CAMINO DE SANTIAGO – The most amazing journey!

Buen Camino! The pilgrims on the Camino use this greeting instead of Hello! The Camino is the authentic name. In English, we know it as The Way of St. James.

My first post about Camino will reveal the basics about this unique experience. What it is, why it exist and how to get ready. Enjoy!

WHAT IS CAMINO?

Camino is a pilgrimage to the city in the northwest of Spain – Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims are walking various distances. Some of them start as far as a few thousand kilometers from the city. Some of them walk only for a few days. 

History

The pilgrimage started in medieval times when the remains of Apostle St. James the Great were discovered in the 9th century. Santiago (Sant Iago) Apóstol was moved from his forgotten tomb to the place where we can find Santiago de Compostela nowadays. Only the small church was built at first. Later on, when more and more pilgrims started coming, the magnificent cathedral was built to accomodate them all. The remains of Santiago are resting in the silver casket below the high altar of the cathedral.

Who was the first pilgrim?

One of the legends says that emperor Charlemagne had a dream in which Saint James promises that he will conquer the Moors which occupied Spain at that time. Then he shows him the path to follow to come to the saint’s tomb.

Since then, the pilgrims have been coming to the tomb, asking for miracles. According to the legend, the ones who traveled great distances will be heard. 

Read more about history here.

Symbols of Camino

• Shell and Arrow are the symbols you are following on the journey. They show the way. They can be on the pathway, on the buildings, bridges, stone markers,…
• Blue and Yellow are the colors you are going to look for. It is usually blue background with a yellow shell and/or arrow.
• Mojones – markers made from stone or cement, standing in the middle of nowhere or the street of the village/town. There are always several kilometers left to arrive at Santiago de Compostela, the shell and the arrow showing the way. In a few places, you will find 2 stone markers next to each other, one showing the main pathway, the other one supplementary path. You can choose which way to go, they will connect again later.

NECESSARY TERMS TO KNOW

There are some terms you should be familiar with when reading the posts about Camino. I am going to use them throughout my posts as well.

Buen Camino! – Hello! Used all day, doesn’t matter if it’s 7 am or 6 pm. Saying hello is a nice tradition, you acknowledge the other pilgrims and wish them a good walk.

Albergue – a place to stay for pilgrims, hostel. The most traditional ones can have rooms with 4 up to 90 beds. The cheapest accommodation with simple rooms and shared bathrooms. It symbolizes the poverty of the most of the pilgrims who have been walking this pilgrimage for centuries.

Credential – the pilgrims’ passport. You collect the stamps from albergues, churches, restaurants, and other places on the way. Arriving in Santiago de Compostela, you can collect your Compostela only if you can prove that you walked at least 100 km (or biked or at least 200 km).

Compostela – official certificate issued in Santiago de Compostela. Written in Latin language, it confirms that you completed the pilgrimage. 

Camino francez/norte/portugues/primitivo… – these are the names of various caminos, which begins in various places and they all lead to Santiago de Compostela. For example, camino francez begins in St. Jean Pied de Port in France and it is 764 kms long. It is one of the most famous caminos. Camino portugues starts is Lisbon, camino norte in Irún, etc.

WHY DO PEOPLE WALK CAMINO?

In the past, the reason to go on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was to be freed from the sins or ask for a miracle from Saint James. It used to be a purely religious journey. Pilgrims wanted to prove to God that they can sacrifice their comfort, accept the pain and walk many kilometers.

Nowadays, there are many pilgrims whose walk doesn’t have a religious purpose. They want to spend some time alone or have a good time with friends. Maybe they just want to test their abilities, show that they are brave enough to start a journey like that and finish it. Maybe they want to enjoy Spain, its food, culture, and places, they want to learn the Spanish language.

It is experience like no other and believe me, it can change a person…

Does it need to have a purpose? Do you need to have a goal?

I am sure that many people will ask you why you are going to walk. You don’t have to have a reason, it doesn’t have to make sense to others around you. You can just tell them because you want to go and that’s it. 

On the other hand, why not set a goal for this journey? Something you want think about, something you can achieve, some habit you want to start.

Maybe start waking up early every day? Almost everyone are waking up early during Camino. At 5am, 6am, 7am latest. 

Maybe journaling every day? Or just start being active. Or be more honest with yourself and your feelings. 

Whatever goal you will set, will empower you. 

Why did I go for a walk?

I didn’t go for religious purposes. I went because I love walking. I love nature. I like Spanish culture and food, I wanted to improve my Spanish. I set a few goals to achieve during the walk. 

I wanted to start waking up early without hating the mornings. I really don’t like mornings. I prefer staying up late, even working until 3 am, and then sleeping longer. 

I wanted to clean my head and figure out what I want in life. The priorities. The job I want and don’t want to do. The hobbies I want to keep and the people I want to stay in touch with.

Did I achieve it?

Yes and no. 

Still not an early bird. I am trying my best and some mornings are better than another. The first 3 mornings of Camino, I felt like a different person. I enjoyed waking up early. But later on, well, I fell back to delaying the alarm and laying in bed minutes after I was supposed to wake up.

The part about figuring out my life went very well. I had plenty of time to see what I want and don’t want to keep in my life. After the Camino, I felt like I found my new old me, my more positive side which I’ve lost in past few years.

I was able to speak a bit more Spanish, I felt less shy about it than ever before. And I ate so much Spanish food, I enjoyed every bite of it.

HOW TO GET READY?

Your body is stronger than you think!

Do you need to train/walk/run in order to be fit to walk the Camino? 

No, you don’t need to! It helps if you keep an active lifestyle, but it isn’t the condition to go. Every day is different, one stage can be almost flat, the next one with the hills up and down. It all depends on…

Get ready mentally! 

It is your mind which will give up first some days. Or will try to give up. Some days are going to be more difficult than others. You will think that you can’t walk more, you aren’t strong enough… BUT! Yes, you can. Your body is much stronger than you think. 

If you have never walked distances like these, it is difficult to know what to expect. And difficult to explain. 

Reality

The truth is that it can be more challenging as you think. Most of the pilgrims walk on average 25 kms a day. Some caminos take only a week, some of them up to 4 weeks or more. And it is painful. I haven’t met anyone who walked without not even one blister or didn’t have pain in their legs after some days. It is long journey which will challenge you. People who are going to walk it are aware of it. That’s the purpose. Be challenged and go out from your comfort zone. Find your limits and cross them.

HOW TO PACK?

There are so many blog posts and videos on Youtube about packing to Camino. I watched a few of them before my journey as well.

The most important thing is to pack light. Your backpack shouldn’t be heavier than 10% of your body weight. I’ve packed 1-2 kgs more than that. I felt that I can handle it as I was travelling with backpacks before. And it was okay.

Here is my list of things I’ve packed (need to note down that I was walking in August, and the weather was very hot):

• 3 t-shirts = 2 functional sports ones for walking, one for the afternoons
• 2 shorts
• 1 long legging
• 1 thermal shirt
• 1 light jacket (Windstopper and waterproof)
• 1 thin raincoat
• 3 pieces of underwear and 3 pairs of socks (for running)
• 2 sport bras
• shoes: hiking shoes, light trainers, and flip-flops
• cosmetics: a bar of soap, a bar of shampoo and a bar of conditioner (less risky to spill), face cream, face cleanser, travel toothbrush & toothpaste, sun cream, deodorant, lip balm = all of them in small packaging
• small bottle of liquid clothes detergent
• first aid: ibuprofen, paracetamol, pills to treat diarrhea, disinfection, a lot! of plasters, knee support
• a small hairbrush, a bunch of hair bands
• earplugs and eye mask
• baseball cap, sunglasses
• water bottle (don’t take anything smaller than 0.75 l)
• small power bank
• charging cable (do you need an adapter?)
• few plastic bags
• small notepad and pen
• copy of ID and printed travel insurance (saved as pictures in the gallery of my phone as well)

USEFUL SOURCES

Mobile app Buen Camino

The only application I used during my Camino. It includes all the routes day by day, the accommodation in each village and even the availability there. 

Website Pilgrim.es

The most useful website I found. You can find all the answers to your question regarding Camino. Plan your route, and check the services offered on the way. You can even pay for the whole trip where the agency plans and makes reservations from the beginning until the end including the services like transporting your backpack from one village to another.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Do not use Google Maps! Do not check the distances there, because Google Maps don’t have the official routes of the Camino included. You walk small paths through the meadows and forest, many times far from the roads or highways. 

2. Always have extra snacks and water with you. Keep snacking at least every 2 hours, depending on your energy levels. If you are feeling tired, you missed snack time already!

3. Buy a spanish simcard or check if you can use your to call in Spain. You dont know what can happen during your journey, maybe you will need to call for help. Better be safe than sorry. The same applies to your travel insurance. Get one! No excuses!

EXPERIENCE CAMINO day by day!

Day-by-day experiences, pictures, useful tips, and discovering special places with me, where you have to stop during your travelling. You can find all this in a series of articles, which will take you on this unforgettable journey. The first part is available here.