My trek of El Camino will begin in St. Jean Pied De Port, France and will continue through the Pyrenees’ Mountains to Santiago de Compostela, Spain….783 km’s -a little over 500 miles which I intend to accomplish in 5 weeks (100 miles/week + travel). It’s referred to as Compostela De Santiago, El Camino, The Way of St. James, or simply The Way.
El Camino Santiago means freedom, culture, sport, nature, tradition, challenge, peace but above all it is freedom. Numerous emperors like Charlemagne, popes like Calixtus II, kings like Alfonso II, brave knights like the Spanish “El Cid” or the, noblemen, thousands of priests, farmers, beggars, travelers, the healthy, the sick, the blind, the lame, the rich and the homeless; all of them were pilgrims and all of them were treated the same, because no one knew if the dirty, tired and blistered pilgrim that just arrived in the village before sunset was a king, a bishop or a pauper. They were and still are all pilgrims always looking for something, always bringing new ideas.
As a pilgrim I follow the sun in the day from the east to the West and follow the Milky Way (Via Lactea) in the night. Following the sun to the end of the earth (Finesterre), admiring an amazing sunset from the place where our ancestors believed the earth ended. I will walk until it’s not possible to walk anymore; realizing that this trip is truly the journey of life. Every journey begins with a first step.
History
The popular Spanish name for the astronomical is El Camino de Santiago. The Milky Way was said to be formed from the dust raised by traveling pilgrims. In a common medieval legend Compostela itself means ‘field of stars.’
In addition to people undertaking a religious pilgrimage, there are many travelers and hikers who walk the route for non-religious reasons: travel, sport, or simply the challenge of weeks of walking in a foreign land. Also, many consider the experience a spiritual adventure to remove themselves from the bustle of modern life. It acts as a retreat for many modern “pilgrims.”
The first written record of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela, dated 950, was in reference to the journey of the French archbishop of Le Puy. Later, in 1139 a French cleric, Aymeric Picaud, wrote the Codex Calixitinus. This descriptive account of the journey with details of foods, dress, and customs of the people who lived along the way, is accepted as the first published travel guide.
In the 20th century, el Camino became popular among royalty and celebrities, hikers and adventurers, as well as religious individuals. There are even people who, not particularly religious, develop a sense of the spiritual side of life after facing potentially fatal situations.
The Way
My trek of El Camino will begin in St. Jean Pied De Port, France and will continue through the Pyrenees’ Mountains to Santiago de Compostela, Spain….783 km’s -a little over 500 miles which I intend to accomplish in 5 weeks (100 miles/week + travel). It’s referred to as Compostela De Santiago, El Camino, The Way of St. James, or simply The Way.
El Camino Santiago means freedom, culture, sport, nature, tradition, challenge, peace but above all it is freedom. Numerous emperors like Charlemagne, popes like Calixtus II, kings like Alfonso II, brave knights like the Spanish “El Cid” or the, noblemen, thousands of priests, farmers, beggars, travelers, the healthy, the sick, the blind, the lame, the rich and the homeless; all of them were pilgrims and all of them were treated the same, because no one knew if the dirty, tired and blistered pilgrim that just arrived in the village before sunset was a king, a bishop or a pauper. They were and still are all pilgrims always looking for something, always bringing new ideas.
As a pilgrim I follow the sun in the day from the east to the West and follow the Milky Way (Via Lactea) in the night. Following the sun to the end of the earth (Finesterre), admiring an amazing sunset from the place where our ancestors believed the earth ended. I will walk until it’s not possible to walk anymore; realizing that this trip is truly the journey of life. Every journey begins with a first step.
History
The popular Spanish name for the astronomical is El Camino de Santiago. The Milky Way was said to be formed from the dust raised by traveling pilgrims. In a common medieval legend Compostela itself means ‘field of stars.’
In addition to people undertaking a religious pilgrimage, there are many travelers and hikers who walk the route for non-religious reasons: travel, sport, or simply the challenge of weeks of walking in a foreign land. Also, many consider the experience a spiritual adventure to remove themselves from the bustle of modern life. It acts as a retreat for many modern “pilgrims.”
The first written record of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela, dated 950, was in reference to the journey of the French archbishop of Le Puy. Later, in 1139 a French cleric, Aymeric Picaud, wrote the Codex Calixitinus. This descriptive account of the journey with details of foods, dress, and customs of the people who lived along the way, is accepted as the first published travel guide.
In the 20th century, el Camino became popular among royalty and celebrities, hikers and adventurers, as well as religious individuals. There are even people who, not particularly religious, develop a sense of the spiritual side of life after facing potentially fatal situations.