Camino de Santiago - The Way Of St James

Written on October 1, 2007 by Tezza

Monday’s weekly guide to Travel and Recreation from 4EvaYoung.com

“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” - Benjamin Franklin

Camino de Santiago also known as The Way of St James “is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried.” - Wikipedia. The pilgrimage has existed for over a thousand years but it didn’t come to my attention until earlier this year. To some the thought on setting off on a 780km walk across Spain may seem as enticing as being invited to purgatory but with my increasing interest in hiking and living life nomadic this medieval walk seemed like a logical choice for me.

Why The Camino de Santiago
The older you get the more you want to try new things, experience new things and see new worlds. So I’ve set aside eight weeks on my mini round the world trip to undertake this exciting walk across Spain following the path that countless thousands have walked before me. The tradition and the history of this route interests me greatly but this walk isn’t motivated by religious reasons rather more from a personal growth and spiritual renewal perspective.

I will be taking the more popular route which is known as the Camino Frances starting from St Jean Pied de Port with the intention of continuing once I reach Santiago onwards to Finisterre. Finisterre was once thought to be the end of the world in medieval times and I think it’s fitting to end the trip there.

Who Is It For

The Camino de Santiago is for everyone, young, old, fit, unfit, religious or otherwise. You’ll find people from all walks off life, from all corners of the world undertake this test of physical endurance. Each person has their own reason for walking the Camino and their own questions they want answered.

The medieval pilgrimage interestingly enough was a way to seek forgiveness for your sins. The Catholic establishment gave indulgences which was meant to get you or a loved one out of purgatory. While I’m as much a sinner as the next person I’m hardly doing the pilgrimage as a way of repentance. I hope instead to see this as a personal journey where I will be pushed physically to my extremes and be challenged mentally. To a lesser extent maybe like others I will be able to find greater meaning in life, find a sense of direction but only time will tell. My main concern is to just enjoy the journey a day at a time.

On average most people who start at St Jean Pied de Port take around four weeks to reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela covering a daily distance of around 15-20km per day. Not everyone has four weeks to set aside so it is not uncommon for people to separate it over several trips spanning years or to start somewhere further down on the route so that they can meet their time allocation.

Traveling Solo Or With Somebody
Statistics suggest that 30% of pilgrims who walk the Camino do so solo. I think the Camino is such a great opportunity to do it solo which is how I will be doing it. I can’t imagine taking a pilgrimage with somebody else and be tied into their pace and routine. Life is a solo journey no matter the people in your life anyways. You spend your life living to someone else’s beat and a pilgrimage like this is a wonderful opportunity to walk at your own pace. There is plenty of opportunity to meet other pilgrims at the Refugio’s and traveling with someone gives you a false sense of security. You probably won’t be as open to experiencing and meeting other pilgrims. Also if you go with someone you know well you may fall into the trap of talking about things back home which is such a waste as you can do that anywhere.

Pilgrims Passport
As a pilgrim I’ll be looking to get myself a credencial on the first day of starting my Camino. I plan on picking mine up at the pilgrims office at St Jean Pied de Port. The pilgrims passport enables you to be identified as a pilgrim but more importantly it gives you access to Refugio’s which are places of refuge for pilgrims. The pilgrims passport is stamped at each Refugio or town you pass.

In the spirit of the Camino each pilgrim is only allowed to stay in a Refugio for one night and are required to move on usually before 8am. Special circumstances are granted to those who have medical reasons. The stamped pilgrims passport is also the evidence required to obtain your compostela at the end of your Camino.

Where Do Pilgrims Stay
With your credencial in hand you have a choice of staying in Refugio’s which are spaced throughout the route. Luckily for the holy year in 2004 a great deal of money was spent on the Camino and new Refugio’s were built. Many older refuigios are off course still in existence.

Refugio’s are available on a first come first serve basis and usually open their doors at around 2pm. If the Refugio is full you either find yourself a space on the floor or make your way to the next one along the route. Hostels and Pensions are also available to the pilgrim if they so desire. The cost of staying in a Refugio varies along the route, some are on a donation basis while others have a charge, usually quite modest.

Food On The Camino
How can you not go to a foreign country and not enjoy their culture and especially their food. This is going to be the part of the journey I’m looking most forward to. Can’t wait to have tapas at a traditional village pub. There is nothing more Spanish than Tapas I think, which are like appetizers which are traditionally eaten with wine. Most places near refugios will offer a pilgrims menu usually around 7-8 euro which is a set menu of a starter, main and desert. It usually comes with a glass of wine also. The Spanish seem to love their wine and that’s something I can definitely get used to.

Your Backpack
The Camino is the ultimate test in minimalism. You are required to carry your belongings on your back for the duration of the journey which for me will be around 780km. So it is logical that the lighter the backpack the more enjoyable the journey. Most people who have completed the Camino seem to suggest that a10kg pack is the maximum you want to carry others suggest carrying no more than 10% of your weight.

At the end of the day what you pack is up to you. The downside with me is that the Camino is in the middle of my mini round the world trip so I don’t have the good fortune as many other pilgrims will have which is to go with a light pack. I will have with me my trusty 65litre Black Wolf back pack.

The Compostela
To receive the certificate for completing the journey you only need to cover the last 100km either by walking, or completing the last 200km if riding a bike. While this is of lesser concern to me whether or not I get the piece of paper as the journey itself is always more memorable than the end. I will likely make my way as other pilgrims will to the Oficina de Acogida de Peregrinos in Santiago to collect the certificate and seeing what my name looks like translated in latin.

Picture by Fresco Tours

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