Friend W kindly pointed out that I might want to explain what the Camino is. The Camino de Santiago (Santiago aka San Diego, San Iago, St. James) is actually a network of routes that pilgrims from around Europe have taken for over 1000 years. The goal/end point of pilgrimage is to get to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a city in the northwest corner of Spain within the Galician region. This spot (the ground underneath) is where St. James the Apostle (cousin of Jesus) is supposed to have been buried. You can visit his relics by taking a few steps down to the sanctuary within the cathedral. Pope John Paul II visited and prayed here in 1982 while on an apostolic visit and in 1989 for World Youth Day. Pope Benedict XVI visited during Holy Year 2010. It is a Holy Year at Santiago whenever the Feast of St. James (July 25) falls on a Sunday. You'll see the # of pilgrims shoot up on any given Holy Year, probably to gain a plenary indulgence. More on that here. And no, neither 2011 nor 2012 are Holy Years. :)
A pilgrimage always starts at one's doorstep. However, nowadays, there are some classic starting points within Europe (since people fly, train and sail to get to Europe...swimming might be interesting too). Think Saint Jean-Pied de Port, Roncesvalles, Somport, Porto. Some notable routes are the Camino Frances (most developed and the one I'm taking), Le Puy, Camino del Norte, Camino Portugues, Via de la Plata, and Camino Aragones. The distance you cover really depends on where you want to start. You can walk, cycle, or ride on horseback to get to Santiago to obtain your Compostela, a document issued by the Catholic Church to pilgrims who have completed the last 100km by foot/200km by bike/horse and do the Camino for religious reasons. Of course, many people travel much more than this. Once you get to Santiago, you can also keep walking to Finisterre, the End of the World, 90 km (56 miles) away. There, you really have to stop unless you know how to walk on water. Joke intended. :)
More people in these times probably walk it for spiritual or other reasons (losing some weight, doing something physically taxing, wanting time to think and reflect on an important issue they have in their lives) rather than religious. Dutch juveniles can also walk the Camino starting from Amsterdam? in lieu of a jail sentence (correct me if I got something wrong here)! They say the Camino is magical and that it will change you.
Does the idea of the Camino keep floating back into your head? I kept researching, putting it on the back-burner thinking that I should wait a few years for a better time, then started making inquiries because of the eternal question 'what if'. Things just rolled on nicely from there. If everything goes smoothly, perhaps you're meant to go a certain direction. Take that first step to start and research the Camino to see if it's something you might want to do, just like anything in life. No excuses.
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| Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (thank you whoever took this photo on the Fr. Walter pilgrimage!) |
More people in these times probably walk it for spiritual or other reasons (losing some weight, doing something physically taxing, wanting time to think and reflect on an important issue they have in their lives) rather than religious. Dutch juveniles can also walk the Camino starting from Amsterdam? in lieu of a jail sentence (correct me if I got something wrong here)! They say the Camino is magical and that it will change you.
Does the idea of the Camino keep floating back into your head? I kept researching, putting it on the back-burner thinking that I should wait a few years for a better time, then started making inquiries because of the eternal question 'what if'. Things just rolled on nicely from there. If everything goes smoothly, perhaps you're meant to go a certain direction. Take that first step to start and research the Camino to see if it's something you might want to do, just like anything in life. No excuses.
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