Pilgrims in Spain

It feels like just yesterday – or a month ago – that we were in Spain. Turns out both are true. What a wonderfully weird season of life this is. I have never traveled this much. So far so good! My body is chatty but I’ve been working hard to keep it happy.

Yesterday we docked in a beautiful city called La Coruña, located on the northwestern tip of Spain. It is in the Galicia (pronounced locally as “gal-EETH-ee-ah”) region which is noted for lots of rain. I was sort of looking forward to some cool dampness – I am NOT made for hot humidity. But, well, the sun shone upon us and it was a warm but lovely day.

Arriving in La Coruña with the Tower of Hercules.
It is the oldest Roman lighthouse still standing.
It dates back to at least the 1st Century.
Mind sufficiently blown.

La Coruña is nicknamed the Glass City because
of all of the windows. The natural light helps
during the many many rainy days. This was 
not one of them.

Our excursion was to the town of Santiago de Compostela, about an hour’s bus ride away. The two notable things about this lovely medieval city that is now the capital of Galicia are its cathedral and the square in front of it.

Us in front of the massive Cathedral
of Santiago de Compostela

The square from a tower in the cathedral

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a gorgeous work of Romanesque (inside) and Baroque (outside) architecture. Made of granite, the cathedral is largely regarded as the burial site of the Apostle James. 

The uncertainty stems from undercurrents of skepticism as to how James’ body was found. The story involves a monk who kept seeing the night’s stars point to a specific location. As they Biblically do. This sighting was nine centuries after James had been beheaded in Palestine, with his remains soon returned to the area of Spain he had evangelized in after Jesus’ crucifixion. 

After a search revealed a Roman-style tomb in the area the stars pointed to, a Bishop proclaimed the discovery a true story. Apostle James’ remains that were found in the tomb are now in a silver crypt under the Cathedral. We got to see the crypt but were not allowed to take photos.

It was very ornate and very pretty.

Photo probably not allowed. Oops.
This is the line to go downstairs to
see Apostle James' crypt. LOTS of
gold in the cathedral.

The other reason Santiago de Compostela is famous is that it is the finish line for the Camino de Santiago.

The Camino de Santiago – or “The Way of St. James” – is an internationally known set of ancient trails that is walked (or biked) by hikers known as pilgrims. These sturdy folks walk anywhere from 50 to over 600 miles to reach the celebratory end in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 

The tradition of walking “The Way of St. James” began shortly after the discovery of his remains. Walking the trail is typically considered a pilgrimage and can be a very spiritual, reflective experience. If I had a reliable body, I would absolutely walk the Camino de Santiago. Based on the few people I know who have done it, it sounds like a life-defining experience.

I actually had no idea there was more than one trail. I thought the Camino de Santiago was one route, like the Pacific Coast Trail or the Appalachian Trail. Instead, there are numerous trails depending on where you start. These starting points are often in other countries – this can be a LONG walk. The most popular trails are the French Way (Camino Francés – about 500 miles) and the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugués – about 400 miles).

This is Charlotte from Arizona.
She had just finished yet another
trail on the Camino de Santiago.
Charlotte is very impressive.

I asked Charlotte if she walked each
trail in its entirety in one shot, or if
she breaks up the trails over different
trips. "I do them all at once. I'm retired."
I said, "We're retired, too, but we came 
on a tour bus!" I felt like I was talking
to royalty. Piglet was honored to meet her.

Pilgrims who walk the trail have a special passport (called a Credencial) that is stamped along the way. It also gains pilgrims entry to special trail hostels. Trail-finishers also get to register their accomplishment in the Pilgrims’ Office and receive an official certificate of completion (a Compostela). And finally, they earn the bragging rights to display a seashell on their backpack as a sign of accomplishment and club membership.

A completed Credencial. The owner said
there was no amount of money he'd sell it for.

Photo stolen off the interwebs since
I neglected to get a photo myself.

The logistics of walking the Camino
are fascinating! You can arrange to have
your luggage transported to each stop
so all you need to carry is what you need
for that day. Each night is spent at a 
hostel. Walking is typically completed 
each day by noon to get out of the heat.
So there's much socializing and resting
between walking days. It sounds like
a blast, honestly!

Not the only journaling I saw.

The seashell is the symbol of the trail. Blue signs with yellow lettering are posted along all the trails – in multiple countries –  to minimize anyone getting lost. And at the center of the square in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (the square is called the Praza do Obradoiro) is a small shell engraved in the granite floor, commemorating the final stop of the Camino de Santiago.

Typical road sign pointing the way.

We saw this in Portugal on our trip
last month!

Piglet at the finish line! He also provides a good
reference point for size. And confusion for other
tourists who wanted their own photos.

As you might guess, seashell-themed anything and everything is THE souvenir of Santiago de Compostela. Accordingly, I am sporting my new shell earrings today, and our new fridge when Tim is completed (getting there and going well by all accounts!) will have a commemorative magnet.

It this had been on a t-shirt, I probably would
have purchased it.

I am quite happy with these!
I love jewelry from vacations -
I can wear a memory without
making a big deal about it.

I love that there is a ponytail option!

Our day trip to Spain was so enjoyable. I fell in love with Spain again, with a non-seafoody lunch reminding me that Spain is FANTATISIC if I stay away from the fancypants “gastronomic” food.

Chicken paella, a nice Rose, fresh 
bread, and the best salad I've had in 
at least 2 months. They had 3 plates
of salad for our table of 10. None of the
8 Aussies were interested in the salad, so
I unapologetically ate one plate all by 
myself. No scurvy for me!

As much as I enjoyed the scenic ride through the Spanish countryside, the tour inside the cathedral, and the chicken-featured lunch, what really seeped into my soul was the pilgrims.

As we approached Santiago de Compostela, we saw a parade of hikers walking with “finish line” energy. The excitement and anticipation leapt off the sidewalk and sat next to me on the air-conditioned bus.

There were lots of adolescents in the parade.
You need to walk a minimum of the last
100km (about 62 miles) in order
to earn bragging rights. So there might be
a lot of school/youth groups that do a 
shorter pilgrimage.

When we got to the Praza do Obradoiro with the seashell finish line, our guide pointed out the pilgrims’ entry archway. It wasn’t hard to find, as joyous backpackers streamed through to the accompaniment of a bagpiper.

It almost felt like the finish line for
The Amazing Race. SO MUCH JOY!

I stood in the square and watched the celebration. People arrived with arms victoriously raised. People arrived with cheers. People arrived with skips and trots. People arrived with hugs. People arrived with tears.

I could have spent hours in the square, quietly witnessing goals met, accomplishments proclaimed, lives changed. It was moving and inspiring and deep.

Rob and I clapped and cheered for a few groups, who seemed surprised but touched to be celebrated by strangers. If I lived nearby, I would be a regular fixture in the Praza do Obradoiro, loudly acknowledging and recognizing the realization of dreams.

I wanted to respect people's privacy so
I tried not to take photos. But I saw 
many moments like this.

And a note to my niece Erilyn: if you decide to walk it, Rob and I will be there at the finish line to celebrate with you. Seriously.

We trekked The Restaurant Street.
Sadly no certificates for that.

Next stop: Le Havre/Normandy, France!