May 15, 2022: Walking the Camino de Santiago in Santiago De Compostela!

May 16, 2022 cjbishop@yahoo.com

Aside: I asked the reception desk last night how many people were actually on this cruise and was told there were 526 (ship capacity is 750). Not sure if they did this on purpose or was there a lack of interest because of Covid. Needless to say there has never been an issue with overcrowding or lack of seating for meals or shows.

Back to our day: Our ship docked in the small seaside town of Ferrol, Spain. Not well known it was, however, the birthplace of Francisco Franco, the former dictator of Spain. It is not on any “must stop” ports; however, it is only about one hour from a most famous town from as far back as medieval times-Santiago De Compostela, where the famous pilgrimage church of St. James is located. That is our destination today!

The weather was cloudy and cool this morning with a 20% chance of showers. Yvonne and I had NOT taken our rain gear with us which turned out to almost be a big problem as it started to rain just as our bus arrived in Santiago . Luckily there was a small shop right by the bus parking area that sold ponchos for people like ourselves so we were spared the indignity of getting soaked as we walked the city. As it turned out the showers were sporadic. Surprisingly it was windy and cool the entire time we were in Santiago.

The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in the town of Santiago de Compostela. The history of the Camino de Santiago goes back at the beginning of the 9th century (year 814) moment of the supposed discovery of the tomb of the evangelical apostle of the Iberian Peninsula.

Lecture on St. James and the Compostela.

The most popular (and longest) route is the Camino Francés which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago. There are other shorter routes throughout France and Spain that can also be taken if a 500 mile trek is not for you. I cannot imagine how people in medieval times actually did this pilgrimage. People did the trek to seek inner peace, forgiveness for their sins, or seeking a spiritual favor. Luckily a series of lodging, restaurants, other churches and support entities grew up along the routes to ease the burden of the trek. There are even passports that people carry with them that are stamped as they proceed along the route. It was originally a religious experience but it obviously has grown into a big business for many people! Approximately 350,000 people a year make this pilgrimage!

Most of the people we saw while there were tourists like ourselves, who arrived by bus. However, we did see true pilgrims (mostly young) arriving with backpacks and walking sticks.

Three pilgrims camping out near the final destination, the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

Vendors selling the traditional pilgrims’ walking stick (and other souvenirs).

The final path to the cathedral where St. James is supposedly buried- the end of the 500 mile pilgrimage.

The original chapel of St James is hard to see as it has been surrounded by a magnificent church built over the centuries. We were able to enter the crypt under the church where the coffin of St. James is located. Our local guide walked us through much of the surrounding town where shops offer souvenirs, eating establishments, locally made candy and cakes and other items of interest to tourists (and pilgrims).

Our local guide explaining the traditional symbol of the pilgrims-a sea shell where all the paths lead to a common end.

The Cathedral of St. James de Compostela that dates back to the 9th century.

Pilgrims and mostly tourists waiting to enter the church to see the burial site of St. James.

Burning incense was heavily used to mask the foul smells.

The organ inside the Cathedral of St. James.

Nearby street of shops and restaurants that cater to the pilgrims and tourists.

Statues commemorating two ladies who came to the park each day.

Meeting a fellow tourist. He was not very talkative.

Bagpiper greeting tourists and pilgrims outside the church.

Outside the Cathedral of St. James. Yvonne is wearing her plastic poncho as a decorative scarf because the rain had finally stopped.

In the main square where the church is located is a very large building that was originally a hospital serving pilgrims. It is now a 5 star hotel where we had a multi-course luncheon in an old chapel (complete with altar).