WHAT IS THE ROUTE OF SANTIAGO

WHAT IS THE ROUTE OF SANTIAGO

The routes to the tomb of the Apostle Santiago

There are as many definitions as there are pilgrims to answer the question about what the Camino de Santiago is, but in a succinct way, it is the route taken by pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela to visit the tomb of the Apostle Santiago. From the ninth century, it was forged as one of the most important pilgrimage routes in Europe, becoming the backbone of the kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, it is not a single route nor a path that the Apostle Santiago traveled, but rather they are a set of paths that, like veins of the body, converge to address Compostela.

What makes people in the 21st century abandon their comforts to go on a pilgrimage route? What does the Camino de Santiago have to do to make it one of the things you have to do once in your life? The pilgrim participates in a journey that has its roots in history. The Camino de Santiago has a different spirit than going out on any route. Ask pilgrims, but the best thing is for you to come to the Camino and live it yourself. Be careful and do not get infected by many walkers who live it as a consumer product, or as a competition or as a day trip from as close to Santiago as possible. Live it without haste. Enjoying each place, each person and each moment. Live it as the path that can change your life. And he will.

What do I do to walk the Camino de Santiago?

¿How to go to the Camino?

To travel the Camino de Santiago and get there, in the first place, you must inform yourself about what it is. It is a pilgrimage route yes, but you will find pilgrims who, even once they have been walking for days, will believe that the Apostle Santiago also traveled that path ... And you must be there to correct this absent-minded pilgrim, since you have already learned about this route.

The Camino de Santiago is that, a path. A route, a route that tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to, on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, to Santiago de Compostela. Thus, the Way is always open and to everyone who wants to travel.

There are several routes to get to Santiago. The most famous and used is the French Way, but there are also others, such as the Northern Way, the Primitive Way, the Portuguese Way or the Vía de la Plata.

For all those who consider the Camino de Santiago as a pilgrimage and feel pilgrims going to Santiago, various brotherhoods, associations of the Camino or various authorized agencies extend the so-called Credential. This is a document that accredits its owner's status as a pilgrim. With it, the pilgrim can identify himself as such and thus be welcomed into the refuges of pilgrims. These hostels, characteristic of the Camino de Santiago, are not like youth hostels; they are ceiling and bed that anonymous lovers of the Way and institutions put as well they can at the disposal of the pilgrim and that we can only thank. Pilgrims can sleep in these hostels or, of course, where they prefer: pensions, hostels, hotels ...

If you want the Cathedral of Santiago to certify you have made the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons (and thus receive the Compostela), you must have traveled at least the last hundred kilometers walking or, if it is by bike, the last two hundred kilometers before get to Santiago.

A good guide of the Way is essential. It must be updated and not be tourist, but for pilgrims. It is very different that in a guide you talk about how beautiful is the Cathedral of León to be told where the Camino is in León and to pay attention to such a crossing where all the pilgrims are lost. The most important guides of the Camino make reissues. We have spent many years dedicating ourselves exclusively to the Camino de Santiago guides and we know what the theme is about, and we edit and update them every year.

Once you are convinced of the Camino de Santiago, you must choose the date, the place to start and the mode (on foot, by bike or on horseback). Then you must be accredited with a credential, in case you wish to be able to be welcomed in the pilgrims' shelters or to receive in Santiago the Compostela. This document is received either in the Association or Brotherhood of the Camino de Santiago, or directly in the place where you have chosen to start the Camino de Santiago (you will have to inform yourself beforehand if in the pilgrim shelter of that locality you can get the credential). Afterwards, you must collect the information you need, either in the form of a guide book (which is updated), a prayer book, a list of pilgrim shelters for the year in progress ... Do not forget the preparation, both physical and interior, in addition to get the material you consider necessary for your pilgrimage.

¿How do I prepare for the Camino?

Previous marches and foot care

The Camino must be taken seriously. It is not a joke, since they are many kilometers that can end up happening to us invoice if we have not taken into account it. A good preparation for the Camino de Santiago is essential if we want to achieve our goal. Remember that every day you will have to walk between 20 and 30 kilometers through different terrains and with your backpack over your shoulder.

Enduring is not a problem, they make this route from children to the elderly. If you are not used to it, you will be surprised at what you can do. But you can not forget to prepare your body for the Way. Walking a few days before with the same footwear (it has to be adapted to your foot when you start the route, new shoes can give you many problems) and a weight on the back similar to the one you are going to wear can help you. It is also essential that your feet are in shape, cared for, hydrated and without wounds, if not, the blisters will make the route difficult or even a tendinitis could force you to leave.

If you go by bicycle, you also need preparation for the Camino de Santiago. It is advisable that you perform marches of a few kilometers on weekends or previous days, this way you will avoid suffering from uncomfortable lace-ups from the first day. Remember that you must learn to solve for yourself all the mechanical problems the bike may cause. On the Camino you will find workshops where you can fix your bike, but they are not close to where you suffer the mishap.

Remember that it is very important to continue taking care of yourself during the Camino: you have to sleep the necessary hours, maintain a daily hygiene with special care of the legs and feet, and stretch both before leaving and once in the accommodation. In this link you will find more information about the care on the Camino.