Before the Camino...Salamanca

So I took a late night bus from Madrid to Salamanca and couchsurfed with a newbie surfer. This means she had JUST created the account and had virtually no infomration in it. Most people try to avoid staying with people like this...and that makes sense, but since I have been couchsurfing for such a long time and I am pretty good at getting out of weird situations I like to stay with people like this when I can to show them what couchsurfing is like, help them start their profile (with references) and explain things they may not understand. Plus, I think, it is easier for a girl who just starts out couchsurfing to have a girl with a fully filled profile stay the first time.

Anyways, Veronica was AWESOME! Met me at the train station took me to her apartment, her roomie was out of town so I got a bed and yummy dinner we stayed up talking and then I went to sleep. The next day I headed to this address where I was supposed to get my credencial. Turns out it was an outdated address. So then I headed to tourist information and got a new address. Headed to the seminary near the cathedral and paid my 50 centavos for my Credencial.

Your credencial is also caled the "Pilgrims Passport" and tells people that you are officially on the camino. Sometimes when you walk you stay at these hostels for a very reasonable rate (often just by donation usually no more than 6Euros) and you must show your credencial. It is also stamped along the way by churches you visit, Alburgues you stay in or Tourist Information Centers. At the end of the Camino you show your completed Credencial and you can get a Compestela (an official document issued by the Catholic church stating you´ve done the Camino).

I came back to Veronica´s place during siesta had lentil soup and fun conversations!!! Then armed with some suggestions of where I could get books headed back to the city center to find a guide for the pilgramage. Eventually I found an old but adequate guide and headed to the internet café to write in updated infomration (addresses, phone numbers etc.) I marked out the beginning of the route on the map set my alarm for 6am and went back to Veronica´s to get some sleep! Mañana Buen Camino!!!!