Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sarria

I'm in Sarria right now, 117km from Santiago. It gets quite crowded from here on, because anyone who has walked at least 100km to Santiago is eligible for a Compostela - basically a 50% off coupon for purgatory.

Now, I know that this pilgrimmage has rewards well beyond getting out of purgatory early, but answer me this: how is it fair that pilgrims who only walk 117km get the same prize that I do after 800? If you had a vineyard, and hired some people to work all day, while other workers only put in a few hours, would you pay them all the same amount?

Totally ridiculous.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Rachel,
I'm from Halifax and I completed my Camino on June 1st....as you get close to Santiago..pls prepare yourself for hustle and bustle of a city and for the bus loads of tourists who fill the church....and remember that the Compestella is not the prize....what you have accomplished and how you feel inside is the real prize and it is a big one! If you do not have time to walk then take the bus to Finesterre and stay there for a few days...it is a peaceful ending to your journey....

Anonymous said...

Rachel,

This is a real conundrum you pose. It almost has theological undertones. I'll have to think about what I would do.

STM

Rachel said...

Congratulations on figuring out the Internet, STM.

Hey, I was wondering - want to do something in Spain on Friday?

Anonymous said...

Sure! Maybe we could find a nice little place to eat some nice food and watch people passing by, and we could say "how do you do", and stuff like that. I will definitely be there.

STM

megsheff said...

Oh Rage, did you not agree to work for a denarius?

Anonymous said...

You don't get the same prize; just the same Compostela.

Anonymous said...

Unless you did the camino for someone else, there is no wage or prize external from yourself. It is all inside.

StaceyWittig said...

So Rachel, Did you really miss the point or is it just your sarcastic literary voice that avoids the truth? Compensation is the same because each individual vine keeper agreed to the wage paid. The story is about the grumbling - sarcastic or not.
Check out my El Camino blogging at www.wittigwriter.blogspot.com