Day 23, May 31, 2016 Barbadelo to Ventas de Narón and The Naughty Pilgrim

May 31, 2016
Ventas de Narón
Casa Molar
26.2 miles, 50375 steps, 45 flights, 7:52 hr

Today was a turning point. As predicted, the weather changed to bright and sunny. I actually feel warm: a miracle I attribute to St James himself! This morning I passed the "100 km to Santiago" marker, and I finished the 20+ mile day at the 180 km point.

 

100 km marker

The final 100 km of the Camino are special. This is the smallest amount of distance that qualifies for a Compostela, the official certificate of completion, AND your get-out-of-purgatory-free card. So, at this point, there is an large influx of shiny new pilgrims, and they are a different breed.

I ran into a bus-load of Americans from Texas. The men were carrying day packs, the women were decked out in their LuLu Lemon yoga outfits (no packs, obviously this would wrinkle the Lulu Lemon). They all smelled like soap. Apparently, the bus lets them off at the top of gradual descents, and then picks them up to skip the tougher uphill segments. Luggage, of course, is sent ahead. Even so, they stop twice a day at some establishment to get their sellos.

You see, the sellos are now important. These are the stamps that albergues, churches, attractions, and restaurants place into your Pilgrim Credential (a sort of passport which allows you to stay in the relatively inexpensive albergues, and qualify for the inexpensive and carb-heavy Pilgrim menus at restaurants). For the final 100 km, you are required to have two stamps per day, to prove that you actually walked the distance (or in some cases asked the bus to stop twice a day).

The new influx of Pilgrims is actually a substantial problem. The Camino was already crowded, actually stretching the capacity of the existing infrastructure. In fact, before I skipped forward a few days, they were actually having to bus pilgrims around to accommodate them at night. This stress resonates down the Camino, and people start getting up early and racing to their day's destination, before the beds are all filled. The crowding has changed the experience, and many (even as I write, there is a large group of Australians booking up rooms at the next main stop... I'm going to be screwed!) spend hours trying to book places in advance, which is actually quite difficult without speaking Spanish. Unfortunately, this ruins the spontaneous nature of the Camino and forces you to adhere to a planned schedule. What is truly frightening is that this isn't even peak season yet!

The overcrowding problem is a constant topic of conversation on the Camino and the general fear is that very soon they will need to limit the number of Pilgrim Passports, to control the number of people on the road. For now, my short-term solution is to skip the towns recommended in the guide books, moving on to the next, smaller town down the road... hoping there will be a bed.

But back to the sellos, or the stamps. These are critical, because if and when a pilgrim gets to Santiago, he presents himself to Pilgrim Office in the Cathedral. There, his pilgrim passport and stamps are reviewed, and if he passes muster, his certificate is issued. It's a day pilgrims dream of... or, in my case, have nightmares about.

I imagine going through the process along with my former traveling companions Ben and Linsey, the delightful and charming über-Catholics. I imagine waiting while the nun officiously reviews their passports with a satisfied smile, commenting to her co-worker "look, they even took the 2 hour detour to see the blessed Virgin of Perpetual Indulgence!". Of course she stamps their Certifcates with a beatific smile. Then it's my turn: she reviews my pilgrim stamps, blushes and excuses herself. A stern-looking priest takes her place and explains that this is all highly irregular, but ALL my stamps are from bars and brothels. "This one even appears to be from a gay bathhouse! You have been a very naughty pilgrim! Very naughty indeed!".

No certificate for me.