What is the Camino de Santiago?

Literally, it is the Way of Saint James. 

The quick description is a walk of at least 100 kilometers, about 60 miles, ending at a cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, in the north west corner of Spain. This cathedral is said to be where the physical remains of James son of Zebedee, the apostle, are said to be entombed. (I have not studied the evidence for that claim.) While 60 miles is the minimum required to earn your certificate of completion, many people walk further. We plan to cover about 500 miles, starting at the French border, at the costal town of Irun, Spain. This route is the del Norte, or northern way. We hope to finish walking in about 28 days, then have a few days to see some sights before returning home.

I put a couple of links below for more reading.

https://followthecamino.com/en/blog/camino-de-santiago/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago

I was first told of this walking experience by a friend and coworker who said you can walk and see sights during the day, then spend evenings in hostels, hotels, and even monasteries. These all have a desire to assist pilgrims on their journey. The a couple years ago friends who had worked as missionaries in Spain mentioned the Camino, and a Martin Sheen movie about a man who walks the Camino. The movie is called The Way. We watched it, and we were hooked on the idea. Two years later, and we are almost ready to go!

This shell is the trail marker which will guide our path across Spain.






Comments

  1. This is so cool!! Love that there are markers along the way too.

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