Pilgrim’s pride:
Hiking companion helps walker complete a long journey.
Hiking the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain has been on my bucket list for years. The Camino, also known as the Way of Saint James, tests the physical endurance of more than 500,000 hikers each year. Some pilgrims walk more than 400 miles from France or Portugal, or the numerous trails meandering throughout Spain to a final destination in the country’s northwest autonomous province of Galicia.
The traditional culmination for the hikers, known as pilgrims, is the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, a World Heritage Site, in Santiago, Spain. The 1,000-year-old cathedral is home to the tomb of Saint James the Elder, an apostle of Jesus Christ and patron Saint of Spain. It is the world’s third-most popular Christian destination after Jerusalem and Rome.
There is a saying among pilgrims that “One does not choose to walk the Camino; the Camino chooses the pilgrim.” In early 2018, I knew the Camino was calling.
I quickly learned that walking the full 400-plus miles was not going to happen. I attempted to enlist family or friends to no avail. A compromise was in order, and I spent weeks studying Camino books and maps, contacting Facebook groups and travel organizations, searching for a solution.
I had one more hope: an acquaintance, Grace, who I knew shared this quest with me. She could not hike the entire length, but she had heard of a local church group that planned to walk about 100 miles of the trail in August.
Grace and I decided to partner up and started training for the trip this past January. I knew that no matter how much training, the trail would bring physical and mental discomfort. But I also believed it would feed my soul.
Besides walking to increase our endurance, we focused on finding proper footwear and socks, how to prevent blisters, buying daypacks with adequate water bladders, and debating whether to
carry one or two hiking poles. The details can be endless. With luggage shuttled for us each day, all we had to carry was a day pack and put one foot in front of the other, for a total of about 240,000 steps according to our detailed estimates.
In August, after a flight to Madrid and then a connecting flight, we made our way to Tui, Spain, at the Portuguese border. Here we stayed in a lovely hotel where we had time to enjoy a beautiful pool and walk to Portugal over the nearby international bridge to Valenca do Minho.
The next day, we made our official start from the Plaza de Fernando with a special pilgrim credential/passport stamped at the impressive Cathedral de Tui, which dates back to the year 1225. In order to qualify for our official Camino certificate, we needed to collect two such stamps each day of hiking. This was easy because all cafes, stores, even small stands along the route keep a stamp and are required to provide it free to pilgrims.
As we traveled north, we stayed nights in Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis and Padron. Most of our lodging was a step above some of the more basic hostels, or alberques, that provide dormitory-like accommodations for hikers.
Our self-guided trek brought us through a combination of ancient paths, picturesque fields, forests, historic hamlets, farmland, grape arbors and cities.
As across much of the globe, 2018 produced an unusually hot summer in Spain. Often, under merciless, scorching sun, we passed hours without shade on hot pavement that made feet swell, shoes tight and legs heavy. Through our months of training, Grace and I had developed a bond that provided mutual support and lifted our spirits at these most difficult times.
We sipped the warm water from our packs and looked forward to the end of the day when we might gain access to a cold drink. Lemonade was most on our minds, and especially with ice, which seems hard to come by in Spain.
Arriving in Santiago was a celebration of accomplishment and comradery. Pilgrims arriving in the famous Obradoiro Square react with screams of excitement, hugs, singing, laughing or falling to the ground from relief and exhaustion.
From this square rises the huge cathedral dedicated to St. James, who was martyred for his Christian teachings. Like the phoenix rising from ashes, the structure soars above the city in a triumphant awe-inspiring mix of spires and incredibly detailed sculpture. Built piecemeal mostly between 1075 and 1211, its beauty is a mix of the original Romanesque structure and later gothic and baroque flourishes.
The tomb of St. James in a crypt beneath the main altar is a magnet for all who come here. This was my first objective and I arrived with a bag of hand-written intentions from many friends and acquaintances that I laid at the foot of the tomb.
For most pilgrims, whether religious or not, the pinnacle of arriving is the pilgrim Mass in the cathedral. At the beginning of the Mass, a list is read of the number of pilgrims who have been received in the Pilgrims’ Office in the past 24 hours, where they come from and where they started their pilgrimage.
On certain dates, an enormous 117-pound incense burner makes a dramatic appearance at the end of Mass. The incense was originally used in the middle ages to remove the stench from the air when throngs of pilgrims crowded into the cathedral. It takes eight men to operate it and once set in motion, it swings in a 200-foot trajectory through the arches and reaches a speed of 42 miles per hour with smoke wafting out over its trail. Indeed, we were fortunate to see and hear this spectacle accompanied by dramatic gothic music from a huge pipe organ.
Our hotel, the Parador de Santiago, combines a blend of history, art and tradition. It is located on Obradoiro Square near the cathedral. Inside the Parador Museum there are four beautiful cloisters, elegant sitting rooms, dining rooms and cafes. To stay at such an exclusive location was a real luxury for our final two nights. We had a full day to relax, shop, drink excellent café con leche and wine while sampling Santiago almond cake, pulpa a la Gallega (octopus), and Tortilla Española (potato and eggs).
As we made our return trip, I was eager for the comforts of home and family. I felt fulfilled and accomplished, like an explorer. Indeed, my soul was fed until next time, when I again hear the Camino call.
▶ Cecily Bailey is a freelance writer who occasionally writes for the Times Union.