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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ | El Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-10-06T13:11:48Z

Camino de Santiago FAQ

Post your question about El Camino!!We will replay to your email address and will publish the answer inthis page as well. Write us in English, Spanishor Italian. (Guarda le Domandi Frequenti in Italiano>>)

Planeando el Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-10-06T13:10:22Z

PLANEANDO EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

"Unavez que has viajado, el viaje nunca termina, sino que se reproduce unay otra vez incluso en la mas tranquila de las habitaciones... la mentenunca podra abandonar el viaje." - Pat Conroy

"Unviaje verdadero, sin importar su distancia o duracion, no tiene final."- WilliamLeastHeat Moon

Planeando tu tiempo
Planeando la compañía
Planeando el dinero
Planeando la mochila

No hay mucho que planearpara hacer el Camino de Santiago.De hecho éstaes una de sus mayores ventajas. Si tienes algo de tiempo libre, comolasvacaciones de verano de la universidad, vacaciones de trabajo o inclusoun finde semana largo y no tienes nada planeado de antemano, ésta es tuoportunidadpara hacer el Camino. Puedes simplemente caminar una parte, quizá sólo3 o 4etapas, si no tienes mucho tiempo. No importa; lo importante esempezar. No tearrepentirás y seguro que volverás.

Mas>>

El Camino Frances | El Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-08-17T15:33:05Z

El Camino Frances - The FrenchWay

This is the most popular route to Santiagode Compostelaand this website is mainly dedicated to it although you will find somebasic information about other routes to Santiago. ElCamino Frances isthe way that follows the Sun during the day and The Milky Way duringthe night. It was the route chosen by Charlemagne, El Cid, Roldan andSuero de Quinones. <a href="http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/elcaminofrances.html>More...</a></p>

Camino de Santiago del Norte | The North Way

2009-08-14T16:34:43Z

I have walked El Camino deSantiago del Norte in thesummer 2009.

It has been a great experience but I have to say that itis quite different to El Camino Frances- the most popular route.

In the near future I want to develop a website in caminosdelnorte.comspecifically about El Camino de Santiago delNorte, but, by now, inthis page I will just make a brief overview of ElCamino del Nortegiving some information of, in my opinion, its pros and cons in orderto help to those who are still doubful about what Camino to walk.

	*Camino del* *Norte*	CaminoFrances
Trailmarkings (yellow arrows or *scallopshell*)	Enough inoverall although sometimes there may be a lack of markings for a whilewhich makes it easy to get lost if you don't pay attention. In theregion of Galicia (last 200 km) the signaling is excellent.	Excellentsignaling all the way.
*Path*	Most of thetimes you are walking on a paved roads which may be useful to avoid themud but it harms and burn the feet and joints much more than thenatural paths.	Most of thetimes you are walking on non-paved roads and natural paths.
*Pilgrims'hostels- Albergues*	Most of themare very basic and small (around 20 beds) and sometimes they are verydistant between each others (sometimes more than 30 km). Good quality in Galicia.	In general,they have better quality although you may find some too big (i.e. 150 -200 beds). Normally, there is an albergue or more in every village (every 10 - 15 km).
Number ofpilgrims.	Rarely morethat 30 starting a day during summer which is the busiest perior.Although lately it is becoming more and more popular veryquickly.	Insummertime, there may be far more than 200 *pilgrims*starting everydaywhich makes it very busy but also you get to know much more interestingpeople.
Weather	Verychangeable and wet (Atlantic weather) In summer, warm but not hot in the days and cool in the nights. It maybe very rainy and cloudy. The rest of the year, very rainy and cool. Best time of the year: July and August.	From May toOctober, very dry and hot during daytime (it often reaches more than 40degrees celsius at noon in July and August) although it maybe chilly during the nights. In winter time, very cold (bellow 0 Celsius is very common). With the exception of Galicia (last 150km) which has a Atlantic weathersimilar to El Camino del Norte. Best time of the year: From May to October, especially May, June andSeptember.
Nature andlandscape.	High snowedmountains on one side and the sea on the other side. Very green andfull of forests. Many nice beaches that have escaped the civilizationand tourism where you can have a pleasant bath. It is really a naturalparadise.	Very varied.Firstly, you have to cross the high mountains range - Pyrenees - whichis full of forests and green prairies. Then, in Navara and Rioja regions, the landscape is hilly and full ofvineyards (people usually says it is very similar to Tuscany landscape). Afterwards, in the region of Castilla, the landscape becomes completelyflat (it is a high plateau around 900 metres above sea level). It isfull of cereal and sunflower fields. It is very desertic and isolatedbut very charming. Then, in Leon province it becomes hilly and green again with morevineyards and forests. And finally in Galicia, it is full of forests and green prairies again.
Art	Manyinteresting beautiful cities and towns very rich on art. SanSebastian,Bilbao, Castrourdiales, Santander, Santillana del Mar, Comillas, SanVicente de la Barquera, Llanes, Rivadesella, Villaviciosa, Gijon,Luarca, Mondonedo.	Uniquecities, cathedrals and castles all along the way. Just to mention someof them: *Pamplona, Estella, Logrono, Najera,Sto. Domingo de laCalzada, Burgos, Fromista, Carrion de los Condes, Leon, Astorga,Ponferrada*. It is a museum as a whole withthe best romanic art inEurope. You can find unbelieable pieces of art in every little village.
Gastro- nomy	Very variedand excellent.	Very variedand excellent.
*Wines*	Not so richin wines as El Camino Francesbut cyder in Asturias is nearly areligion and there I have drunk the best natural cyder ever.	Excellentwines all allong the way. *La Rioja, Navarra,Bierzo, Ribeiro andAlbarino* are the most famous. You can findunbelievable cheap wines ofthe best quality.
*Cost*	Moreexpensive.	Quite cheap.I did it with a budget of 20/25 euro a day.

Xacobeo 2010 - Jacobeo 2010 - St. James Holy Year 2010 | El Camino de Santiago

2009-08-13T13:16:22Z

Xacobeo 2010 - Jacobeo 2010

Año Santo Jacobeo(or in galician language Ano SantoXacobeo) is the holyyear of St. James. It takes place the yearwhen the 25th of July(day of St. James).

This happens with a fixed period of 6-5-6-11 years whichimplies that there are fourteen AñosSantos Jacobeos everycentury. During the St. James holy yearthe catholics can get the bula jubilaror jubileo -jubilee indulgence.In order to obtain it they must:

1. Visit the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela inGalicia, Spain, where St. James the Great was buried.

2. Pray some prayer (at least the Credo, Our Father andpray for the Pope's intentions). It is recommended to attend to mass.

3. Receive the Sacraments of Penance (it may be between15 days before and 15 days after) and Communion.

In summary, the jubilee grace consist of a plenaryindulgence in order to forgive the punishment that the sins deserve.

The first Año Jubilaror Jubilee Year wasgranted by the Pope Calixtus IIin 1126. The last Jubilee Years were in 1993, 1999 and 2004. The nextones will be in 2010 and 2021.

The period 6-5-6-11 of the añosjacobeos or holyyears has its explanation in the frequency ofthe leap-years and in the fact that the week has 7 days. If there wereno leap-years we would have año jacobeoevery 7 years. If there is any modification in the sequency ofleap-years automatically the cadency of st.james holy years is modified as well. Thathappened in the Gregorian Reformin the year 1582 and therefore happens in the years that are multipleof 100 but not multiple of 400.

Albergues and hostels along el Camino | El Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-06-30T21:04:35Z

Albergues and hostels along El Caminode Santiago

The facilities along the mostpopular route of El Camino de Santiago, alsocalled El Camino Frances,are very good.

You will findone pilgrims' hostel or albergue(as they are called in Spanish) in nearly every village youwalk through. Some of them are very small, just for 8 or 10 people, andothers are very big, for 100 or even 200 people. Their size usuallydepends on the importance of the village. Besides, in many of thealbergues, specially in the bigger ones, you can get your Pilgrims'credential or Credencialdel Peregrino if you havefinished your old one or you just arrived in El Camino deSantiago.

More...

El Camino de Santiago | The pilgrimage routes to Compostela

2009-06-15T13:26:56Z

Camino de Santiago Primitivo

2009-06-08T16:25:42Z

Camino de Santiago Primitivo

or Original Way

Map of the Camino Primitivo:

View Camino Primitivo in a larger map

Camino de Santiago del Norte | The North Way

2009-06-08T16:25:05Z

Camino de Santiago del Norte

or Camino de la Costa - The North Way

Map of the Camino del Norte:

View Camino Santiago del Norte - The North Way in a larger map

Transport to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-06-08T10:52:39Z

Transport to the Camino deSantiago

How to get the Camino

HOWTO GET TO EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGOFROM EUROPE

If you arestarting el Camino de Santiago in St-Jean-Pied-de-Portthe bestairport to flyis Biarritz airport in the south west ofFrance, very close to Spain.Ryanairhas low cost flights to Biarritz from Dublin, London Stansted,Birmingham, andMarseille, but if you are coming from a different part of Europe youcan checkin the airport website which airlinesuits best to you. Other airports near the starting poing of the Caminoare: in the south of France, PauAirportor Toulouse Airport and in the north of Spain BarcelonaGirona,Bilbaoor Victoria Airports.

Once you arein Biarritz airport you can take the bus from the airport to Bayonne(actuallythe airport is closer to Bayonne than to Biarritz) and then a trainfromBayonne to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Thejourney by train will last forabout anhour and it is an extremely nice journey since it runs along the northside ofthe Pyrenees and you can see very nearthe mountain range with itssnowy peaksand its green slopes. Check the TER web site for timetables andfares for the train from Bayonne to St. Jean Pied de Port.

If you comefrom continental Europe you can also reach St-Jean-Pied-de-Porttravelling bytrain. Check the French rail SNCF website for timetables, faresand connections.

HOWTO GET TO EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGOFROM THE REST OF THE WORD

If you arecoming from another continent maybe the best thing is to fly to Londonand thenfly from London to Biarritz or another option would be to fly to MadridorBarcelona and then travel by trainor bus to reach St-Jean-Pied-de-Portwhich Iwill explain below.

I recommendthese airports because they are some of the biggest airports in Europeand theyhave airlines flying to nearly all the regions in the world. Althoughthere areother smaller international airports in the south of France such as PauAirportor Toulouse Airport and in the north of Spain such as Barcelona Girona,Bilbaoor Victoria Airports that may suit to depending on your origin. More>>

Maps - Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-06-03T13:34:21Z

Camino de SantiagoMaps

View Camino de Santiago - The Way of St. James in a larger map

Community - Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-05-29T15:33:31Z

The Community of the Camino

This page is especiallydedicated to the Camino's Community.To all the pilgrimsand future pilgrimsthat want to leave a comment or ask a question or simply keep in touchwith other pilgrims and also meet others.

Just Sign up with yourGoogle, AIM, Yahoo!, Netlog or OpenID account and become one of ourfriends. Using this network you can invite your friends to also formpart of the Camino Community, you can recommend pages and images, ratearticles and posts and meet other pilgrims that maybe are going to theCamino de Santiago on the same days as you.

So don't wait more time,we are looking forward to becoming your friends and to hearing yourstories about the Camino de Santiago!

Plan the Stages | El Camino de Santiago

2009-05-28T16:44:46Z

Shared by fer
Latest about the Camino's stages...

STAGES

El Camino de Santiago - The Way ofSt. James

From this webpage you can access all the stages of the Camino. Youwill see all the photos of every stage of the Camino and, little bylittle, I'll be adding information regarding each of the stages. But bynow, clicking in every stage, you will see the photos and the kilometresof the stage which is very helpful to plan the number of stagesthat you can do.

I have divided the stages in 5 groups dependingon the Spanish region they are going through (Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla, Leon and Galicia). Each region has a differentiated landscape, weather, gastronomy, architecture andculture. Therefore, I'll also be writing some information at thebeginning of each region to give an overview of its characteristics.

CAMINO NAVARRO - Camino in the region of Navarra
Stage1 - St-Jean-Pied-De-Port - Roncesvalles - 25 km
Stage 2 - Roncesvalles- Zubiri - 22 km
Stage3 - Zubiri - Pamplona - 20 km
Stage4 - Pamplona - Puente de la Reina - 24 km
Stage5 - Puente de la Reina - Estella - 22 km
Stage6 - Estella - Los Arcos - 22 km
Stage7 - Los Arcos - Viana - 19 km

CAMINO RIOJANO - Camino in theregion of La Rioja
Stage8 - Viana - LOGRONO - Navarrete - 23 km
Stage9 - Navarrete - Najera - Azofra - 23 km
Stage10 - Azofra - Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Granon -22 km

ELCAMINO EN CASTILLA - Camino in Castilla
Stage11 - Granon - Belorado - Tosantos - 21 km
Stage12 - Tosantos - San Juan de Ortega - 19 km
Stage13 - San Juan de Ortega - Burgos - 28 km
Stage14 - Burgos - Hornillos del Camino - 19 km
Stage15 - Hornillos del Camino - Castrojeriz - 20 km
Stage16 - Castrojeriz - Fromista - 25 km
Stage17 - Fromista - Carrion de los Condes - 19 km
Stage18 - Carrion de los Condes - Ledigos - 24 km

ELCAMINO EN LEON - Camino in the province of Leon
Stage19 - Ledigos - Sahagun - Bercianos del Real Camino -26 km
Stage20 - Bercianos del Real Camino - Reliegos - 20 km
Stage21 - Reliegos - Leon - 24 km
Stage22 - Leon - Hospital de Orbigo - 24 km
Stage23 - Hospital de Orbigo - Astorga - 19 km
Stage24 - Astorga - Molinaseca - 48 km
ElCamino en El Bierzo (Leon) - Camino in El Bierzo (Leon)
Stage25 - Molinaseca - Villafranca del Bierzo - 29 km
Stage26 - Villafranca del Bierzo - Herrerias - 21 km

ELCAMINO GALICIA - Camino in Galicia
Stage27 - Herrerias - O Cebreiro - Triacastela - 31 km
Stage28 - Triacastela - Sarria - Ferreiros - 31 km
Stage29 - Ferreiros - Portomarin - Ligonde - 25 km
Stage30 - Ligonde - Palas de Rei - Ribadiso - 35 km
Stage31 - Ribadiso - SANTIAGODE COMPOSTELA - 43 km

Epilogue:Muxia - Finisterre

Pilgrims' Credential - Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-05-27T16:04:15Z

Pilgrims' Credential

The only document that you need to do the Camino is the pilgrims' credential or credencial del peregrino. You can get it for 1 euro in the main albergues(there is one in almost every important village in the Camino)which means that you can choose your starting point. To mentionsome albergues where you can get it I will say St-JeanPied-de-Port, Roncesvalles or Pamplona at the beginning of the Caminoand after that you can also get them in Logrono, Burgos, Leon,Ponferrada and as I said nearly every big village in the Camino. Youcan also get it even before arriving in the Camino from manyassociations and fraternities of Amigos del Camino de Santiago - Friends of the Way of St. James that are spread for all around the world.

Its function is to record the places where you have passed and for thatit will be stamped with the albergue's logo or seal by the hospitaleroin every albergue you sleep in. Besides, nearly every bar, hostelor associationsalong the Camino will have their own seal for you to help yourself andstamp it in you credential. Some people really like this and stamp manyseals every day while others don't mind too much about it, however,don't forget to stamp at least one seal a day(usually in the albergue where you sleep, don't worry too much about itbecause the hospitalero will ask it to you and he'll do it foryou).

The reasons for doing this are two. Firstly, it is a proof that you are a real pilgrimand you are not cheating travelling by car (because you will have sealson it from places where you can't access by car). Therefore, it will beyour passport to sleep in the albergues. And secondly, once you havecompleted the Camino it is very nice to see your Credencial del Pelegrino with the seals of every place you have slept in or eaten in. You will feel very proud of it.

You will also need the Pilgrims' Credential if you want to get the Compostelain Santiago's cathedral. La Compostela is a diploma that the CatholicChurch issues to honour the pilgrims who have walked the Camino. Yournamed will be printed in Latin. To get it you must have done at leastthe last 100km of the Camino on foot or by horse or the last 200km ifyou are cycling. You will get a different colour depending onwhether you have done the pilgrimage with a Christian meaning - "devotionis affectu, voti vel pietatis causa" or for other reasons.

To finish this section, I have to remark that what I said regarding thealbergues isn't as strict as it may seem. Why? Because, apart from yourpilgrims' credential, it is very obvious who is a real pilgrim, who iswalking and who is not. Your feet will say it. So don't worry if youstamp so many seals that you finish your credential or if you happen tostart the Camino in a very small village where they don't have newcredentials. Just take a normal sheet of paper and make it yourprovisional pilgrims' credential. You can stamp on it the seals untilyou get a new one. Again, don't worry, accommodation will never bedenied to you because you have lost it or finished it. Everyone is verynice and helpful there.

I hope you have liked the photos... It's cool,isn't it? People is quite crazy about it although I tended to forget italways in my bag and didn't put many seals.

Maps - Camino de Santiago de Compostela

2009-05-27T10:05:24Z

Camino de SantiagoMaps

Here you can see the maps of the Camino deSantiago that appear in thepilgrims' credential. They are very helpful because next to the name ofevery village is written the remaining kilometresto Santiago de Compostela.

Firstly, we have a map of the main Camino de Santiago or CaminoFranceswhich also shows La Via de la Platawhich is another way that startingfrom Seville (in the South of Spain) follows an old Roman causeway tohead north and arrive in Santiago. It also shows the mapof El Camino de Norte o El Camino de la Costa and El CaminoPrimitivo which are commonly know as El Caminodel Norte.

Secondly, we have a map of all the routes from Europe arriving inSantiago de Compostela. There are three main routes coming from centralEurope: Via de Arles,Via de Le Puy, Viade Vezelay, Via de ToursorParis and Viadel Piamonte.

Then we have another map just of the Camino Frances and finally a mapof the Camino Portugueswhich is a group of routes that start inPortugal and arrive in Santiago de Compostela.

Planning the Camino

2009-05-27T10:04:30Z

PLANNING THE CAMINO

"Onceyou have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over andover againin the quietest chambers... the mind can never break off from thejourney." - Pat Conroy

"Atruejourney, no matter how long the travel takes, has no end." - WilliamLeastHeat Moon

There is notmuch to plan in order to do the Camino.In fact that is one of itsbiggestadvantages. If you have some free time, like university summerholidays, workholidays or even a long weekend or bank holiday and you don’t haveanything plannedbefore hand this is your chance to do the Camino. You can just walk apart ofit, maybe just 3 or 4 stages, if you don’t have much time. It doesn’tmatter;the important thing is to start. You won’t regret it and for sure youwill comeback.

Youneedvery little to do the Camino. The most important thing is the desire todosomething different. It will be a trip in its pure essence; you will bea traveller,a pilgrim. Our contemporary society has corrupted the meaning oftravelling byadding concepts such as package holidays, guided tours and the need tospendexcessively. No. This will be authentic.

Let’sbeginwith the time. I’ve met people who are walking the Camino for more that5months, maybe stopping in the middle to work in the harvests or tovolunteer asan “hospitalero” (people working in the hostels - “albergues”) andpeople whoonly walk 3 stages during a long weekend. On average you need around 5weeks todo the whole Camino, but it depends on your walking pace. I made it from the beginningin St.Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela in 31 days of walking(excludingsome rest days). Some days I walked nearly 50 km and others not even20 km. Asyou will see it is very free and once you are in you can walk as longas youfeel every day, there is no pressure. Anyway, I have to say thateveryone canwalk an average of 20-25km a day. Of course it requires an effort, thisis alsoa physical challenge, don’t forget it, but that is the point, that isitsbeauty. You will have to overcome bad times, but you won’t be alone,the restof the people will help and encourage you. To give you an idea of thenumber ofstages, the starting point and the end point, that you can do dependingon thetime you can visit our Stages section. Probably once you are there youwon’t doexactly the same stages as we did (some days you will walk more, someless) butit will be a good estimation. And remember you can start it whereveryou wantand leave it wherever you want, just go to any village in the Camino,go to theAlbergue and ask for the Pilgrims Credential and that’s it.

Secondlylet’s talk about the company. You can go on the Camino either alone orwith agroup. Many people go on the Camino alone and many others go in groups.If youare thinking of doing the Camino and can’t persuade your friends to doitplease don’t let the time pass, this is your chance, don’t be shy andgo byyourself. Once you arrive you will see many people coming from allaround theworld without a group. You will meet many interesting people and makemanyfriends. Then you are free to walk alone and meet other pilgrims in theevenings or walk in small groups.

Moneywise,you need very little. I can’t say an amount, it’s up to you. Ideally,the goodthing is to do the Camino with some austerity. However I reallyrecommendenjoying the local food and wine that keeps changing along the Camino.Everynew region has its own gastronomy and it changes at the same pace asdoes thelandscape. After a day of walking you can enjoy a pilgrim’s menu (“menudelperegrino”) which comprises 2 courses to choose from a variety of localdishesplus dessert and a whole bottle of delicious local wine. On average,thispilgrim’s menu costs 7 or 8 euro in most of the villages of the Camino.For therest of the day (i.e. breakfast, lunch) you can just buy some food for3 or 4euro in the local shops and eat it wherever you want. Everything isvery freethere so you can sit in the village square to eat it or maybe in apause duringthe walk in a nice spot. Many albergues offer a bit of breakfast forfree, andfor a small extra contribution some also offer dinner. This isoptional, but Irecommend it if you want to talk with the hospitalero and otherpilgrims. Foodis very important in Spanish culture, so don’t miss the chance to enjoyit andtry new things, you will be astonished of how cheap is to eat like aking.

Then,thecost of a bed per night in an albergue for pilgrims (camino’s hostels)is between4 and 7 euro (Visit our section for albergues and accommodation formoredetailed information about them). Many people carry their own tent andit isfree to camp beside the albergues and you can ue their facilities(i.e.showers, kitchen, etc.) without having to pay anything or if you have agoodsleeping bag and it is summer you can just sleep under the stars whichIrecommend to do at least once.

Albergue:6euro + Dinner: 8 euro + Food for the day: 4 euro=18 euro.

Therefore,with 20 euro a day you can live like a king.

Nextthingto think about: your bag. Your bag shouldn’t weight more than 10 kilos.I haveseen people with bags of 15 or 20 kilos. That is completely unnecessaryand itwill destroy your back and knees. Just take the necessary, I have seenpeoplecarrying hair dryers. You do not need a hair dryer. Pack a sleepingback, agood one, some nights may be cold even in summer, especially if yousleepoutside, so have one that keeps you comfortable as low as 5 degreesCelsius –i.e. 1 kilo. It is also useful to bring a camping mat for the sleepingbag. Thenpack two or three cotton t-shirts, two comfortable light trousers(maybe oneshorts), a jumper (for the nights), three pairs of thick shocks,underwear atyour discretion, a good pair of boots or trainers (they don’t have tobe bootsuntil the ankles, the important thing is to have a thick sole. Eachbootshouldn’t weight more than 500 gr.), a pair of light flip-flops for theevenings, shampoo (not a litre! 100ml is fine, if you finish it you canbuymore.), and other basic toiletries as required, sun protection (the sunis verystrong in summer!), thread and needle for the blisters, maybe somemagnesiumtablets for your joints and bones and some basic first aid products.That’sit. It should weight between 5 and 10 kilos depending on your size.That is theluggage for either 5 days or 5 weeks. In the albergues you will havethe chanceof washing your clothes in the evenings so do not take a pair of socksfor eachday.

Lastthing,many people take Camino guides or books. That may be helpful althoughnot indispensable.The Camino is perfectly marked so you will never get lost and if youhave anydoubts the best thing is to ask it to other pilgrims or an hospitalero.Anywayit is always nice to read something about the history or the backgroundof theplaces you are walking through, but do not take any heavy books,remember thateverything that you put in your bag you will have to carry it for moreup to 800 km!!

So,that’s it. You don’t need anything else. Planning is finished. You justneed tobuy a plane, train or bus ticket to get there (Visit our section for Transport to the Camino to see the nearest airports and train stations). You also need to getyourPilgrims Credential (Credencial del pelegrino) on your arrival to thefirstalbergue.

El Camino de Santiago | The pilgrimage routes to Compostela

2009-05-27T10:03:40Z

ElCamino de Santiago - The Way of Saint James - Le Chemin de SaintJacques - Jakobsweb - Il cammino di Santiago - O Caminho de Santiago -Ruta Xacobea

Forcenturies and centuries, indeed since the very beginningof Christendom many pilgrims have followedSantiago’s (St. James's)footsteps across Spain and theystill continue to arrive in Santiagode Compostela.

TheCaminomeans freedom,culture, sport, nature, tradition, challenge, peace but above all it isfreedom. Numerous emperors like Charlemagne, popes like Calixtus II,kings likeAlfonso II, brave knights like the Spanish “El Cid” or the KnightsTemplar,noblemen, thousands of priests, farmers, beggars, travelers, thehealthy, the sick, the blind, thelame, the rich and the homeless; all of them were pilgrimsand all ofthem were treated the same, because no one knew if the dirty,tired andblistered pilgrim that just arrived in the villagebefore sunsetwas a king, a pope or a pauper. They were all pilgrims alwayslooking forsomething, always bringing new things, new ideas. That’s it. Noprejudices.

Thepilgrims follow the Sun in theday, from East to West and follow the Milky Way (Via Lactea) in thenight. Theysee the sunrise in the mornings and follow the Sun towards the Westwalkingthrough pure, golden fields or crossing colourful mountains.

TheCamino is Life. It is a newlife, a life inside your life where you have the chance of truly beingyourself, a return to the basics of the human being, where you have thechanceof paying attention to the small things that we always forget in our"busy-lifes". You get up, admire the day, feel in touch with theearth,breath, and observe yourself, your environment and people beside you.Then youwalk, and think, and admire the day. You meet people in your Camino andyou really listen to them, you feel a connectionwith them,they are not strangers. You learn from them and care about them.

Youfeel hungry and think abouthow and where you will eat: under a tree, beside a stream of water orin the next village you will find. Probably you already have in yourpocket somefigs from a fig tree you found by the path or some almonds, cheese orsweetwine that a local just gave to you asking nothing in exchange. You feeltired butvery healthy. The Sun is giving you strength.

Youcontinue enjoying the day and Nature andobservingeverything that happens around you. If unfortunately some car happensto pass nearbyyou areshocked, startled because you are walking now and you see the world atyournatural pace and just the sight of such a fast, noisy and pollutingmachine is frightening and you think: "What are they for?".

TheSun is dying now. It is timeto rest and wait for the following day. You can choose where you willsleep: inthe next village? in the small albergue enjoying a dinner of local foodand nicecompany? Or maybe under the stars in the warm night? (just think of howoftenyou have this possibility on your normal life). And the following daythe cyclestarts again and you will choose how far you want to walk, you willchoose yourroute, you will choose where you will stop to stare at something. Thisis thefreedom that I mentioned earlier, the chance to be you, the chance totake careof the real important things, no competition, the communion with theNature and otherbeings. Once you have been seduced by its charm you can't even tell ifyou have been there just for a few days or for years.

Thereare several routes thatpilgrims have followed traditionally and possess the weight of Historyandthebackground that thousands of pilgrims have created before us.Nevertheless,there is not a fixed route, you can always start a new one. The Caminomaystart at the door of your house. You can even do it without walkingbecause the Caminois a philosophy, a way of living.

Thisweb site pretends to be ahelp for the new pilgrims who are planningto do the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances) offeringrelevantinformation, maps,stages,alberguesand hostels, how to pack, photos, etc. We will also try toprovide some background to theCamino: origins andhistoricaloverview, information about the most important cities, townsandmonuments.

Italso intends to be a point ofcontact between pilgrims, where everyone can share his or herexperiences aboutthe Camino with the others and encourage the doubtful ones tostartanadventure that will change their lives.