Pilgrimage to Santiago: walking from The Netherlands to
Spain! -
Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the final destination of
one of the oldest and most famous pilgrimages in Europe, the Camino de
Santiago. This pilgrimage leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in
northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint
James the Great, are buried. Today, the Camino still attracts people who are
looking to enjoy the beauty of this part of Spain. When you long for adventure,
a new experience or want to contemplate on your life once again, this
pilgrimage could be ideal for you.
Pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela
What is hiking to Santiago de Compostela like? Based on my
personal experience I can tell you that it’s about going back to basics. Both
physically and mentally. This is especially true when you start some 2,400
kilometers before the city that has been the destination for pilgrims for over
1,000 years.
When you start your adventure in St. Jean Pied de Port, just
before the Spanish frontiers, the route contains 800 kilometres of different
landscapes, good accommodations, friendly local people and – most important –
loads and loads of fellow pilgrims. No worries about where to sleep or where to
eat, everything is well organised and within a month you can reach the
cathedral of Santiago. Even if you’re not the sportiest person in the world.
I can recommend the Spanish part of the Way to Santiago that
is frequented mostly: the camino Frances. Personally, I have had many beautiful
encounters during this part of the trip. Of course you will have to suffer when
rain, loneliness and a hurt body befall you. But because everything is
well-organised you can just focus on your hiking and the questions you would
like to think over.
However, if you are a bit more adventurous and would like to
have the more real pilgrim experience, then you better start long before the
Spanish frontiers. I started in the heart of The Netherlands, 2,400 km before
Santiago. The third night of my hike I slept in my tent in a forest area with
frozen waters. I managed to survived the first weeks and bit by bit I started
to recognize possibilities where to sleep and where to eat. People were amazed
when I told them about my final goal. I didn’t realise the extent of the
project I had just started.
Step by step the beauty of this adventure was unfolded to
me. Via Namur, Reims and Auxerre in France, I reached Vézelay: the place to be
for wannabe-pilgrims. From there it took me another 900 kilometres of French
cities, quiet, rural life and deserted areas. Sometimes local people offered
accommodation, or – also very important – a chat or a smile. This is what a
pilgrimage is all about. Meeting others and, in them, yourself. Handing
yourself into new, unexpected situations. Feeling the pain of hurt feet long
before arrival. And being satisfied once having arrived in a new place and
taking a shower.
Sometimes you will feel lonely. Then you’ll meet someone who
takes the same way with different motives. In the end, this experience will
certainly bring other answers and thoughts than you could have imagined before.
The satisfaction of having done this, going through difficult moments, being in
touch with nature and people around you, will certainly make you say: when will
I do this again?
A website that is full with information and links to other
useful websites on the subject is Camino de Santiago.
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