Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage with starting points all over Europe heading towards the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain where it is purported that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. People have walked (and now cycled) uninterrupted to this holy site ever since Saint James' final resting place was discovered. The most popular route is called the Camino Frances and starts in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, though there are many ways that have been followed for centuries.

Now days the Camino is big business with companies that guide your walk, shuttle your luggage and grand hotels in major stopping points, but I don't see that as diminishing from the experience.

People begin the Camino for many reasons; religious, spiritual, to get in shape or just to have an adventure. Depending on where you start and whether you walk or cycle the journey can take up to 6 weeks on the Camino Frances, but in order to be considered a credentialed pilgrim upon arriving in Santiago de Compostela you must walk at least the last 100 or cycle the last 200 kilometers.

Before setting off on your pilgrimage, you get a pilgrim's "passport" from your departure point and collect stamps from albergues, bars and tourist offices along the way to prove your route and distance.

Along every route, there are albergues which are basically cheap hostels from pilgrims only. Sometimes they are in a church or monastery, other times in a high school gym or privately owned building. They are extremely cheap and offer camaraderie as you meet other pilgrims along the way, though by no means are they necessary. In the largest albergues, there can be up to 100 beds in a single room. Make sure you bring earplugs!! Many people that can afford it choose to stay in nice hotels, avoiding the communal living, and are still able to collect stamps.

My albergue the first night (above) was in a beautiful covenant. There were ten of us in a single room.

Most every route has a guidebook published in every language you can think of offering detailed maps and itineraries, though the route I chose, Camino Portuguese de la Costa, does not yet as it is newly recognized as an "official" Camino and not very popular. Gathering info off the internet and following the yellow arrows painted along the route, you can still easily find your way. As my route followed the coast, my strategy was just keep the beach to he left and head north.

Can you see the yellow arrows in the picture above? Hint: there's two and this was an easy path to find down an old alley.

The Camino de Santiago means many things to many people, though for me it is more about the journey than the destination. Overcoming mental and physical fatigue, becoming self-sufficient and seeing a continent in a way few others are so fortunate to experience drove me to undertake the Camino, though Santiago is just a waypoint on my long haul across Europe.

I hope this has adequately explained a bit about the Camino de Santiago as it is quite difficult to put into words. As they say on the trail, "Buen Camino!"