Pilgrimage
While I was in San Antonio I had the opportunity to travel most of the Spanish Mission Trail. I hadn't know there was one until I went there. I have known about the California Mission Trail for years and wanted to do it. Some day I will. But today I was looking for something to watch on TV and came across Rick Steves' Europe (I like watching this program because I love to travel and he almost always goes somewhere that I have wanted to go for years).
In this episode he was talking about Galicia and the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I have never heard of this before. It's a pilgrimage trail in the north of Spain. According to Rick Steves, the trail (which is dirt) is 500 miles long and takes about 5 weeks at 15 miles per day with days off. According to the website Camino de Santiago de Compostela, there are numerous starting points for the Camino all over Europe, but the main starting point is St Jean Pied de Port in Frances. As you can see by the map below (taken from a Camino passport), there are multiple routes.
Along the route are some of Spain's best known cities; for example, Pamplona where crazy people run ahead of horned bulls every year. There are also towns between each major city with hostels that cater to the pilgrims. Before going it is important to acquire a "passport" which allows you to stay in an Albergue (pilgrims only hostel). These can be acquired via The Confraternity of St. James or any of the local confraternities (if you're in North America you can go here) or at some of the larger Albergues, but St. Jean de Pied de Port is where the majority of passports are issued. Be aware, that to take advantage of the confraternities, you are likely going to have to join (you can get non-member passports, but seriously, if you're willing to put in the effort to do this, you should consider helping the conservation effort).
Although the trail can be driven (well, not the actual trail, but you can travel by vehicle from town to town), the traditional way (and the only way to get into a pilgrim hostel) is by foot on the dirt track (although you could go by bicycle or even horse if you're a pansy). Therefore, it's important that you pack accordingly -- good footwear is obviously essential. There is a great packing list on the Camino website.
So, if the idea of walking over 1 million steps doesn't dissuade you from trying this...I'm planning for next year -- who's with me?!
In this episode he was talking about Galicia and the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I have never heard of this before. It's a pilgrimage trail in the north of Spain. According to Rick Steves, the trail (which is dirt) is 500 miles long and takes about 5 weeks at 15 miles per day with days off. According to the website Camino de Santiago de Compostela, there are numerous starting points for the Camino all over Europe, but the main starting point is St Jean Pied de Port in Frances. As you can see by the map below (taken from a Camino passport), there are multiple routes.
Along the route are some of Spain's best known cities; for example, Pamplona where crazy people run ahead of horned bulls every year. There are also towns between each major city with hostels that cater to the pilgrims. Before going it is important to acquire a "passport" which allows you to stay in an Albergue (pilgrims only hostel). These can be acquired via The Confraternity of St. James or any of the local confraternities (if you're in North America you can go here) or at some of the larger Albergues, but St. Jean de Pied de Port is where the majority of passports are issued. Be aware, that to take advantage of the confraternities, you are likely going to have to join (you can get non-member passports, but seriously, if you're willing to put in the effort to do this, you should consider helping the conservation effort).
Although the trail can be driven (well, not the actual trail, but you can travel by vehicle from town to town), the traditional way (and the only way to get into a pilgrim hostel) is by foot on the dirt track (although you could go by bicycle or even horse if you're a pansy). Therefore, it's important that you pack accordingly -- good footwear is obviously essential. There is a great packing list on the Camino website.
So, if the idea of walking over 1 million steps doesn't dissuade you from trying this...I'm planning for next year -- who's with me?!
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