| What is it? |
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is an ancient pilgrimage route leading from starting points around the world to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where, tradition holds, the remains of the martyred St. James are interred! |
| What makes it wonderful? |
El Camino de Santiago holds everything that I search for in the world: history, beauty, and wonder! What makes it wonderful is its simplicity. When I walked the Camino, I lived out of a backpack, entertained myself only by walking and enjoying the company of others, and enjoyed delicious food with rarely more than 5 ingredients! It is a quest, but it is also a retreat, a time to set aside the concerns of the world for the concerns of what’s for lunch and dinner, and let me tell you, I had my fair share of unorthodox meals (chocolate bar sandwiches, anyone?).
But it’s not just about the pleasures of something new! True, though my shoes and access to food, shelter, and medicine were far greater than for the peregrinos of the past, the Camino still put me to the test! I encountered dangerous situations where I could have died, spent plenty of time worrying about blisters and bed bugs, and wondered constantly if this journey was going to amount to something or not! Ultimately, what I took from it is that life is a journey to be enjoyed, that kind people are everywhere if you know how to look for them and appreciate them, and that rewards are sweetest at the end of a long struggle! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
- Volunteer as a hospitalero!
- Donate to the Confraternity of St. James!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
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| Where is this place? |
There are so many ways to walk to Santiago de Compostela that it really is up to you to decide where you begin. The most popular route is the Camino Francés from St. Jean Pied-de-Port, but there are also popular starting points as far as Lisbon, Geneva, Paris, and beyond! You’ll find Santiago de Compostela at the following distances from these major Spanish cities:
From Barcelona: ~634mi (1021km) — 10.6hrs
From Madrid: ~374mi (602km) — 6.3hrs
From Sevilla: ~508mi (818km) — 8.5hrs
From Santiago de Compostela: ~0mi (0km) — 0hrs |
| When should I go? |
Whenever the mood strikes you! Each season has its perfections, but I will say this: winter is the most dangerous and least comfortable, while summer is the most crowded! I went in early spring, and it was extraordinary, though others swear by the blackberry harvests in autumn! |
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