After an amazing trip accompanied by good weather, I am back at home safe and sound. My bike got a bit dented in the airplane, but I think that was more my fault for a bad packing job than the airline. My wheel axle dented into the aluminum frame. I already took the bike for a spin and it seems fine though. The day after I got back I took 25 minutes off my normal training time! I was excited, especially since the only people who passed me looked like the type of cyclist who should be passing me. I had an average speed of 28k while my normal average speed on the trip (with bags) rarely got above 20.
Some quick stats: Total ride from Heemstede to Santiago (including the Haarlem - Dordrecht leg we did at Easter) was 2415 km's over 28 days (not including the day after arrival in Santiago, when we biked to the airport for our flight home). Average daily distance was 86 km's (including one day off in Chartres). Total expenses were 3000 euro's including Dave's bike for 1040 and various other purchases for it that technically is a gift to Dave from Mom for his 50th birthday, so I'll be getting that back.
In the picture you see a variety of papers that I accumulated as a diligent pilgrim, including my pilgrim passport (extra stamps on the back) and my credential, proving my arrival on 23rd of May in Santiago. Despite two years of Latin lessons, I can't make it out, and even my name looks Latinized/Catholicized.
Santiago Pilgrim Stats for 2006 (From El Correo Gallego, via Santiago Today):
·100,377 pilgrims received the compostela in Santiago in 2006. This number is an increase of 6,453 over 2005.
·There were a record number of pilgrims from 138 countries during 2006 – compared with only 91 countries in the Holy Year of 2004. They came from places like Aruba and Turkmenistán, Greenland and Kenya.
·The number of pilgrims from Africa has grown to 206.
·The numbers have also increased from South America, Asia and the Australian Continent.
·It was not unusual to see pilgrims in the Praza do Obradoiro from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkmenistán, Urbekistán or Zimbawe.
·Thousands of pilgrims came from the from European countries including the Principality of Monaco.
·As for Spain, the greater number of pilgrims came from Catalonia, Madrid or Castilla Leon.
·Pilgrims also came from the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. From Ceuta, for example, 54 people earned their Compostela.
·The French Way continues to be the “King” of all the Xacobeas Routes.
·82,407 pilgrims chose this Way - three thousand people more than in 2005.
·Walking is still the favoured way of making the pilgrimage.
·11 people did the pilgrimage in wheelchairs.
·The majority of pilgrims were male with 59,416 men and 40,961 females
·237 pilgrims were over 75 years old.
·The months of July and August were the most popular. In July there were 18,560 pilgrims and in August 25,968.
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