Post by Charlie and Wynette:
This is a frequent sight on all the Caminos. Someone sets out some drinks and food and you take what you want. It is donativo, you pay what you want. You can see the red coin box. When we first got there, there was no one “minding the store”, it was all based on trust. It was perfectly located. We really needed a place to cool off and rest at that point.
As we were resting there, another pilgrim couple came along and stopped. They were from Madrid. The husband had finished the Camino from Porto, Portugal, a month before and loved it so much he talked his wife into doing the Camino Ingles. She wasn’t so sure she loved it. They were walking very long days.
Then the couple that created the rest stop came up in their car. They were adding a tarp to create more shade, maybe to prepare for this hot spell that is forecast in a couple of days. The pilgrim from Madrid helped them put up the tarp.
The woman who, along with her husband, provided the rest stop was showing us an elevation map of the Camino Ingles up to that point. We’d all climbed a very steep uphill to get to this spot. She pointed out that we were at the top of the peak on the right. The downhill was even worse.
You mentioned getting “two stamps a day” to get your Compostela. Where do you get them? Any bar along the route? Does it have to be from a church authority? If it’s the latter, that could be awkward, as churches often have on opening hours. Presumably, if you’re walking a long, long stretch of the Camino, then if you miss a day or two, or only have one stamp on a day, somehow you’re forgiven and still get your Compostela. Yes? No?
I’m not sure how forgiving they are in the pilgrim’s office if you forget to get two a day. I doubt that they check that closely though. Might depend on how busy they are. However, it’s very easy to get two sellos a day. You can get them just about at any bar or restaurant or cafe or hotel. You can get them at churches too, but you’re right, the churches are all almost always closed.
PS. We are not planning to get a compostella this time so we are not getting two stamps every day. We are just getting one a day at our hotels. We took a taxi today to skip 7 miles of walking to make the day doable for us without having to stay in an albergue. So we blew our chances of getting a compostella. You have to walk every step of the last hundred kilometers getting to Santiago in order to get a compostella.
Not sure what to think of the Catholic church’s requirement that you walk every step of the last 100 kms. Someone walks all the way from Roncesvalles, but near the end a storm comes in and it just comes down in buckets for days. And the person has a pricey return airline ticket, and… (you get the picture). Nope, you walked almost 800 kilometers, but no compostella for you.
And, except that you are honest. Who would know that you took a taxi part way today, if you had gotten your two stamps early on, or at your hotel, if the taxi dropped you off in the main square.
Of course, who in their heart of hearts wants a dishonestly obtained compostella?
I totally agree with you Henry. So easy for something to go wrong at the end. Just twisting an ankle or something. And after walking nearly 500 miles that would be quite disappointing. It’s strange. And you’re right. There’s no way anyone would know that we took that taxi yesterday. We had decided not to worry about getting a compostella anyway since we have a couple already. So no big deal in our case. But I do know that a lot of people enjoy getting them. I keep trying to just get around to framing the ones we do have. Charlie pointed out to me that the best souvenir is the credential aka pilgrim passport which has all your stamps in it. That’s a lot more fun to look at really. And you’ve always got that no matter what.
I am also interested in the requirements to get the indulgence. Not for myself but just to see what catholic theology has to say about it. Does it matter how far you go?
I had the certificate of my successful climb of Kilimanjaro framed. I would frame the credential and the compostella together, especially if you have them from your first camino.
We have several pilgrims passports tucked away. You’re right, we should display them. The stamps you get vary widely and some are quite interesting.