When I first heard of the Camino de Santiago, I knew that it was something I would do one day. It's a a thousand year old pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and the purported remains of Saint James. The journey has been immortalized in many movies such as "The Way" featuring Martin Sheen and his real life son Emilio Estevez. The pilgrimage itself had fallen out of favor over the centuries until a sudden revival just over 30 years ago. Now over 300,000 people do it a year. Some do it for spiritual reasons, others do it for exercise, some to slow down, and others to deal with existential crises.
With my first child due in May and winter being a slow teaching season, January proved to be my best option for doing it. The flights and lodging were insanely cheap and my flights both ways allowed me to take a whole row to lay down to sleep. January is the slowest time of year and many of the albergues (pilgrims hostels) are closed. I made my way to Madrid and took the train and then a bus to Sarria in Northwest Spain. My first night I met a group of Spaniards in the hostel and we shared wine and bread. My three years of high school Spanish didn't take me very far. And while their English was better than my Spanish, conversation was challenging. They gave me some great tips for the journey.
The forecast was for rain all week and the first two days showed a precipitous temperature drop. And in fine form, the first day was cold and windy and rained the whole time. I met two Italian young women, who said they started in Spain and ended up in Ireland. And indeed.
Northwestern Spain was lush green and full of fields and small villages and felt like Ireland! The scallop shell is the symbol of the Camino. You wear one on your bag, and you follow a very well marked trail with yellow arrows and scallop shells showing the Way. Many of the markers have the exact kilometers you still need to traverse to the Cathedral. Day 1 would prove to be the worst weather, but it made for a better story and it was glorious!
On Day 2, most of the day was through the snow. I met a 71 year old Spaniard, Joaquin. He had been walking since October and says he lives on the Camino. He walks for several months, then takes off a month, and starts a new walk. Remarkable and he moves faster than many half his age.
The next three days would be navigating flooded trails and obstacles and getting lost once. I would meet a cast of characters that I would see again and again along the journey. These peopled hailed from Spain, Korea, China, America, Italy, and Colombia. Halfway, I indulged with my fellow pilgrims on the local delicacy, pulpa (grilled octopus), and of course a bottle of wine. I would be in shock at how cheap the food was. Most days would end with soaked shoes and clothes and exhausted legs.
On the final night, all of us stayed in the same municipal hostel and many of us grabbed breakfast at the same place. Just outside of Santiago, there is a monument to the pilgrim as you see the city for the first time. While taking pictures there, I met the same Spaniards from
my first night. We would let them lead us in procession through the city and old corridors. Right before the Cathedral, Scottish bagpipes rang out through the tunnel. The sun emerged and we walked into the Cathedral Square. Unbeknownst to us, many of the cast characters were there waiting for us. It felt like entering Heaven. Here, at our destination we gawked at the Cathedral and smothered each other in hugs. Many photos were taken. Later that night we would attend the Pilgrim's mass at the Cathedral and party throughout the night as the Spaniards do.
