with more Farmacias than bottle stores! You can top up all your toiletries along the way. Take a large lightweight camp towel: 8 plastic pegs: a mesh laundry bag.
Medication: Take tablets out of the boxes and pack them in small zip-lock bags.

This is my summer pack list for the camino - broken down into what goes in the pack, what I wear and what I carry in a waist bag/shoes/poles etc. My pack never weighs more than 5kg to start and about 6kg with food and extra water.

/Back%20Pack%20list%20for%20the%20Camino.xls

Remember, if you intend taking your backpack into the cabin when you fly, it will have to comply with weight and dimension restrictions.

To read more about the advantages of ultra-light backpacking, visit this site:
http://www.the-ultralight-site.com/backpacking.html

PS:
* You wear one - wash one - wear one - wash one... day after day after day!
* If you buy shorts with built in undies you won't need more than 2 extra panties to wear with the long trousers.
* You sleep in the clothes you are going to wear the next day.
* You wear your boots or sandals to the restaurant - like all the other pilgrims do.
* You wear the same long trousers and jacket to every restaurant you go to.

When you get to Finisterre you might want to burn the lot - just like the medieval pilgrims did!

Buen Camino!

INTERVIEW WITH ST JAMES IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA

We are honoured and delighted to have Saint James the Greater with us today. He completed walking the camino Frances yesterday and has agreed to this exclusive interview.
As you know, St James was a disciple of Jesus Christ and one of the 12 apostles. He was the first apostle to be martyred in Jesus’ name and the only apostle whose death is recorded in the bible. Legend says that after he was put to death in Jerusalem, by the sword of Herod Agrippa, his body was brought to Spain in a stone boat with no sails, blown to the port of Jaffa in 7 days by angels. He was buried here but his tomb remained undiscovered for over 800 years. Once it was rediscovered, pilgrims started walking in ever increasing numbers from all over Europe to venerate his remains. There are many sculptures, paintings and statues of Saint James as a pilgrim but he has told us that this is actually the first time that he has walked the pilgrimage road to Santiago, although he has walked to Jerusalem on a number of occasions.Q: Welcome to Santiago, Saint James. You have just completed walking the camino Frances from Roncesvalles to this city, named after you. Were you surprised to find so many churches, cathedrals and monuments - not to mention pilgrims - honouring your name?

A: Absolutely! I couldn’t believe the legend that has grown up around my name and feel quite humbled by all this posthumous adoration. I must say that my brother and some of the other guys are really jealous! But then I had to wait about a thousand years to be recognized.

Q: What name do you prefer, Iakob, Iakobos, or one of the more modern versions like Jacques or James?

A: I don’t really mind what you call me. My parents called me Iakob but some people called me Yakob. I was known as Yaakov Ben-Zebedee but if you prefer James, that is fine by me.

Q: Your brother was John?

A: Yes, but his given name was Yohannan Ben-Zebedee, which we shortened to Yohn. So, John is also fine.

Q: Can we talk about your parents for a while? Your father was a fisherman and your mother was the daughter of a priest?

A: My father was named Zebedee. He and his father before him, and my brother Yohn and I were fishermen. My mother died when Yohn and I were young.

Q: She was named Salome – sister of Mary?

A: Actually no, her name was not Salome – I think that was the name of the daughter of Herodias. I’m not sure where the confusion with her name started, but I know that the tax collector – Matthew – would never have made that mistake. I’m not sure who wrote the first book but it wasn’t our Matthew, he was very meticulous. My mother’s family were Zealots. My father always told her that we got our revolutionary passion and tempers from her side of the family!

Q: Is that why you two were named Boanerges?

A: You heard about that! It’s actually a loutish name in Mishnaic Hebrew! My cousin called us that because we were often impatient and aggressive. We wanted the revolution to start, to bring in a new order and sometimes we were overly eager. Anyway, we didn't really understand that he didn't intend starting a revolution to overthrow the state. He was a different kind of saviour!
Q: How do you feel about being one of the most visited Saints in Christianity with millions coming to your tomb to be saved?

A: This is a matter of linguistics and devotion rather than theology. There were no saints in the Tanakh, only Holy men and all of them were ‘saved’. Remember, Yahweh has not spoken to man directly for thousands of years – not since the time of Job. I’m sure any good reader of scripture knows that they will not get to the father through me!!

Q: Let’s talk about Spain. There has been some controversy about whether you actually evangelized in Spain, or built a church after seeing an apparition of the Virgin. Can you tell us about that?

A: Well, the year that I was supposed to have seen her in Hispania, Mary was still alive and well in Ephesus! She was living with John then. She was quite amused when that story started doing the rounds. There were no churches then anyway - we were still meeting in each other’s homes.

Q: Let me rephrase the question. Did you bring Christianity to Hispania?

A: Listen man, in my day the term "Christian" meant follower or proponent of some Messiah and was actually a derogatory term. We were called Pisciculi and we were fishers of men. "So many fishes bred in the water, and saved by one great fish," wrote Tertullian. He was a great writer - but I digress. Paul was supposed to come to Spain about 10 years after my death to teach and to start a new gentile mission in that area where they had never heard the preaching of Yeshua. I don’t think he ever did come here.

Q: You know, of course, that the reliquary in the crypt of the cathedral is supposedly contains your remains?

A: Yeah – I went to have a look at it yesterday after the pilgrim’s mass. I’ve heard over the years that my head is in the cathedral in Jerusalem; that my leg is in the church of St. Saturnin in Toulouse in France; that an arm was in Valencia from the year 640, and that my left hand was in Reading Abbey in Britannia. I’m not sure how many other bits are scattered about the world!

Q: What do make of the many churches and cathedrals along the way?

A: They are marvelous structures but there is something that really shocked me. The Tanack taught us that displays of statues and likenesses of yahweh elohim is one of the ways that idolatry began. Our biggest problem in the early days was fighting idolatry. We taught that, as YHVH has no shape or form, people should not worship before ‘things of naught’. I saw many life-like statues, even a statue of a crucified Yeshua, hanging on a cross, covered in old skin!! It is an abomination and if I could have, I would have torn it down with my bare hands! Can't they read?? Have they not read Acts? Don't they not know that our Lord was hung on a tree? Excuse me for displaying anger but all these man made likenesses appear to me as Pagan idols. They are the work of men's hands, unable to speak, see, hear, or feel, and powerless either to injure or to benefit, so it surprises me that they adorn the altars of every church. It angers me that people bow down before them. Where did we go wrong when millions of 'believers' are climbing stairs to hug a bejeweled, metal effigy of me!!?

Q: There are numerous statues and carvings of you – as an apostle, as a pilgrim, or as Sant’Iago Matamoros,

A: I have seen them and am amused by them. The likenesses of me as an apostle and a pilgrim are acceptable, but I have never been on a horse – although I rather fancy myself as a horseman and warrior!

Q: Your likeness as Santiago Matamoros was carried over the oceans to the New World where you were instrumental in helping to conquer many people. How do you feel about that?

A: That was my likeness, not me. I am, however, amazed that our message planted such strong roots in the West. We are an Eastern religion. Our ministry began in Asia when Yeshua travelled in Lubanan, Palestine and Egypt. Our roots are from the East and were transported to the West by the passion of the apostles and disciples.

Q: What do you make of the church today with its different sects and denominations?

A: There were always different sects even in Judaism. There were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Essenes and many others. This is the way of the world.

Q: Did you attend Mass along the way?

A: Oh yes, frequently and the priests were very capable. But what struck me as odd is that I never saw any teachers - priests - on the actual paths to Santiago – why is that? Yeshua was a street preacher. He walked for miles, preaching in the streets, in the courtyards of the temples, on mountains and besides rivers and the sea. He preached as he walked from one village to the next and even though he preached in the temples from time to time he didn’t build any churches. Where are the street preachers?

Q: Are there any other observations that you would like to share with our readers?

A: Yes – there are a couple of things. You can't blame us for thinking that the Romans finally won the day! They adopted the religion, chose the most feared symbol of all Christians – the cross – as their symbol, and established the head of the church in Rome, of all places! We couldn't believe that the church didn't remain centered in the East, but that is the way of man. Why didn’t they keep the Ichthus which we all used after the great fire to identify each other? They knew this was our secret, coded name - meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Savior". At least they adopted the fish headdress of the priests of Ea as the miter of the Christian bishops.

Q: Do you know that there was a split in the Roman church that started around 1517?

A: Yes, we know all about that, and what started the split. Our message was clear in the scriptures – why mess with them - and is it not true that in the Tanakh "nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it?"

Q: The Roman Catholics, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox and the new Anglican churches do not believe that the bible, or the Sola Scriptura, is sufficient as the final authority of Christian doctrine. They believe both the Bible and Roman Catholic tradition are equally binding. What would you say about these two different schools of thought?

A: I am tempted to say “no comment” but I won’t. All I will say is that from the time of Constantine until now, the people who belong to the Christian churches have evolved, grown, changed and are still learning. But, they are still not at peace. Why? Do you know why? Do you remember Agnes – you probably knew her as Mother Teresa? She said, “If you want peace, go talk with your enemies, you don't make peace with friends”.

Q: I think we have time for one last question. May we ask where you will be going from here - back ‘home’ or to do more evangelizing?

A: I was never very good at evangelizing!
I am going to be travelling to Oviedo first to have a look at the Sudarium - remember John spoke of it - and a few other relics. I can't believe that they escaped the Perisans and made it out of Palestine safely. Then I am going to India to do some fishing with my good friend Tenzin Gyatso.

Q: Thank you very much for speaking to us Saint James. I know that you have a busy schedule here in Santiago and wish you God-speed to Oviedo and to India. Before you leave, do you have a message for the many pilgrims who walk long distances to your shrine?


A: The early church was a pilar of fire. This might surprise you but I would like to share a verse written by my friend Besht who was a great scholar and mystic who said, “When you walk across the fields with your mind pure, then from all the stones and all growing things, and all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to you and become a holy fire in you”.

WONDERFUL VIDEO FROM JOHAN

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUbhlh1p0WM

Pilgrim Memorials

This week a 60 year-old pilgrim, Paul Anthony Warsop, from Nottinghamshire in England had a heart attack and died whilst crossing the Pyrenees from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. The report says that he was just 7km from Roncesvalles when he told his friend that he wasn't feeling well. He collapsed on the side of the road and although paramedics tried CPR for over half an hour he was pronounce dead.
Last year in April another Englishman died when crossing from St Jean. He was caught in a snow storm and although he was found a mere 50m from a road, he was suffering from hypothermia and died in the hospital in Pamplona.
There are many memorial plaques, statues and crosses to pilgrims who have died on the camino. If you scroll down a few posts on this blog you will a post on Memorials with
photographs of some of the memorials to pilgrims who died on the Camino Frances.
In medieval times, the pilgrim who died whilst on pilgrimage would have a safe passage to heaven, bypassing purgatory altogether.
RIP

TIPS FOR WALKING THE CAMINO

READ A BOOK ABOUT THE CAMINO
If you only read ONE book about the camino (other than guide books and pilgrim's stories) please make it THE PILGRIMAGE ROAD TO SANTIAGO - The Complete Cultural Handbook by David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson. This is THE authoritive book on the history, folklore, saint's lives, arcihtecture, geology, fauna and flora of the camino Frances. Understanding what you see on the camino comes from what you KNOW - so let David and Linda enlighten you and enrich your experience. The camino isn't just a long distance hike - it a journey back in time, through history and folklore and your walk will be that much more rewarding if you know a little more about the places you will pass through than the average tourist.

LEAVE YOUR 'EGO' BEHIND (Or - STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE)
Walk the camino as a pilgrim - not as Mr/Ms Jo Soap. Keep an open mind about where you sleep, what you eat, who you meet. Seek out the smaller, basic, atmospheric refuges. If you only want to stay in the 'nice, up-market' modern albergues, you might as well go to a hotel. Be open to what the camino can teach you. Don't be put off a place if your guide book says "Basic albergue, no electricity, running water or toilet". Sleeping on a matress on the floor inside a stone barn beats camping anytime. These refuges are usually small, intimate, friendly places with communal meals and pilgrim blessings. In his book on the camino, Prof. Conrad Rudolph (Chair of medieval art and art history, University of California) describes the albergues as the 'soul' of the camino. If you don't try them here, on the camino, where will you ever have an opportunity to try them? If you leave your 'EGO' behind and become 'as a child' you might just find a new, deeper, more attractive self!

DON’T TAKE TOO MUCH STUFF
(Nobody listens to this one!)
“I’m packing an extra pair of shorts – they weigh next to nothing: or a little black jacket for eating out at night – it hardly weighs a thing: or a sarong to wear when I come out of the shower – it’s as light as a feather."
Don’t be fooled – everything weighs something and when you add it all together, you find that you have another kilo or two in your backpack. Weigh everything and choose the lightest – not the most flattering! If you do take too much stuff, you can post it to yourself in Santiago where they will keep it for up to two months.
DO SOME TRAINING
“I’m fairly fit and spend most days on my feet so I don’t need to do training for the walk.” Famous last words of a pilgrim who ended up with tendonitis after 5 days hiking and had to pack up and go home. (She also walked too fast and carried a very heavy backpack.) Wear in your boots: try out all your clothes: buy the most comfortable backpack and hike with it packed with at least 5kg. TRAVEL IN OLD CLOTHES
Wear old, throw-away clothes to travel in to Spain. You can donate them to a shelter or leave them in your hotel room.

TAKE YOUR PACK INTO THE CABIN
To be safe, keep your backpack with you in the cabin. Luggage does go astray and you could be delayed for days if your backpack doesn’t arrive with you. Most airlines allow 10 - 15kg as cabin luggage. The dimensions are usually 25cm X 45cm X 56cm. These are so that the bag will fit in the overhead compartment.

DON’T RUSH – IT’S NOT A RACE
We met an Australian pilgrim in Roncesvalles in August who had walked from St Jean Pied de Port. “A friend told me about this walk,” she said. “He is a good walker and he told me that he had walked from St Jean to Roncesvalles in 6 ½ hours. I made it in just over 6 hours and can’t wait to let him know!” ‘What can she possibly have seen along the way in 6 hours?’ I thought. I know that you have to constantly look at the path, checking where you put your feet. If you don’t stop every now and then to look at the view, you don’t see the beauty of the view back into France. You'll also be too tired to do any sightseeing, so take it slow!
USE A WALKING STICK
Most of the camino paths consist of rocks, pebbles, gravel, mud – more mud - and (in Galicia) mud and cow shit! Some asphalt paths run parallel to the road but there is very little road walking. If you have joint problems – ankles, knees, hips etc – walk with a stick or two. There are some pretty steep hills and it’s not the going up that is a problem, its coming down!

TAKE GOOD RAIN GEAR

Some people like ponchos, others prefer rain trousers and jackets. I highly recommend a hiker's raincoat made by ALTUS that covers you and the backpack - no need for a pack cover. It is lightweight, sealed seams, unzips down the front and has added Velcro, has air vents on the chest, has a rain hood with a peak and, best of all, it has a ‘hump’ at the back so that you can put it on over your backpack. You can buy them online for about €20 from http://www.barrabes.com/

SHOES OR BOOTS? In 2007 I walked almost the whole Camino in hiking sandals. All-terrain running shoes are popular although some pilgrims swear by boots for ankle support, especially in winter – you don’t need heavy mountain boots. Take an extra pair of sandals or slip-ons to wear around the albergue.
A SLEEPING BAG OR LINER IS ESSENTIAL
Most refuges insist that you have a sleeping bag (so that you don’t sweat all over their mattress covers!) In summer you will get away with a liner – silk or fleece – but in winter and spring you will need a warmer bag. Buy the lightest one you can find – mine weighs 540gr but you can also get mummy bags that only weigh 350gr.
A SPIRAL IMMERSION HEATER

Take a little spiral immersion heater, plug for Spain, and a camping cup. Most of the refuges have electricity but they don't all have kitchens. We were the envy of other pilgrims when we boiled water for tea/coffee in the morning or made cup-of-soup for supper at night and we often had a queue waiting to use the heater.
SECURE A BED AWAY FROM THE BATHROOM
Close to the bathroom is always the noisiest place to be with pilgrims opening the door and flushing toilets at all hours of the night.

WASHING AND DRYING CLOTHES
8 Plastic pegs and a 2m nylon cord to use as a wash line. Useful when it rains and you can string it across the bars of the bunk beds to dry wet socks etc., also when the lines are full.
8 large safety pins to pin damp clothing onto the backpack so that it can dry during the day whilst walking. Nobody cares if your knickers flap on your backpack as you walk along

EMERGENCIES
112 is the Europe-wide emergency number. It works even if you have no money in a pre-paid mobile phone or even if your supplier has no network. It works 24/7 365 days - and the operators speak many languages. The number for the Guardia Civil in Spain is 062.

THE CAMINO DEVIL
Don’t take any notice of the little ‘Camino devil” who will sit on your shoulder and say:

“You don’t have to do this. It’s only a long, hard hike – not a search for the Holy Grail.

Who are you trying to impress?

You are - too old, too unfit, too tired, too cold – give it up.”

Ignore him dear pilgrim and when you reach Santiago give the saint a hug and thank him for watching over you.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Ultreïa
Tous les matins nous prenons le chemin,
Tous les matins nous allons plus loin.
Jour après jour, St Jacques nous appelle,
C’est la voix de Compostelle.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Chemin de terre et chemin de Foi,
Voie millénaire de l’Europe,
La voie lactée de Charlemagne,
C’est le chemin de tous mes jacquets.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Et tout là-bas au bout du continent,
Messire Jacques nous attend,
Depuis toujours son sourire fixe,
Le soleil qui meurt au Finistère.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

A chaque pas, nous devenons des frères
Patron St Jacques, la main dans la main
Chemin de Foi, chemin de lumière
Voie millénaire des pèlerins.

Ultreïa ! Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Mr St Jacques écoutez notre appel
Des Pyrénées à Compostelle,
Dirigez nous du pied de cet autel, I
ci-bas et jusqu’au Ciel. Ultreïa !

Ultreïa ! E sus eia Deus adjuva nos !

Paroles et musique Jean-Claude Benazet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhW5orZIe4w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgvxryPGOQE

/FranzPilgerlied.WAV

5 MONTHS TO GO!!

We are thrilled that Anneliese Schapers will be joining us on the camino. Anneliese has done parts of the camino with a coach/walking group before but has always wanted to walk it. Anneliese (a Catholic sister) has been a great supporter of our local Confraternity of St James functions and get-togethers. As she has sabbatical from her parish this year she will spend 6 weeks on the camino before going home to Dusseldorf to visit with her family. When I asked her if she drank beer the answer was, "Do you know any Germans who don't drink beer?" So, Finn is thrilled because he may have found his beer drinking partner!

Last week we booked all our airtickets. Durban-Johannesburg-Pamplona-Dusseldorf for Anneliese: Durban-Johannesburg-Santiago (home ex-Pamplona) for Finn; and Durban-Johannesburg-Pamplona for Marion and me.

Marion will be back for her 'caring' work in the UK at the end of May and I am planning to hold a CSJ camino workshop soon after she returns.