Neighbours sparked my initial interest in Camino de Santiago. They enthusiastically described walking parts of pilgrimage routes through towns in France, Spain and Portugal. All routes eventually led to the shrine of the apostle St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
Several years later, my 70-year-old friend, Beverly, trained to walk with her friend for seven days in Spain. Her tenacity, perseverance and excitement impelled a library search, but the detailed maps and information overwhelmed me. Instead, I found that I was inspired by personal stories written by people who had done Caminos. Their humour and struggles intrigued me.
Motivated to do one now? Definitely! But I couldn’t find anyone to join me, and I wasn’t ready to go solo. After a Celebration of Life planning visit to Hope for our older brother, Dan, I shared my dilemma with my sister, Lisa. Dan passed away in March 2020 in extended care at the tender age of 66. Perhaps it was coming to terms with so much loss, first our parents, and now our brother, but when I spoke of this desire to walk a Camino, Lisa responded enthusiastically, “I’ll go with you!”
Soon after we made this sisterly pact, I joined the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, where I would learn about footwear, routes, accommodation, starting points and basically everything related to Caminos.
Memories of shivering one night as a backpacking 19-year-old undoubtedly influenced trip planning discussions with my sister. Neither of us wanted to show up in a new town with no place to sleep, or to walk wearing a full-sized backpack. It was an easy decision to pay an agency to arrange our accommodation and luggage transfers. Not so easy was deciding which route to take.
Luckily, the agency also offered self-guided Camino tours, and we chose the last 100 kilometres of the Camino Frances, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. As our departure date grew nearer, a flurry of texts, emails and phone calls helped us narrow down final details.
EXCITEMENT, EXHILARATION, EXHAUSTION
In Europe, many people start their Camino from home. Our version of that involved Lisa and I rolling our tiny suitcases via bus and SkyTrain to the Vancouver airport, then again in Madrid using buses and trains, and finally walking up the long ancient hill to the first hostel of our itinerary in Sarria, Spain. After tearing open a package of maps and other treasures from the tour company, Lisa promptly fell into a long and deep sleep.
My empty tank was fueled by the excitement of noisy, cheerful diners who were seated with heaping plates of food, bread and wine outside our hostel. It reminded me of the Camino stories I had read. Not typically an extrovert, I invited myself to join a table of women I’d seen earlier in the day on the train. There was an immediate connection with these fellow pilgrims as we shared our plans. My sister eventually joined us. I couldn’t wait to experience this same sense of freedom, each day, as we ventured into the unknown.
DAY ONE – SARRIA TO PORTOMARIN, 22KM
When I travelled in the late ’70s, cell phones didn’t exist. I relied on maps, guidebooks and people, the latter being the least likely to be accurate with their tendency to say, “just over the next hill.”
In Sarria, Lisa and I were given five detailed maps, one for each day of travel. We studied the route distances and elevation at the beginning and end of each day. On the actual path, however, we relied on the blue and yellow signposts, giving particular attention to the distance, which showed us how much further there was to go until we reached Santiago de Compostela.
Those signs kept us oriented, but I admit to also relying on Lisa’s phone and navigational skills. We had been given a Camino passport and were required to stamp it at least twice a day at churches, accommodations, cafés or anywhere else that offered a stamp if we intended to collect the Credencial in Santiago.
Our first opportunity for a stamp was on a steep path in the woods, along with water, bananas and a donation bowl. “Buen Camino!” said the gentle entrepreneur, as we sweated and panted up the hill.
Days two, three, four and five of walking followed a similar pattern. We dressed for the expected weather, packed and delivered our suitcases to the assigned drop off location, ate breakfast, then with day packs full of snacks, water, band-aids and painkillers, we embraced another day of walking.
The air always seemed so cool, fresh and invigorating at this point in the day. We developed a sense of timing. Typically, we’d hope to walk for two hours, take a café latté break, walk again, eat lunch, then hit the final stretch. Delightful tiny churches, graveyards, photo ops, cobblestones, endlessly steep ascents and descents, stunningly green vistas, sheep, cows on the road, sleeping German Shepherds and granaries were everywhere.
If one of us complained too much about painful blisters or knees, the other would ask if a taxi was needed, but neither of us was willing to give up the challenge. Foolish or not, we were both determined to find our way to Santiago on foot.
Excitement and exhaustion grew as we approached the ancient city. We were so grateful to see cathedral spires far in the distance grow closer and closer, until finally we heard bagpipes playing on the last stretch to the giant courtyard. Exhausted pilgrims lay on the ground or perched with their packs on rock walls in front of the 11th century church. My dear husband was waiting there to envelop us in a giant congratulatory hug.
Later, a tour guide explained several versions of the incredible story of Saint James, his connection to the Santiago area, and how his remains were brought from Jerusalem and buried there. Spiritual quest, pilgrimage or simply a very special experience, there’s no denying that the story continues to inspire people like me and Lisa.
IF YOU GO
Adventure planning company – We chose https://www.thenaturaladventure.com/
Flight: Madrid was the closest major city to Sarria, our starting point. Flights from Vancouver to Madrid are available through other airlines but we chose British Airways. Santiago has a major airport for the trip home.
Bus to Madrid City Centre https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Madrid-Airport-MAD/Madrid-City-Center#
Train to Sarria – https://www.renfe.com/es/en We bought our tickets at home before the trip.
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