I arrived in Zamora to meet with Beatriz, who was a Spanish participant at Pueblo Ingles with me when she inspected ships for a living. Now she works in the much more useful Zamora Tourist Information! She set up some interviews for me to be used to promote Zamora in next years pilgrimage. My apologies to those of you who received a text arranging the interview with Beatriz and her cameraman Diego, I think my phone sent it to everyone I had been in contact with recently! We are doing a little more filming today and I think it will be possible to put the YouTube links in the blog. The reason why 2010 will be a special year is that it will be an Año Jacobeo. This is when the Feast Day of Santiago, 25 July, falls on a Sunday. This happens every 5, 6 or 11 years and was introduced sometime in history to promote falling pilgrim numbers. The incentive being that during a normal year, 50% of a pilgrims sins are forgiven, whereas there is 100% forgiveness for pilgrims during an Año Jacobeo! The practical outcome of this, more generous, level of forgiveness is that pilgrim numbers grow by 500%! I doubt if my participation will have any benefit to the attraction of additional tourists, however, I was glad to help. I also managed to get my clothes washed by a machine!
After 3 weeks of being washed by hand they needed it! Also my first day of rest in 3 weeks walking is appreciated. It will remain to be seen how difficult it will be to motivate my body tomorrow morning now that it remembers what rest feels like!
I arrived in Zamora to meet with Beatriz, who was a Spanish participant at Pueblo Ingles with me when she inspected ships for a living. Now she works in the much more useful Zamora Tourist Information! She set up some interviews for me to be used to promote Zamora in next years pilgrimage. My apologies to those of you who received a text arranging the interview with Beatriz and her cameraman Diego, I think my phone sent it to everyone I had been in contact with recently! We are doing a little more filming today and I think it will be possible to put the YouTube links in the blog. The reason why 2010 will be a special year is that it will be an Año Jacobeo. This is when the Feast Day of Santiago, 25 July, falls on a Sunday. This happens every 5, 6 or 11 years and was introduced sometime in history to promote falling pilgrim numbers. The incentive being that during a normal year, 50% of a pilgrims sins are forgiven, whereas there is 100% forgiveness for pilgrims during an Año Jacobeo! The practical outcome of this, more generous, level of forgiveness is that pilgrim numbers grow by 500%! I doubt if my participation will have any benefit to the attraction of additional tourists, however, I was glad to help. I also managed to get my clothes washed by a machine! 
After 3 weeks of being washed by hand they needed it! Also my first day of rest in 3 weeks walking is appreciated. It will remain to be seen how difficult it will be to motivate my body tomorrow morning now that it remembers what rest feels like!
