Everyone Walks Their Own Camino and the Camino Francias is Different Than in the Recent Past

Some warnings first. Brian is writing some of this today so it will reflect a different style than you may be accustomed to. Some background information preceding today's post. In 2000 about 55000 pilgrims took the walk and completed it. In 2005 93,924 pilgrims completed the Camino. In 2009 145877 completed it. Roughly a 50% increase. The movie The Way came out in 2010 and is being credited with putting an acceleration on numbers of peregrinos. In 2015 the number was approximately 262000 almost a 475 % increase in 15 years. Last year about 70% walked the route we are walking. For more information please see---

http://www.americanpilgrims.org/assets/media/statistics/compostelas_by_year_86-15.pdf

And

http://www.americanpilgrims.org/assets/media/statistics/compostelas_by_route_06-15.pdf

The rapid growth in pilgrim numbers has changed the experience for both locals and pilgrims. Not always positively.

The major battle we are now having is end of day place to sleep. The last few villages we've been in we have seen people turned away as early as 12:30 in the afternoon. Yesterday we walked up across a major part of the meets which included a 17km stretch of just Spanish prairie. It was another 10or so to our albergue where we had a reservation. We got there and within a few minutes they and the only other albergue in town were full. Many folks were taxiing about 10 km further to find a place with room. We've been repeatedly told they'll find you a place but I am beginning to believe the sheer numbers of people are more than many stretches can accommodate. Our original plan outside being back in Madrid in time to fly out on June 2nd was to have no plan and just go for it. We are now increasingly planning and making reservations so we can enjoy the walk and not be driven by the need to find a place to stay. We now have met several pilgrims who'd started the same way but now have an itinerary all the way to the end so they can enjoy the walk. And when I say albergue I'm including hostels and hotels generally.

An interesting by product of this situation is that many more scramble out of bed at 5am to be in line for a room at the next stop before the "completo" full sign goes out. This strategy backfired one three women two nights ago. They got up at five went downstairs and were locked in. The nuns who ran the albergue had a sign written in Spanish French German and English posted that the door is unlocked at 6:30. The nuns let them sit on benches until about 6:20 then let them go.

Prices are rising as well. We have the latest version (2016) of a popular guidebook and we've seen room prices vary from a couple more euros an additional 15 euros per person for one bed. We can plan on 75-100 euros a day sometimes more in the bigger cities for daily expenses. Food, however, has been really good. We really like the thin Iberian ham with eggs for second breakfast.


First thing this morning we saw this group of luggage waiting for the forwarding service. Kelli is standing in front of about 10 bags and there are 3-4 backpacks in the near foreground.


Today was markedly colder and windy and raining. This is the first day from start to finish that rain gear was on all day. All the rain gear works pretty well except for the new gore-tex lined waterproof gloves. I think it's probably not possible to make a real waterproof glove with all the sewing and seams involved around the fingers and palms.


About half a hour into today's walk we came across this memorial marker for a pilgrim who'd died on The Way. There are many of these markers but this one was particularly poignant (K)



Today we traveled about 23.5km and are spending the night in a hostal in the village of Bercianos del Real Camino.

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Location:Somewhere in the European Theater of Operations (ETO)