The Camino de Santiago is an old pilgrim route through North-Western Spain. In medieval times, it was one of the most popular destinations for Christian pilgrims along with Jerusalem and Rome. Over the centuries it's popularity has diminished, but over the past decade it has been coming back in vogue with travelers looking for an alternative type of vacation.
A little background on the Camino - after the death of Christ the apostle St. James went out to Spain to spread Christianity. After some time doing this, he ventured back to Jerusalem and was martyred there. After James' death, his followers brought his remains back to Spain and buried his remains there, but the exact location was lost. Then some years later a monk had a vision that the remains of St. James was buried under a "compostella' or starry sky. Upon having this vision he went out digging under this starry sky, and as legend has it he discovered the remains of St. James. From here they erected a large cathedral in Santiago De Compostela, which is the end of the pilgrimage.
For my Camino, I had a little under 2 weeks so I decided to do the Camino Portugues. I walked from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain which is roughly 150 miles in 10 days.
Here are some pictures from my journey-
Starting with my arrival in Porto. At this cathedral above is where I got the pilgrim passport, and started on my journey.
These two pictures above were from day 1 of walking, it was all along the Portuguese coast and was very beautiful. The rest of the Camino was in land through mainly small towns.
One of the many vineyards I passed on my way.
The towns in Portugal were all very beautiful as well.
Camino Art
For a good portion of the Camino you walk on old Roman roads like the one pictured above.
The end in sight !
Made it ! But immediately collapsed :)
The cathedral is being renovated, but it is still quite the site to see.
Finally the actual casket of the apostle St. James. Whether you are religious or not, it is quite the site to behold and to feel. With so many pilgrims having walked from all over Europe throughout the centuries to this very spot, the place has a special feeling to it.
Santiago is a very cool city in it's own right, and when I do the Camino again I plan to stay longer there.
I would recommend the Camino to anyone who is looking for a bit more of an adventurous vacation. I met interesting people from around the world on my Camino, and it was overall an awesome experience for me. Although it can be expensive to travel in Europe, the Camino is relatively inexpensive. For accommodations you will stay at "Albergues", which are like hostels but only for pilgrims. You can expect to pay 5 euros a night for these. There are also cheaper meals for pilgrims as well.
If you have any questions about the Camino please comment them below and I will answer.
Thanks for reading :)