We are currently away. We are walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain, which is 800 km or 500 miles. After that we will visit some of the regional areas of Spain. For those doing TAST, don’t worry, I have it pre-written the series, and each Tuesday the stitch of week will be published. The Facebook groups will run too. Since we can not fill orders while away we have closed the shop.
So what is this Camino thing?
The camino is a 1200 year old pilgrimage. The route is world heritage listed by UNESCO. The Camino Frances starts at a small French village, St Jean Pied de Port which is nestled at the base of the Pyrenees mountains. The Frances route is not the only walk you can take as there are medieval Christian pilgrimage routes all over Europe and are still walked. No matter where you start the Camino route ends in Galicia, at Santiago de Compostela – which translates as Saint James of the Field of Stars. It is believed to be the final resting place of Saint James the Apostle. For me, it does not matter if the actual relics are there or not. The tradition, the stories, the value system associated with the pilgrimage, and the journey you take, make you reach for something greater than yourself, you have to dig a little deeper in order to complete the walk. The camino for me is a retreat. Walking clears the cobwebs out of my head and heals the heart particularly after that last 2 years. For this reason, it is worth doing.
We are very grateful to have walked the route twice before Jerry wrote about our adventures here.
If you want to find out more about the Camino you can google Camino de Santiago Frances. If tour companies come up just ignore them we will not be taking a tour. In the spirit of pilgrims that have walked this route for hundreds of years, we head out up the mountain with what we need in a back pack, and staying in alburgues and casa rurals.
If you like videos check out Beyond the Way Season 1 by Aussie filmmaker Andrew Suzuki. He touches on some of the complexities of the experience which I think some of my readers will enjoy. Beyond the Way – Season 01 is on Youtube here. You can find out more of Andrew Suzuki’s work at Beyondtheway.net
