Xacabeo 2010 and La Fuente en Ligonde

2010 is the next holy year for the Camino, which occurs when St. James' birthday falls on a Sunday. It is a special year with a special name, the Xacobeo. Among other things, there is a special door in the cathedral in Santiago that is only open during these holy years. All that to say, it's a unique time, and the numbers of pilgrims explode during these years.

In case you didn't know 2010 is right around the corner, and I was just notified of these two videos posted by the Xacabeo organization. The first is simply beautiful. It's like a moving-picture wordless photo essay that captures some of the magic and mystery that many pilgrims are searching for on the camino. It is cool to watch, but I must say that it feels way more relaxing than I remember my short camino.

The second video is of La Fuente del Peregrino in Ligonde - this is one of two evangelical/protestant hostels that we know of on the camino. It is owned and run by Agape - the Spanish branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. We had the pleasure of visiting the hostel with the kids in September to see the albergue and meet some of the staff that organize the ministry there. It is a very neat place that they have, and our vision for a hostel in Santiago is very similar to what they are already doing in Ligonde.