Buen Camino! We’re Off to Spain!

AND WE’RE BACK!

A little over two weeks ago, we delivered the news that we were leaving the CDT for brighter pastures – another hiking adventure to be named in the near future, which is now.

As you may have already gathered from the title of this post, we’re off to hike the Camino de Santiago! Many avid hikers, travelers, and Christians will recognize this name as one of the most famous walks/pilgrimages on the planet. More on that in a bit.

We’ve been eyeing this walk for quite some time and, having been a bit mentally beat up by our time on the CDT – but still interested in hiking, needed an adventure that could get us a bit jazzed up and excited to hit the trail again. Enter: The Camino de Santiago.

For those that haven’t heard of ‘the Camino’, as it’s typically referred to ...

*The Catedral De Santiago in Compostela De Santiago. Photo credit: alberguesdelcamino.com*

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

There are many many blogs and books you can read if you are interested in really digging into the history of the Camino – some written by actual historians. If you are looking for that level of information or expertise, you have come to the wrong place! What I will offer here will be more of an abbreviated summary.

The origin of the Camino de Santiago includes a bit of history and a bit of legend.

In a nutshell: The Camino de Santiago is a network of trails that lead to Santiago de Compostela, located in northwestern Spain, where it is believed the remains of Jesus’s apostle Saint James are buried. (Remember this ‘network of trails’ bit, we will revisit it).

*Sculpture of Saint James. Image credit: hiketheway.com.*

‘El Camino de Santiago’ literally translates to ‘the Way of Saint James’. If you are failing to make the ‘Santiago’ - ‘James’ connection, have no fear. Apparently ‘Santiago’ or ‘Sant Iago’ means ‘Saint James’. Obviously. Everyone knows that. ‘Iago’ and ‘James’ sound so similar.

Anyway, as the history goes, Saint James spent a number of years preaching along the Iberian Peninsula before returning to Jerusalem where, in 44 CE, he was to meet a rather unfortunate fate: a beheading by Herod Agrippa I.

From here, things get a bit more rosy for our martyr. Legend has it that his followers placed his body in a stone boat which was then guided by angels, ferrying him back to the Iberian Peninsula, landing in Northern Spain at Padrón, near present day Finisterre.

There are various tales and histories about what happened to the body after this point, but they generally converge on a theme of: buried in a field – maybe in a very nice marble tomb, maybe not – and forgotten until sometime in the 9th century.

*Image credit: viajecaminodesantiago.com*

Here enter the hermit Pelagius, who - in 814 CE- was graced with a vision of a field of stars that led him to the tomb of our dearly departed Saint James. A local bishop (or maybe King Alfonso II?) would declare the remains those of Saint James and further declare James (aka ‘Santiago’, remember?) the patron saint of what would would eventually become Spain.

A small village and monastery were erected on the site, with the village given the name ‘Campus de la Stella’ (Compostela), which means ‘Field of Stars’. And so, the establishment of ‘Santiago de Compostela’.

There is another theory that ‘Compostela’ could have also originated from ‘componer’, the Roman word for ‘cemetery’ or ‘to bury’, however the ‘field of stars’ version sounds so much more beautiful. Let’s go with that.

At any rate, once news of the discovery spread, pilgrims began to arrive. Miracles happened! And then more pilgrims arrived! And thus a cycle of pilgrims and miracles was born. There were also several economic, political, and religious motivators for the pilgrimage driven by powerful individuals of the time, as there are wont to be. And, at some point in time, the original small chapel that was built would be replaced with a larger cathedral to attract pilgrims from all over the world. (The current Romanesque cathedral was completed in 1211, though there have been several additions of other architectural styles added over the centuries).

There is a lot more history here, but the take-away for our purposes is: a pilgrimage was born.

The pilgrimage reached its height during the Middle Ages, when the practice of indulgences was very popular. During the Medieval period, the Camino de Santiago was one of the three most important Christian pilgrimages - along with those to Jerusalem and Rome - all journeys that many at the time undertook for plenary indulgences that would remove the punishment of one’s sins, reducing (or eliminating) their time in purgatory.

This resonated with us, as we too were looking to decrease our time in purgatory in a way, escaping the hell of CDT road walking.

After the Middle Ages, the pilgrimage tapered off a bit – there were wars, the Reformation, and a number of other contributing factors – but it never completely died out. Today it seems to be more popular than ever, though most are no longer seeking indulgences. Many are not hiking for religious reasons at all (hi!).

This is the short of it. I hope to pepper in a bit more history as we walk – if I’m learning anything. Otherwise, I will distract you with tales of pretty scenery and Spanish wines. And hopefully a whole lot less in the way of the misery you were reading about on our previous adventure.

MANY ROUTES, ONE DESTINATION

Since it is so often referred to as ‘the Camino de Santiago’, the uninformed would assume that there was a specific route for the walk to Compostela de Santiago. ONE trail. But nay. In fact, there were/are many routes. (You are informed, however, and already know this because of the ‘network’ of trails I mentioned above.)

Naturally, throughout history those who were making the walk to Compostela de Santiago would start their pilgrimage at the most likely location you could think of: their house. As they converged on Spain from around the world, several common routes emerged, with various routes more popular depending on the direction pilgrims were traveling from or circumstances (read: dangers) of the times.

Pilgrimages really took off after the construction of the Romanesque cathedral began in 1078. At this time, the safest routes would have been along the Camino del Norte (which follows the northern coast of Spain to Galicia) and the Camino Primativo (or ‘Original Camino’, the oldest of the camino routes).

Today there are dozens of routes, though a handful are the most popular. When people say they are hiking the Camino de Santiago, the route they are often referring to is the Camino Frances, which has become the most popular of the many routes. This was the first route to have an official ‘guidebook’ of sorts, when Aymeic Picaud wrote his Codex Calixtinus in the 12th century. Today the guidebooks focus less on perils of the route and more on where you can grab a beer.

So which route are we taking? This post is getting quite long, so you’ll have to wait until the next one! Stay tuned for that...

But finally, one more question to answer...

WHY ARE WE HIKING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO?

We are not religious. Personally, I would not even consider myself a spiritual person. So why hike the Camino?

While many who embark on a Camino route are Christians and enjoy the religious history and significance of the walk, still others take on the journey for a number of other reasons from personal journeys to simply enjoying a good walk. Even without doing the Camino for religious reasons, each of the routes traverse areas with interesting history, fascinating culture, beautiful scenery, and unique gastronomy. All of Spain is really a treasure trove for any combination of these things. So why not walk through it?

Despite not being religious myself, I do enjoy learning about all religions and the many ways religion has shaped history, culture, landscape, human interaction, etc. A Camino route through Spain seems like a great place for all of this.

Also all the other good Spanish things... Wine. Paella. Tapas. What’s not to like?

*Already digging into a bit of Spanish culture...*

With all of our travels, people are surprised to learn that we haven’t yet been to Spain. We have spent a lot of time in Spanish speaking countries – México, Costa Rica, much of South America – mostly learning about all the terrible things the Spanish did when they arrived to those places.

Now it is time to head into the belly of the beast and see what makes these conquistadors tick (beyond fervent Catholicism and, we suspect, an equally fervent love for pork/ham).

While I’d originally intended to publish this a bit earlier, we are already in Spain! We touched down in Barcelona yesterday and are spending a week exploring the city before we head to the start of our Camino route...

Stay tuned for our route reveal... coming soon :)

Buen Camino! We’re Off to Spain!

Camino de Santiago Route Reveal!

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