Way of St James

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Way of St James

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Europe was born from pilgrimage Goethe

• The way of St. James is a museum of over 800
  kilometers. The pilgrimage of a thousand years
  have left a treasure of Romanesque Gothic,
  Renaissance and Baroque art along the way to
  Compostela.

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Why is it important?

• This pilgrimage is considered one of three
  pilgrimages on which all sins could be forgiven -
  the others being Rome and the pilgrimage to
  Jerusalem.
• Not only is this pilgrimage seen as a religious
  event, but its also seen as a cultural,
  spiritual or touristic event where people of all
  ages participate.

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Walking el Camino

• For more than 1000 years
• pilgrims have been walking
• along the Camino de Santiago.
• It could take from 4-8 weeks of walking, an
• average of20 miles/day in order to complete
• the route.Generally the walk does involve an
• average daily distances of about 14 -20 miles,
  but
• it follows well marked paths with good surfaces.
• We will provide a step by step guide to the
• Walk and the location of our nightly
• hostel-hotel. It is possible to have extra days
• in Santiago at the end and have a rest day
• during the journey. We would recommend
• visiting Portomarin where you can
• easily journey to the historic Roman city of
  Lugo.

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Who travels to Santiago?

• In addition to people on a
• religious pilgrimage there
• are many travelers and
• hikers who walk the route
• for non-religious reasons
• such as for enjoyment, travel,
• sport or simply the challenge
• of weeks of walking in a
• foreign land and having the privilege of meeting
  people from
• all over the world.

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Routes to Santiago

• The Way of St James is a collection of old
  pilgrimage
• routes which cover all Europe they all have
• Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as
• their final destination.
• The entire camino begins in France, and its
  about 800 km long.
• Walking paths are always open.
• We would take a shortcut and start el Camino in
  León, which still guarantees us the Compostela
  certificate since it is over 100 kilometers.

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How to get there?

• Some pilgrims travel on horseback, by donkey,
• by car, by plane, by train,
• or by bicycle.
• The most popular and
• rewarding way is to travel
• by foot.

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Certification

• People can be certificated
• for having accomplished
• such a long route.
• In order to be certificated,
• you must walk at least 100
• km or bike at least 200 km
• of the route.

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Stamps needed for your certification

• The network of shelters along the way will stamp
• your passport as evidence.

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Planning

• A plan was elaborated to try to foresee all
  details, from the stage of preparation until the
  trip itself.
• The biggest problem when considering the Camino
  to Santiago is the amount of time required to
  walk it. Most of our pilgrims should be able to
  walk the Camino in about three weeks. We plan to
  walk early morning until noon. We do not want to
  rush each day. We plan to walk 4 -5 hours and
  then find an albergue, rest or get to know the
  city or village.
• It is the type of trip that "happens once in a
  life time, though many Pilgrims end up walking
  it more than once.

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Mental Preparation

• Mental preparation Why am I doing this? We would
  ask interested students, faculty and staff to
  take time to prepare a purpose for this
  pilgrimage. Start from the basis that you are
  essentially a spiritual being on a human journey,
  not a human being on a spiritual one.

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Physical Preparation

• Physical preparation Any reasonably fit person
  can accomplish any of the way-marked caminos
  without undue stress, but it is always advisable
  to put in some physical training before the trip.
  Interested pilgrims should start breaking their
  trekking shoes two months in advance and walk
  with their backpacks with a 10 -14 lbs. weight
  (or 10 of you total body weight) for at least
  two hours daily in order to later avoid most
  common injuries, such as strained tendons and
  blisters that normally occur in the early days.
  It takes the body a few days to adjust to the
  regular walking with full backpack.

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Albergues ( Hostels)

• Lodging they are plentiful on the route to
  Santiago, very clean and well taken care by
  religious orders. They have common kitchen and
  separate sleeping quarters for men and women.
  Some albergues serve breakfast. It is important
  to note that Spanish breakfast is very small. We
  need to complement it with fruit, yogurt, and
  other protein food. To gain admittance to
  albergues or refugios (hostels) along the road,
  Pilgrims must present a credential to prove that
  they are hiking or biking the road. Each day, as
  pilgrims pass through towns, they will receive
  one, sometimes two, stamps in their credential
• Please note that almost all the people that will
  greet you in an albergue are volunteers. This is
  their way of giving back to the Camino de
  Santiago, please treat them with the respect they
  are due, without them the Way of St James would
  be much more difficult for all.
• The facilities vary greatly. Some albergues are
  warm and cozy, some are old school buildings that
  lack any atmosphere, some have washing machines,
  and some do not. At times washing clothes will
  have to be done by hand. Every albergue has hot
  showers. In most towns there will be a bar that
  serves the "Pilgrim menu", this is usually
  cheaper, but with little choice, (about 7 to
  10). A lot of abergues now have internet
  connection.
• The house rules vary - most will be open from 4pm
  and close in the evening at ten or eleven and
  you need to be beware of them because at some
  albergues they will lock you out. Some will wake
  you at 600 in the morning and you will normally
  be out by 700 am. Pilgrims are allowed one night
  stay unless medical grounds force the person to
  rest (sore knees, feet, etc.)
• The closer you come to Santiago, the busier the
  albergues are patience is a requirement not an
  option. It is an incredible experience, see it
  for what it is, a pilgrimage to Santiago de
  Compostela.

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Money

• Taking three weeks out means organizing the money
  side of things also. Walking the Camino de
  Santiago itself is not expensive once you are
  there. I could quite easily live on 25 per day.
  While in the Camino,in a period of three weeks,
  less than 1000 is needed. The cost of albergues
  is normally between 3 and 10. (Budget for a
  couple of nights in a pension at some point, it
  is good to have a well 20 to 30 rest per night
  per room). Pilgrim Menus are affordable and they
  include a three course meal for about to 7 to
  10. Buying a sandwich and fruit during the day
  is very cheap. All albergues have washers and
  driers for a 3 fee.

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Health and Emergency

• There are several medical facilities in each town
  plus an emergency service we can call any time.
  We are inquiring about insurance while in Spain
  similar to the one we require for the Valladolid
  May term.

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Safety

• In spite of the renowned safety of Camino de
  Santiago in modern times, we plan to walk in
  groups and arrive in villages or town before
  dark.

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Getting to Leon

• Arriving to Madrid by plane. Flights From April
  2008 Ryanair fly direct to Santiago from
  Liverpool. This supplements their popular daily
  flights from London Stansted. Iberia's low cost
  airline clickair continues its flights direct
  from London to La Corunna and Barcelona Seville
  to Santiago.Madrid-Leon by train  From Leon
  to Santiago, the French route,but starting in
  Leon León Astorga Ponferrada and then they
  enter Galicia via O Cebreiro Samos Sarria
  Portomarín Palas de Reis Melide Arzúa
  Santiago de Compostela.
• After Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims return to
  Leon or Madrid by train All routes along the way
  are marked by a yellow arrow and the sea Shell
  sign

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Packing List

• Trekking shoes (ankle high)or boots . This is the
  most important thing you will need. Consider
  walking 20 kilometers a day. The boots will be
  on your feet from six or seven in the morning
  until 12 or 1 in the afternoon,.
• Pilgrims should spend as much as possible on good
  well fitting shoes/boots, they don't need to be
  water proof for summer walking, leather boots are
  usually the best. Gore tex for summer time is not
  a good idea as the boot keeps all the heat inside
  due to the dust clogging up the fabric.
• Pilgrims should buy a light backpack not likely
  to fall apart before three hard weeks use. Make
  sure your full backpack does not weigh more than
  10 of your body weight. Your backpack should sit
  on your hips, the weight should not be on your
  shoulders, adjust the straps.
• People that walked the Camino more than once have
  learned to take as little as possible.

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Packing Essentials

• Needle and thread - when you get a blister this
  will help. Thread the needle and run through the
  blister, leave a bit of thread inside to drain
  the blister.
• Two pairs of shorts, one for night other for day.
  (zip able long trousers are good)
• 1 T-shirt
• 1 shirt (light weigh, quick drying)
• 2 pairs of socks
• 2 pairs underwear
• Rain gear - poncho is the best.
• Fleece, it does get cold at night and the
  mornings can be chilly
• Sandals for evenings
• Pain-killers
• Sunscreen, a must!
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Toiletries - keep it very light
• Towel - get quick dry from outdoor store, they
  are also super light
• Camera
• Earplugs - too many people snore - loudly
• Small lantern
• Swiss army knife

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Other Things

• But there are others things that we would also
  consider, a journal, a good book (exchange when
  finished at hostels). The whole point of keeping
  your backpack light is to make the journey more
  enjoyable, sore knees from carrying too much is
  common.

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History

• According to tradition, the Way of Saint James
  began in the ninth century when, according to
  legend, the remains of Saint James the Apostle
  were discovered in Libredón Forest, where the
  city of Santiago de Compostela now stands, and
  where the saint's relics are kept in the
  Cathedral. From these beginnings the pilgrimage
  to Santiago became a driving force for
  extraordinary spiritual, social, cultural and
  economic vitality. In the course of its 1,200
  years of history, it also became a symbol of
  fraternity amongst different peoples and the
  corner stone and focal point for an incipient,
  generalized global awareness of Europe.

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History II

• The Way of Saint James was spawned by a
  religious-minded society in the Middle Ages .
  Religious motivation lives on today, although
  meeting other people, personal achievement and
  integration with nature and art have also come to
  figure as reasons to undertake the pilgrimage,
  which has become a mass phenomenon of pilgrims
  and volunteers from the four corners of the
  globe. One example of its popularity is that
  calculations put the number of pilgrims that will
  have visited Santiago de Compostela by the end of
  the Holy Year, at a record six million.
  Improvement and maintenance of the 800
  kilometers-long Road, which for the most part
  crosses Spain and France, is the work of
  thousands of volunteers and hospice wardens.

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History III

• In 1987 the Council of Europe named the French
  Way as First European Cultural Itinerary. In
  1993, UNESCO highlighted the importance and
  significance of the Way of Saint James by
  declaring it part of Mankind's Cultural Heritage.
  The Council of Europe confirmed its backing in
  2004 by naming it a Primary European Cultural
  Itinerary, stating that it demonstrated "the
  importance of man in society and the ideas of
  freedom and justice. The Way of Saint James is
  an opportunity for tolerance, learning and
  solidarity, for dialogue and coming together.
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City and Cathedral

• In 997, The city along with the
• church were destroyed by Almazor,
• a Moorish military commander,
• however he respected the Apostolic
• tomb so much that he left it
• undestroyed.
• Since the late 1980s St James Way has attracted a
  growing number of modern-day pilgrims from all
  around the globe.

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The Cathedral

• Final goal destination!...

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Monuments

• Entrance to Cathedral St Jamess remains
  

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Mass celebration at the end of pilgrimage
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Virtual Tour Cathedral of Santiago

• http//www.catedraldesantiago.es/

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