The Way of St. James.
The history behind it, the meaning of it, and how can you get started as I did
(1) The Cathedral of Santiago of Compostela
A bit of History
(2) Apostle St. James
We need to start with the figure of St. James (or Santiago in Spanish).
Today, he is considered the patron of Spain! That is why his name in Spanish is Santiago, as it is a derivation from "San" (saint) + "Tiago" (James in Spanish & Galician).
However, he is one of the 12 Apostles that was in the Catholic messiah's Jesus most close people. He is the first one to be martyred as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible as he was present in many important events involving Jesus and miracles.
According to the legends, he was buried by his two of his disciples: Theodore & Athanasius.
In tradition, he had preached in the famous finis tarrae (the end/edge of the world) during the 1st century.
But when do the pilgrimage started to exist?
We need to go to the future, to the century IX in the ancient Kingdom of Alfonso II.
An unknown hermit saw lights in the sky litting up the ruins of an ancient Mausoleum that was established there centuries ago.
At the discovery, the hermit reported his findings to the Bishop Theodomir who examined the remains and determined that it was Santiago's.
That was communicated to the king Alfonso II & he decided to do the Pilgrimage towards his tomb, being then the first pilgrim recorded. On his arrival to the neighbouring city, Compostela, he founded the first church with a monastery for the monks to guard the temple and Apostle's remains.
As you can imagine, the city is now called Santiago de (of) Compostela for that reason.
However, the known cathedral of the city, was built after under different kings and situations (the construction lasted almost 10 centuries!), but that deserves a post on their own!
Today
The Camino de Santiago & the Cathedral are considerated World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
As of today, there is people from many parts of the world trying to do the Camino. Some of them for religious devotions, some just to witness the Apostle's remains, some others for fun, some for sport, some for turism.
It doesn't really matter anybody's reasons, everyone is welcome!
The Camino
(4) Image of the Camino with pilgrims
It is the path that you can take. As the old saying says "all of the ways lead to Rome". Only that in this case it is Santiago de Compostela.
There are different pilgrimage paths or "Caminos" that you can take.
They can be from the 20km away from the city, to 6000km all the way up to Norwayas 2 Galician Pilgrims did!
There are 9 different ways, depending on where you start, you are taking one or another. The one done by the king Alfonso II is the Primitive way.
The idea with taking the Camino is to enjoy your way visiting the landmarks and cities along the way. In ancient times, the churches were places for refuge for any pilgrim that wanted to go take the way. Now they are historical and religious landmarks worthy a good visit.
You also would be surprised how many things can you find in a city in the middle of nowhere!
Along the way, there are plenty of pilgrim hostels in which you can stay in, and also plenty of fountains te replentish water.
The Preparation
These are the preparations that I summarized in a guide and that I learnt from experience.
(5)
The way
(6) Map of the the different ways of Santiago, all the way up to Norway!
It is very important that you have a guide of the way you are going to take with you so you don't miss any landmarks (or get lost).
First, you need to think which way you want to take and how many kilometers do you want to do. This guide would be useful! However, if you start from outside the regional area of Spain you should find an extra for that area.
After you have selected, you can go by bike, horse or walking.
- For horse and biking the minimum official is 200 km.
- For walking the minimum official is 100 km.
During the camino is important that you keep looking for the yellow arrows at intersections & also the iconic scallop shell which marks the way in general in the direction it is open. They also have a history of their own!
The landscapes are breath-taking and it is very difficult to get lost.
Official Papers
Yes, there is paper-work here as well!
But don't worry, it is actually fun.
(7) Credential of the Pilgrim
After you have decided for your way and the kilometers, it is time to get the Credential of the Pilgrim (Credencial del Peregrino in Spanish).
The Credential is a document that identifies you as a Pilgrim and that allows you to access the Pilgrim Hostels. You have to carry it with you!
To get it you should ask in one of the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago. If you do it in Spain, you can get it the same day for 2€. For other countries, it should be mentioned in the official pages!
But why is it that important? Well, you need to stamp it minimum twice a day to say "hey, I did this distance today". There are stamps everywhere along the way. From churches to bars and restaurants. Those stamps are so unique that (at least for me) are really cool to collect.
(8) Don't tell me that these don't look cool!
Once you reach the Pilgrim office in Santiago de Compostela and show the document, they give you the Compostela, which certifies that you did the way (free of charge).
They only give it if you do the distance mentioned above!
Also, you can get the certificate of distance for around 6€.
Equipment & costs (partly)
(9)
Overall, my 6 days costed around 250€. Without counting travelling to the starting place and home from Santiago de Compostela.
It is worth mentioning the basic equipment you need because if you overlook it, you may suffer the consequences! You will need
- A comfortable backpack (of course!).
I recommend a sports one. A normal backpack can end up damaging your shoulders in the long run (as in my case). - Comfortable shoes and/or boots (obvious!).
They shouldn't be new as they are not adapted to your feet. In that case, walk with them for at least 2 weeks in your daily life for that sweet adaptation. - Pairs of socks, another pair of shoes & a pair of shirts. You need to bear in mind that walking is going to be done in grass, mud, dirt, stone... However, in the Hostels they almost always have a washing machine. So don't worry about those filthy clothes!
- A really good Jacket or impermeable covering
Doesn't matter if it is the best day of Summer ever. If it rains you may need these! - A sleeping bag.
Honestly, I didn't use it. But it can save you if the hostels are overcrowded or if you see yourself in the need of it. - Walking canes
Very useful to get through the terrain, essential to go uphill, on rainy seasons and for the last push before reaching! - Sunglasses, hats and suncream.
There is never enough protection against the Sun!
Albergues
(9) I kid you not, all of them looked like this!
As said before, once you have your Credential, you are able to enter the Albergues. These tend to vary in quality but in general, they are exceptional. Yes, exceptional. They are fully equipped, washing machines, hangers, the beds are comfortable, the owners are supernice (and that is still falling short), the showers are fully equipped and I never had a complaint.
The cheapest ones are 6€ a night, the medium are 10-15€ a night per person.
If you stay in the cities, some of them also have a bar/restaurant so you can get your batteries charged for the day!
My experience
I did it for only 118km, from the city of Sarria, during the course of 6 days with 
It was worth
every
single
kilometer
The most important part is that in the end, you can find yourself along the way
¡Buen camino!
Sources
For the pilgrimage & history:
- Camino de Santiago org
- Official page of the Camino from the Galician government
- Official page of the Spanish Assotiation of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago (in Spanish)
- http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669 - Page at the Unesco showing part of The Wolrd Heritage
- Emergency Guidebook for the pilgrim - Guidebook for pilgrims at caminodesantiago.gal
- Useful guide for starters - from vivecamino.com
- Association of Friends of Santiago de Compostela (for the Credential as well)
- Saint James by Wikipedia
- Saint James by Britannica
Images
- (1) Taken by me in the front part of the Cathedral
- (2) Public Domain - by Guido Reni at renovation of Google Art & Culture (Wikimedia commons
- (3) CC0 - Crown at pixabay by skeeze
- (4) Taken by me during my way
- (5) CC0 - At pixabay by DariuszSankowski
- (6) My photo of Map of the Caminos of Europe from the Credential by the Office of the Pilgrim and Cabildo de la Catedral
- (7) My photo of the Credential of the Pilgrim by the Office of the Pilgrim and Cabildo de la Catedral
- (8) My photo of the same Credential showing the inside
- (9) CC0 - Hiker at pixabay by Hermann
- (10) My photo of the pillar at Km 100