THE EXPERIENCE THAT EVERY REAL  TRAVELER SHOULD DO

The Camino is known in English as the Way of St James.  All Camino routes lead to Santiago de Compostela as this is where the remains of St James, (Santiago), were discovered in the ninth century.  The pilgrimage was popular in the 10th, 11th and 12th century and then slowly declined in popularity. By the 20th century, almost no one was walking any of the routes.  Then in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the route became of interest to a few.  They began to write and map the routes again.

In the 21st century, the idea of a pilgrimage is perhaps quaint. However, the exertion of walking for a month and being disconnected to modern devices is immensely liberating.

I walked the Camino in 2014 and it was the most exciting experience for a traveler like me. You can do it not only for a religious matter, but also to try a walk that is a metaphor of life, cause it is a hard walk with his great difficulties.

I went through the most popular route (which gets very crowded in mid-summer), the Camino Francés, which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago, starting from Sarria, that is the nearly point to be considered a pligrim and to receive the Compostela. 

The Compostela s a certificate of completion of the Camino de Santiago, and is issued to you by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago de Compostela. There are two types of certificate: one is in Latin, and is issued to pilgrims who declare that they did the Camino for religious or spiritual purposes. Your name will also be written in Latin. The second certificate is for those who did it for cultural or historical purposes. This one is written in Spanish. Both are testament that you have done the Camino de Santiago. You will be asked for the purpose of your pilgrimage at the Pilgrim's Office desk, and you will be given a form to fill in. 

To receive it, you must have completed the last 100 kms of the Camino if you are walking or on horseback, or the last 200 km if you rode a bicycle. It does not matter how many kms you have walked on the camino trail if you do not make it to Santiago de Compostela. For the officials of the Santiago Cathedral, the point of the pilgrimage is to reach the tomb of St. James. In the last 100 km (walking/horseback) or 200 km (cycling) you must also have at least two or three stamps per day in your pilgrim's passport to prove that you did not get buses or taxis. A pilgrim’s passport is a must, (also known as a credential), you must have one to stay in the municipal and parish Albergues, some of the private albergue do not require one.  The passport will have spaces for sellos (stamps), this proves that you have walked that day and are entitled to stay in an Albergue, (pilgrims only hostels), if there is space, they are valid for walkers and cyclist. The cost of each Albergue is about 10 Euros for a night per person.

Once in Santiago, you can go to thethe Pilgrim's Mass, that takes place every day at 12 pm, though during the holy years, the Pilgrim's Mass is held more than once a day. Quite often, the Botafumeiro is swung in dramatic fashion during the service. It is a huge censer filled with incense, and it swings as the Hymn of Santiago is sung. It is a wonderful ending to a deeply spiritual experience, and if you get lucky enough to witness it, you will never forget it. I saw a lot of people crying for the great emotions they felt. Please be reminded that it is not always brought out. Too many pilgrims are disappointed because they believe that the Botafumeiro is a natural part of the Pilgrim's Mass. You can just hope that it happens while you are attending!

When you'll be back to your home, you will remember this words, that often will return in your mind: "Buen Camino siempre peregrino...ahora tu eres peregrino para siempre!"