Camino de Taxila (Spanish Edition)

The line was down the stairs and wound around the streets outside. Pilgrims waited for hours to get their piece of paper. You'll surely break the record then, right? We worked overtime to do 1, It's hard to grasp these numbers, but here's one last attempt. I saw just one day hiker, two snowmobilers, and two skiers. Although I saw a few more backpackers during the last 6, km, each year fewer than backpackers finish the CDT. On a summer day on El Camino, it's common that pilgrims finish per hour!

Every year, more than , pilgrims earn a compostela which means they walked at least km. They come from over countries. The volume of pilgrims is simply staggering. One old guy who hiked the Appalachian Trail once told me, "What makes a thru-hike great is that an ordinary person can, with much effort, finish it and feel like Superman.

Few are good enough for the Olympics, but completing a thru-hike makes you feel like an Olympian. However, if doing an American thru-hike makes you feel like Superman, then doing El Camino might make an Appalachian Trail veteran feel like Spiderman. It's not that the El Camino isn't physically challenging.

The frequent pavement and heat cause many to develop feet, joint, and back problems. However, the flat terrain and easy access to creature comforts make El Camino de Santiago far easier than any of the Triple Crown trails. And that's precisely why it's so popular. Most people would rather walk just 20 km on a flat path, eat a warm restaurant meal, and have a shower and bed at the end of every day, than walk 40 km on a steep mountain trail, far from amenities. If the price is more road walking and less engaging scenery, most people are happy with the tradeoff.

But hike your own hike. One thing is certain, as much as I'm not fond of El Camino, I celebrate, applaud, and admire anyone who finishes it. In fact, I found finishing El Camino requires more mental toughness than the Triple Crown because El Camino is less rewarding to the wilderness lover than the Triple Crown. Although I'm criticizing El Camino, that doesn't mean I don't respect or salute those who hike it. My heart would soar whenever I saw anyone over 65 years old walking El Camino. Their stories were always the greatest and most inspiring.

Some have asked me to compare El Camino with the Triple Crown. Let's compare the distances. The majority of pilgrims start somewhere near the Pyrenees, doing km. Pilgrims are impressed when someone comes from Switzerland, Germany or Austria, doing just over 2, km. And those who start farther become legends.

One guy that many talked about had walked from Jerusalem, about 6, km. Furthermore, consider that the Triple Crown trails go over relatively isolated, steep mountain ranges.

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Thru-hikers may have to cover up to km between convenient resupply points. On El Camino, you'll never go more than 10 km between resupply points and it's mostly flat terrain everywhere. The point of these comparisons is not to argue that the Triple Crown trails are "better" than El Camino Santiago, but rather to illustrate that they are nearly incomparable! They are totally different experiences. They're so different that if you like one, you'll probably dislike the other. Hence, this explains why I think El Camino de Santiago sucks.

Some Camino fans will argue that my way to Santiago had two major flaws. First, the alternate through Los Picos de Europa and Asturias , while scenic, made me miss out on nearly half of El Camino Frances, so my journey wasn't typical. Second, by avoiding albergues , I missed out on the social aspect of El Camino, which, for many pilgrims, is the best part of the journey. Although I understand these criticisms, I hiked with enough pilgrims and stayed at enough albergues to get a good idea about the social side of El Camino.

However, I want more than cool international people on a trail. I can get a multicultural experience on the New York City Subway. A trail, for me, should take me away from civilization and deep into nature. On that metric, El Camino fails miserably. The Spanish call the place Finisterra , but the local Gallegos, who have their own language in the Galician region of Spain, call the place Fisterra. The Romans gave its name because they believe it was the end of the earth.

As brilliant as the Romans were, they didn't have GPS. As a result, Fisterra is a big hoax. Although it may feel like you're standing on the edge of the world when you're in Fisterra, it's not the westernmost part of Europe. That point is hundreds of kilometers further south near Lisbon, Portugal. What's even more galling is that Fisterra is not even the westernmost point in Spain!

The actual westernmost point is a few kilometers to the north. Once you get there, however, you can see why the Romans thought this was the ultimate land's end. It really feels like you're standing on the edge of the planet.

As I stood at Fisterra, I thought about a man who also stood there, and would later become the President of the United States. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, this man was desperate: Fisterra was the first piece of ground available to him, so he landed there. However, his desperation didn't stop. The future of the United States depended on him. If he failed on his mission, the United States might collapse. With no ship, he did something incredible: He hurried as fast as he could, eager to cover as much ground as possible.

He was in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to see Santiago de Compostela, something he would later deeply regret. But at that moment, it didn't matter — he had to save his nation, and time was running out. All of it over land and at a ferocious pace. Once in Paris, he hurried straight to the highest office in the land. He begged the French for money and weapons to kill the British. Nevertheless, the French agreed to help this rebellious America terrorist. It was June , three years into the American Revolutionary War.

Without French assistance, America may not have turned into the nation it is today.

10 Reasons Why El Camino Santiago Sucks

This partly explains why Americans returned the favor when they helped to liberate France from the Nazis years later. This man, who traveled much of El Camino de Santiago in reverse, from Fisterra to Paris, to save our nation, returned a hero and became America's first Vice President, serving under George Washington.

Later, American elected this man to become the second President of the United States. His name was John Adams. The trip from Santiago to Fisterra takes three days, so you should have three stamps. You only have one stamp. So you can't stay. It doesn't have to take three days. I took just 48 hours to do that distance. Besides, I never stay in albergues , I sleep outside.

Do you want me to bring all the pilgrims here who saw me walking as witnesses that I really walked here? Or do you want me to show you the photos of the last 88 km? You should have gotten your stamps even if you don't stay at the albergue s. Do I have to go out of my way for a stamp? I was there at 2 p. Should I have waited three hours for her just to get a stamp? The woman shrugged and said, "Those are the rules.

Without stamps to prove where you were, it's possible that you took a bus all the way here. Her logic was funny, especially since she might be able to smell that I hadn't taken a shower in a couple of days. She might have noticed the disheveled clothes that I've been wearing for the past 18 months of travel. According to this system, pilgrimages were a suitable form of expiation for some temporal punishment, and they could be used as acts of penance for those who were guilty of certain crimes.

As noted in the Catholic Encyclopedia: In the registers of the Inquisition at Carcassone James at Compostella [sic], St. Thomas' body at Canterbury, and the relics of the Three Kings at Cologne. There is still a tradition in Flanders of pardoning and releasing one prisoner every year [21] under the condition that, accompanied by a guard, the prisoner walks to Santiago wearing a heavy backpack. During the war of American Independence, John Adams was ordered by Congress to go to Paris to obtain funds for the cause.

His ship started leaking and he disembarked with his two sons in Finisterre in From there he proceeded to follow the Way of St. James in the reverse direction of the pilgrims' route, in order to get to Paris overland. He did not stop to visit Santiago, which he later came to regret. In his autobiography, Adams described the customs and lodgings afforded to St. James's pilgrims in the 18th century and he recounted the legend as he learned it: I have always regretted that We could not find time to make a Pilgrimage to Saintiago de Compostella.

A certain Shepherd saw a bright Light there in the night. Afterwards it was revealed to an Archbishop that St. James was buried there. In the time of the Moors, the People made a Vow, that if the Moors should be driven from this Country, they would give a certain portion of the Income of their Lands to Saint James. The Moors were defeated and expelled and it was reported and believed, that Saint James was in the Battle and fought with a drawn Sword at the head of the Spanish Troops, on Horseback.

The People, believing that they owed the Victory to the Saint, very cheerfully fulfilled their Vows by paying the Tribute. Upon the Supposition that this is the place of the Sepulchre of Saint James, there are great numbers of Pilgrims, who visit it, every Year, from France, Spain, Italy and other parts of Europe, many of them on foot. Adams' great-grandson, the historian Henry Adams visited Leon, among other Spanish cities, during his trip through Europe as a youth, although he did not follow the entire pilgrimage route. Although it is commonly believed that the pilgrimage to Santiago has continued without interruption since the Middle Ages, that is not at all the case.

Since then, hundreds of thousands over , in [25] of Christian pilgrims and many others set out each year from their homes, or from popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few [ quantify ] travel as some of their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey for example, the British author and humorist Tim Moore. In addition to those undertaking a religious pilgrimage, many are hikers who walk the route for travel or sport.

Also, many consider the experience a spiritual retreat from modern life. Here only a few routes are named. For a complete list of all the routes traditional and less so , see: Camino de Santiago route descriptions. Camino Primitivo , or Original Way , is the oldest route to Santiago de Compostela, first taken in the 9th century and which begins in Oviedo. It is a less popular route because of its changes in elevation, whereas the Camino Frances is mostly flat.

The route follows the coast along the Bay of Biscay until it nears Santiago. Though it does not pass through as many historic points of interest as the Camino Frances, it has cooler summer weather. The route is believed to have been first used by pilgrims to avoid traveling through the territories occupied by the Muslims in the Middle Ages.

Most Spanish consider the French border in the Pyrenees the natural starting point.

Camino de Santiago

In Spain, France and Portugal, pilgrim's hostels with beds in dormitories provide overnight accommodation for pilgrims who hold a credencial see below. Hostels may be run by the local parish, the local council, private owners or pilgrims' associations. Occasionally, these refugios are located in monasteries, such as the one run by monks in Samos, Spain , and the one in Santiago de Compostela. The final hostel on the route is the famous [ according to whom? It was originally constructed by Ferdinand and Isabel, the Catholic Monarchs. Today it is a luxury 5-star Parador hotel, which still [ when?

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5. Associations et territoires éducatifs : Lexemple de six fédérations de la Ligue de lenseignement : Aube, Calvados, Corrèze, Gironde, Loire, Val dOise (French Edition).

Most [ quantify ] pilgrims purchase and carry a document called the credencial , which gives access to overnight accommodation along the route. Also known as the "pilgrim's passport", the credencial is stamped with the official St. James stamp of each town or refugio at which the pilgrim has stayed. It provides pilgrims with a record of where they ate or slept and serves as proof to the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago that the journey was accomplished according to an official route and thus that the pilgrim qualifies to receive a compostela certificate of completion of the pilgrimage.

The compostela is a certificate of accomplishment given to pilgrims on completing the Way. In practice, for walkers, the closest convenient point to start is Sarria , as it has good bus and rail connections to other places in Spain. The compostela has been indulgenced since the Early Middle Ages and remains so to this day, during Holy Years. Latin version of name of recipient.

Hoc sacratissimum Templum pietatis causa devote visitasse. In quorum fidem praesentes litteras, sigillo ejusdem Sanctae Ecclesiae munitas, ei confero. Datum Compostellae die day mensis month anno Dei year. The CHAPTER of this holy apostolic and metropolitan Church of Compostela, guardian of the seal of the Altar of the blessed Apostle James, in order that it may provide authentic certificates of visitation to all the faithful and to pilgrims from all over the earth who come with devout affection or for the sake of a vow to the shrine of our Apostle St. James, the patron and protector of Spain, hereby makes known to each and all who shall inspect this present document that [Name].

As a faithful witness of these things I confer upon him [or her] the present document, authenticated by the seal of the same Holy Church. James the Greater; and wishes that the holy Apostle may grant you, in abundance, the graces of the Pilgrimage. The Pilgrim's Office gives more than , compostelas each year to pilgrims from more than different countries. However, the requirements to earn a compostela ensure that not everyone who walks on the Camino receives one. The requirements for receiving a compostela are: In the Holy Year of the Pilgrim's Mass was exceptionally held four times a day, at Following the Xunta's investment and advertising campaign for the Holy Year of , the number of pilgrims completing the route has been steadily rising.

The next Holy Year will occur in , 11 years after the last Holy Year of More than , pilgrims made the trip during the course of From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For the documentary, see El camino de Santiago film. Shell of Saint James and Pilgrim's hat. The pilgrim route is a very good thing, but it is narrow. For the road which leads us to life is narrow; on the other hand, the road which leads to death is broad and spacious.

The pilgrim route is for those who are good: It takes us away from luscious foods, it makes gluttonous fatness vanish, it restrains voluptuousness, constrains the appetites of the flesh which attack the fortress of the soul, cleanses the spirit, leads us to contemplation, humbles the haughty, raises up the lowly, loves poverty.

It hates the reproach of those fuelled by greed. It loves, on the other hand, the person who gives to the poor.

10 Reasons Why El Camino Santiago Sucks | Spain Trails | Travels

It rewards those who live simply and do good works; And, on the other hand, it does not pluck those who are stingy and wicked from the claws of sin. Latin version of name of recipient Hoc sacratissimum Templum pietatis causa devote visitasse. Pilgrims finishing the Camino Since — present. El Camino de Santiago ; Portuguese: O Caminho de Santiago ; French: Le chemin de Saint-Jacques ; German: Der Jakobsweg ; Italian: Il Cammino di san Giacomo. The Roads to Santiago: University of California Press.

This entry on indulgences suggests that the evolution of the doctrine came to include pilgrimage to shrines as a trend that developed from the 8th century A. Albans in England or at Compostela in Spain. But the most important place of pilgrimage was Rome. According to Bede — the visitatio liminum , or visit to the tomb of the Apostles, was even then regarded as a good work of great efficacy Hist. At first the pilgrims came simply to venerate the relics of the Apostles and martyrs ; but in course of time their chief purpose was to gain the indulgences granted by the pope and attached especially to the Stations.

Archived from the original on 16 September Retrieved 6 March Retrieved 21 October The Staff and the Escallop shell q. The usual form of representation is figure 1 , but in some the hook is wanting, and when this is the case it is scarcely distinguishable from a pastoral staff as borne by some of the monasteries: While, too, it is represented under different forms, it is blazoned as will be seen also, under different names, e.

The crutch, perhaps, should be represented with the transverse piece on the top of the staff like the letter T instead of across it. Archived from the original on 1 March Walking the Camino de Santiago. International Dictionary of Historic Places. New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia , retrieved 1 December Archived from the original on 1 April