Back in 2014, my friend, Katrina shared her interest in hiking the Camino which is a pilgrimage to Santiago in Spain. The pilgrimage began during the Medieval era when priests encouraged those in their congregation to walk to Santiago to attend Confession and Mass and have their sins forgiven by a Priest. They were to walk from their home (basically starting out from their front door) and begging for provisions along the way there and back. Fast forward to our current era and the Camino began becoming popular again in the 1980's. Several Americans know about the Camino from a movie called, The Way, where a father ends up hiking the Camino after his son dies on the trek.
I did not hike the Camino with Katrina in 2014 but did this summer instead! The most well know route (and from the movie) is the Frances route which goes over the Pyrenees mountains and up through Spain to Santiago, about 800 km. Katrina began hiking in Coimbra (between Lisbon and Porto) and I met up with her in Porto, Portugal. We hiked together from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. On day 4, we met up with Ildiko who is from Hungary originally but currently lives in Spain. The three of us became a Camino family and hiked together and enjoyed conversations about music, pets, food and spiritual topics as well.
When we ended our trek in Santiago, we visited the Pilgrim House which is a Christian based ministry specifically for pilgrims who are hiking the Camino. Many people hike the Camino as a pilgrimage and place a lot of spiritual significance on the journey as first intended. As a Christian ministry, those serving at the Pilgrim House offer personal one-on-one or group debriefing times, counseling and other services to pilgrims. They also have some great debriefing and journaling questions which I picked up and found useful in reflecting on my experience on the Camino.
A few highlights that stood out to me were individuals and groups we met while hiking the Camino. Each night, there are auberges (hostels specifically for pilgrims) that are outfitted with bunkbeds, bathrooms, laundry (hand wash or machine), kitchen and rooms to relax. There are auberges all along the way and it was fascinating to me who we would see at each one! We kept running into a Greek group of people that were really fun to watch! And David (from the UK), who is a physical therapist and helped people almost every night with sore muscles and blisters. He was handing out lambs wool like candy for those who had hot spots and forming blisters! A mom and daughter from the Czech Republic, Viki from Germany who like me, struggles to sleep when there is snoring! Sun (older lady hiking from Seville, Spain), from Korea who loves her grandkids and has a beautiful garden and Ildiko, who has such a tender heart and we got to know really well. We also met with Paula and Filomena (Portuguese) whom we met and had conversations about ministry and serving "the least of these."
I didn't really have a lot of expectations for the Camino as I did not really know what it was all about. As a Christian, Christ died for my sins, once for all, so I know that I don't need to work for my salvation. At the same time, my Christian walk can be similar to a pilgrimage as I am living in community with others (Church, school, family, general life) and growing closer to Christ in my faith walk. As I age, my desire is to grow closer to Christ. Some things I would like to explore is to read more on the history of the Camino and look for the experiences of other Christians who have done the Camino. What were their expectations and what did they get out of it? I would love to gather some ideas and practical tips for another future pilgrimage, perhaps the Frances route!
I didn't really have a lot of expectations for the Camino as I did not really know what it was all about. As a Christian, Christ died for my sins, once for all, so I know that I don't need to work for my salvation. At the same time, my Christian walk can be similar to a pilgrimage as I am living in community with others (Church, school, family, general life) and growing closer to Christ in my faith walk. As I age, my desire is to grow closer to Christ. Some things I would like to explore is to read more on the history of the Camino and look for the experiences of other Christians who have done the Camino. What were their expectations and what did they get out of it? I would love to gather some ideas and practical tips for another future pilgrimage, perhaps the Frances route!
The photo at the top is of the three of us while hiking the Camino.
A photo of the Atlantic. I am always blown away by seeing the ocean! It reminds me of God's faithfulness and vast majesty! And wonder and mystery!
I don't know what kind of flower this is but it is beautiful!
We saw several tapestries in a monastery!
When one finishes the Camino, you get a compostela or certificate that says you completed it! I also have a certificate saying that I walked 280 km and on the far right is my Camino passport filled with stamps. When stopping at the auberges, they stamp your passport (have to have this to stay at an auberge). Cafes and churches will also have stamps to get along the way. The stamps in your passport are evidence showing that you hiked the Camino so that you have have the certificate.
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