The Camino de Santiago is a Pilgrimage route that originated over 1,000 years ago. It's actually a network of several routes that start throughout Europe. Traditionally it's an ancient foot path but over the years bike routes have been integrated as well. Cyclists utilize nearby roads blended in with sections of the actual Camino to visit most all of the sites that a walker visits. The most famous and well known is the Camino Frances which starts on the French/Spanish border. It covers over 500 miles through mountains, farmland, vineyards, medieval villages, and ancient cities across the north of Spain. The ultimate purpose and goal of the Camino is to visit the city of Santiago de Compostela where the remains of St James lay interred within the Grand Cathedral. In the fall of 2008 I decided it was time to satisfy my desire to walk the Camino. In a way I felt called to it. Here's a basic report.

St. James was one of the original 12 apostles of Jesus. If I have my history right I believe he was a witness to the crucifixion of Christ. From there he traveled extensively spreading the gospel and spent a large amount of time in Spain. Eventually he wound up back in Jerusalem where he was beheaded by King Herod. His remains were then brought back to Spain and buried in the region now know as Galicia where they were more or less forgotten. After a few hundred years his remains were rediscovered and eventually moved to a cathedral in Santiago. For the last 1,000 + years people have made pilgrimages via foot and donkey with the belief of receiving great blessings for having done so. Pilgrims of the 12th century believed that by making the journey one is cleansed of all previous sins. Some reported a miraculous healing, etc....

I set out from St. Jean de Port, France on September 4. The first day entailed walking over the Pyranese Mountains and into Spain. The distance covered was 25 km with extensive elevation gain and loss from St Jean Pied Port to the village of Roncesvalle. A hard day's walk by any standard. As a pilgrim you carry all of your stuff in a backpack and the added weight greatly adds to the difficulty. The amount of weight one carries depends on the individual. How much do you really need? If one decides to rely entirely on resources along the way then it's possible go very light.I chose to be a little more independent with an ability to camp. Therefore my pack was unnecessarily heavy. At first I questioned my equipment choices but later I enjoyed the comforts that a few extra pounds offer.

Almost everyone who walks the Camino stays in hostel- like accommodations known as albergues. Albergues are set along the route specifically for pilgrims. Some albergues consist of large dorms with numerous beds while others are much smaller with only a couple of beds per room. Some provide meals and/or cooking facilities. Although usually quite basic albergues tend to be very comfortable and a big part of the social experience while walking the Camino. Usually it's lights out by 10 pm and everyone must be on their way by 8am next morning. The one night stay rule applies to almost all albergues on the Camino. Average cost for a night is between $5 and $10 dollars. Very affordable to say the least. Practically nobody camps along the Camino but I found it to be a great option. Especially when it came to avoiding snorers. I split half my time between staying in albergues and camping. Often times I was able to camp at an albergue and use the facilities.

The first part of the walk entailed several days of mountains and hills. The hills eventually gave way to flatter wide open lands that led into a large agricultural valley and a drier climate. Once I neared Santiago the mountains and hills reappeared as I entered the region of Galicia. Lush, green and rich with Celtic History. On both ends of the Camino I passed through wine country. I was sure to fill my water bottle as I passed the free Pilgrim wine fountain at Bodega Irache. The camino itself is a mixture of trails, farm roads, dirt roads that rarely see a car, quiet paved roads and busier streets near the cities. At times the Camino could be very quiet and I'd hardly see anyone. Other times it could seem relatively crowded. Some walk the entire distance while others walk sections and skip ahead to avoid the less interesting segments. For me it was all good so I was a purist in the sense that I vowed to walk every step of the Camino. Sights along the way included not only an abundance of natural beauty but villages full of history. The larger places I passed through were Pamplona, Lagrono, Burgos, Leon, and Ponferrada. Highlights included visiting the 12th century Romanesque church of Eunate and the 13th century Gothic Cathedral of Burgos just to mention a couple. After awhile 15th century just didn't seem all that old anymore.

The route is marked by yellow arrows and scallop shell tiles that are mounted to rocks, cement markers, and village buildings along the way. By tradition walkers attach a real scallop shell to the outside of their pack to signify they are a pilgrim. An average day consisted of starting by 8 or 9 am. I'd walk all day and stop along the way to check out anything I thought was interesting. At some point I'd usually stop at a local market to pick up bread , cheese and ham or grab a bocadillo at a bar/cafe for lunch. In the evening I'd usually search out a local place and order the menu del dia. It would cost around $10 - $15 dollars and included 2 to 3 courses with dessert and all the wine you could drink.

The real gems of the Camino experience are the people you meet. It's exceptionally easy to make new friends on the Camino. I met people from all over the world. Most were Europeans from France or Germany but some were from places like Korea, Japan, and South American. I only met 6 other Americans while walking the Camino. Early in the walk I began to feel connected to a floating community. Some walkers I'd see daily. Others I'd see every few days or so. Many I'd only meet once. Everyone was walking for different reasons and most were compelled to talk about it. Some were out for an inexpensive adventure while others were working through a major life change. Some didn't really know why they were walking but felt compelled to do so. A few were working through the loss of a loved one while others were contemplating whether or not to stay in a marriage. Many were questioning their current occupation while pondering an overall purpose in life. Oddly enough, religion didn't seem to be much of a catalyst for many pilgrims, however, the historical Christian aspects were appreciated and respected by all. The reasons to take up the life of a pilgrim are numerous. I heard many stories.

Ultimately what really brings people together on the Camino is that everyone shares a basic common goal. Simply to walk to Santiago. Walk, eat, sleep and walk some more. It makes no difference whether or not you speak the same language or know what each other does for a living. The multitudes of characteristics that we as humans normally use to label, categorize, and/or understand an individual are more or less irrelevant on the Camino. It just doesn't matter.. This biggest complaint about anyone walking the Camino may be that they snore loudly or get up at 5am to rustle through their bags in the albergue for an hour. During my time on the Camino I found that most any talk about other pilgrims was generally supportive, endearing, and/or uplifting. I noticed an extreme lack of negative gossip which was quite refreshing.

I updated my blog frequently on the way to Santiago. Here's a post from September 26.

“It´s Friday morning and I´m in a smoky coffee bar in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo. I started from Cacabelos earlier this morning and enjoyed a nice walk across hilly vineyards as workers were setting out to harvest grapes. It´s a cold morning today and my hands are just now warming up enough to type.... I never drink coffee but somehow I picked up the habit about a week ago. I like a cup of tea every now and then but men who drink tea in Spain are not considered real men. I consider myself a real man so I guess I´ll be a coffee drinker while in Spain. Not to mention, it enhances my hiking pace !... ..Where have I been the last couple of days ? Well, I have been walking quite a bit. I definitely have my hiking legs back and aside from cold nights the weather has been fabulous. The last time I posted I was in Murias de Rechivaldo. The terrain has really changed. For days on end I´d been walking across relatively flat and rolling agricultural lands but now it´s hills and mountains. From Murias I walked to Acebo and passed through the moutain villages of Foncebadon and Manjarin which appear to be revived by alternative hippy types. Really interesting places. I then continued over Cruz de Fero where I tossed a rock that I´d been carrying for days. It landed atop a pile of stones that have been tossed by pilgrims for god knows how long. The site is marked not only by the rock pile but by a tall pole with a crucifix atop. I think I've been forgiven of past sins for doing so. That night I camped in a courtyard behind an albergue for the night. Yesterday I set out from Acebo thinking of a short day to Ponferrada but just felt like walking so I continued to Cacabelos where I checked into a very nice albergue. Only 2 beds to a room and I had a room to myself. Not bad for 5 Euros. Also, I once again caught up to the Swiss gang of Mark, Micah, and Simon at the Cacabelos albergue. Micah greeted me with a big hug. Ah yes ! Another great reunion!.....Now for something more interesting. The place I camped at in Acebos is a private family run albergue, hotel, and restaurant. Naturally, I ate at the restaurant. I joined a mother and daughter from Australia for dinner. The mother is probably 40 something and her daughter is 11. They started in France on September 2. When asked why they were walking the Camino her daughter informed me that her father died last year and her mother said they were doing the Camino as a way to help them get on with life. The mother is an artist and circus performer. Her daughter Zebbidi is quite impressive. Very athletic and sharp as a tack. Zebbi, as I´ll call her, is the driving force behind this mother daughter hiking team and a true purist. She is walking every step and the 40 km she hiked on the day I met them didn't seem to phase her. The guide book they are carrying is very poor. Zebbi asked to borrow my book and maps after dinner because she wanted to plan another 40 km day. By her mothers expression Zebbi is clearly the one dragging mom along the Camino. Quite an amazing role reversal if you ask me. Yesterday I walked around 35 km. Zebbi and mom went further and did around 42 km. I seriously doubt I´ll see them again.... Another impressive walker is a man I met just a couple of days ago. He´s an 80 year old Frenchman who started in France and is walking over 30 km a day. I just saw him again this morning. I was really interested in asking him what it was like when the Germans occupied France during WW2 but he only speaks French.... So many interesting people on the Camino.... Today I´ll continue for another 20 km or so. Its another beautiful day and the coffee has kicked in !... Wonder who I´ll meet today ?... Buen Camino !”

On October, 3 I arrived in Santiago. Just in time for my 43rd birthday on the 4th. A month had passed in what seemed like just a few days. I attended the Pilgrims mass shortly after arriving and paid my respects by visiting the decorated box containing the remains of St. James. I also honored the long tradition of hugging a brass statue of St James within the Cathedral.

Each and every moment on the Camino was so full and rich. Day to day living, so simple and easy. I felt an overwhelming confirmation that life isn't really supposed to be particularly difficult. It's just human nature to make it complicated. There's definitely something extremely special and very hard to explain about the Camino. I like to believe that it's not only the walking, people, sights etc. that make it special but that something greater is at work along the way. I believe it has something to do with people having followed a path of faith and forgiveness for over a 1,000 years has left an undefinable impression. Hard to describe.

After a couple of nights in Santiago I continued walking for another 3 days until I arrived in Finisterre and the Atlantic Ocean. Finisterre was considered to be the end of the world before Columbus discovered the new world. Traditionally people have continued beyond Santiago after paying respects to St. James. In medieval times Pilgrims would burn their clothes at Finisterre before turning around and walking back home... Hopefully with new clothes I assume ?

The Camino was a wonderful experience and I must admit that I do feel changed for the better because of it. In more ways than one it exceeded my expectations. I'm probably less sure now than I was before as to what the next chapter of my life will be, but I feel remarkably peaceful about it all... For anyone who is contemplating a walk on the Camino my advice is to think no more and follow the calling.