Happy weekend pilgrims. I woke up with good news and before I end the day, I want to show you a video! This used to be a weekly tradition – I might even start this back – YouTube has come alive with new content. In time, we may see some videos of pilgrims on the Camino again! The news from the Spanish media that mobility restrictions have been relaxed has reinvigorated me. There is a real possiblility that the Camino is opening to more pilgrims this Summer. Following my previous post, I thought I would post this short video podcast from Kevin Donohue – an American pilgrim. He looks into his crystal ball and talks about what the next few months will be like in Spain for pilgrims. As I mentioned in my previous post, there is high demand from pilgrims to travel as soon as possible and I hope common sense will prevail until the vaccination rate in Spain is higher.

The podcast does a good job at explaining that each country is experiencing Covid differently and that we should should quite rightly respect those countries restrictions. That said, the EU Commission have voted on the green digital pass which will be introduced before the Summer. This will allow international non-essential travel for vaccinated pilgrims or those who can show a negative pcr test.

The news today from Spain was a added bonus. The Spanish government now has removed mobility restrictions which essentially allows Spanish pilgrims walk any route to Santiago. The Camino de Santiago is slowly opening up to more pilgrims and it is just a matter of time before we see crowds in front of the cathedral in Santiago. I look forward to the day! Until then, it is slowly, slowly!

You can view more in the “Weekend Watch” series here and feel free to subscribe to my newsletter if you enjoyed my post.

Buen Camino!

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Over 14 months since start of the pandemic, there is good news on the horizon as Spain looks to welcome pilgrims from June.

News has been filtering in from Spain over the last few weeks that their state of alarm would be lifted and this was confirmed today. Portugal had previously confirmed that the border between Portugal and Spain is now open. So now Spanish people are free to travel within the country. News that the state of alarm was lifted was received with joy and delight but I’m not sure if the partying in the street was the right response.

So where are we?

EU citizens are travel within the EU but you may be subject to criteria. For example, if I was to travel to Portugal now I would need a negative PCR test 72 hours before each flight. I look forward to the EU new digital green card which will allow travel if one can show proof of a negative PCR test or vaccination. There is no date when this will be implemented yet but I would imagine it will be operational by June.

For those who live outside of the EU, you will need to wait a little bit longer, as Spain has prolonged its travel restrictions for countries outside EU until the end of May. The digital green card will hopefully be operational by then, but we wait and see.

In Spain, approx 20% of the Spanish population has received their first dose, so it is still required to wear a mask outdoors. Restrictions are still in place in the form of curfews, depending on what region you are in. Obviously, if the situation gets worse, I would imagine each regional government will impose their own restrictions.

The youtube channel “Spain Speaks” is a very good place to get your daily fix of updates – a resident of Madrid – he breaks down the news for us folks living outside of Spain.

Personally speaking, I wait for my first dose of the vaccine. I will continue to be patient and until then I will continue my Camino at home. That said, we are picking up pace here in Ireland but we are far way behind the UK and the USA. Our own government is hoping that 80% of the population will have their first jab before the end of June. It is a big ask, but we shall see if it is met. We are on the right road, however, and I am hopeful. This is good news and I look forward to returning to the Camino! That said, there is huge demand to return to the Camino – from all over the world. Every pilgrim misses walking these routes and I can only imagine how busy Santiago will be when “normality” returns.

Buen Camino!

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Last October and November, I started a whole host of podcasts with pilgrims around the world. They were great as they were informal, short, and had great information. I loved making them and I want to make more. I managed to upload 9 before real-life came catching up on me. I always knew I was never going to maintain the podcast on a weekly basis due to work etc. So I think the plan is to upload when I have the time and when there is interest. That said, I was delighted to speak to Adam from England last November and he is my next guest on the podcast.

Adam was one of my pilgrim buddies from my 2017 Camino from Burgos. I often compare meeting pilgrims to an elastic band. You might not meet each other for days but you have this constant connection. Adam and I would meet every three or four days and usually stay in donativo albergues. He had a much different attitude to me on the Camino. At the time, I would start very early in the morning much to my detriment, while he was very much laid back and he would take his time, which is the right way to do it. We both stayed in “Albergue parroquial Santa María” in Carrion de los Condes that year and it was personally one of my most enjoyable experiences. While I finished in Astorga that particular year, Adam continued to Santiago de Compostela.

You can listen to my conversation with Adam from England below. Please like it if you enjoyed it and feel free to subscribe on your podcast player of choice.

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I have tried not to pay attention to the news over the course of the last few months. In a world of social media, this is quite difficult, however, I am where I am today – still standing and working from home. Restrictions are still in place here in Ireland until April 5th, where they will be re-assessed. The roll-out of the Covid vaccination has been, let’s just say, poor, and not wanting to put blame on any one person, I look at other countries who are doing a far better job than us.

I just look to the future. At the present time, I can’t travel more than 5 km beyond my home and I hope to travel to the Camino in September. Our own government has ruled out any non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic while allowing people to fly into the country unchecked. I think this has eroded confidence.

This week, the EU Commission announced plans for a digital green pass which would allow EU citizens to travel inside of the EU provided they have:

• received the vaccine
• received a negative test
• received a medical certificate to say that you have recovered from Covid in the last 180 days.

I would imagine that I will receive my first vaccine jab before I travel but if I don’t, a negative test can be received at the Airport before I leave.

It is just a week, but it is better than nothing. More news later.