And now for a Special Announcement...

So, it’s been a long time coming (and at with least a little bit of planning) that I can tell you with great excitement that on May 4, 2010, I will be leaving to walk the Camino de Santiago.  The Camino or “Way of St. James” in English is an ancient pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de Compostela, in northwest Spain (incidentally the city where my sister studied abroad), where it is said the bones of St. James the Apostle are buried.  It is an ancient route, one of the three main pilgrimage sites in the Middle Ages (the other two being Rome and Jerusalem, so it’s got something good going for sure).  The main route or “Camino Francés” traverses northern Spain for 775 km (481 mi.), but many people in both ancient times and today have left directly from their doorsteps, whether it be in Germany or France, close to the route or not.  That is what I intend to do.  This year is a “Xacobeo” or year in which St. James’ saint day falls on a Sunday, which increases the number of pilgrims a TON.  So, the Camino Francés is liable to be pretty saturated.  Due to this, and Cáceres’ situation on an alternate route, the Vía de la Plata (or “Silver Way,” an old Roman road), I’m going to leave straight from my street, Calle Caleros.  In total, I’ll be walking 683 km (424 miles), which Google maps says will take 5 days and 15 hours (I think that would get tiring ;) I’m planning on spreading it out to 26.  Normally people take about 40 days for the Camino Francés, but my route is shorter and I’m kind of hemmed in by a plane ticket – as I’ve already learned, balancing idealism with practicality is a good skill.  Some might think I’m crazy to walk over 400 miles (including me) but there’s just something pulling at me to do the Camino.  This has been something I’ve thought about doing ever since I knew about it, and now I’m 20 years old and in Spain, so when else am I going to get the chance to do it?!?  I’ll be staying in Pilgrim Hostels or “albergues” along the route – set up by churches or volunteer organizations for like €3-€8 a night.  They provide a bed, but it’s bring your own sleeping bag.  Should be a wonderful exercise in community!

            In the past, the pilgrimage was done for religious or penitential reasons, and it still retains some of its religious importance today, but also has become a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers.  For me, it’s a little bit of everything.  There’s definitely a spiritual and a religious aspect as I reflect on the kind of life I want to live in this formative period – I’ll be taking my Spanish Bible along and hope to finish the New Testament and get through some of the Old.  I definitely want to do some critical thinking about my future – we could all stand to do a little bit of that.  The adventure aspect also appeals to me. I mean, walking 25 km a day will not be comfortable, but hopefully I’ll get to see some beautiful countryside, meet some great people, experience some authentic Spanish culture, and just keep walking.  It ought to be a great test of will, endurance, and optimism – and as one of my favorite quotes goes, “On the road to the goal, the road is the goal.”  I’m hoping the Camino is a great capstone to a semester of learning Spanish – they say that the alternate routes require a knowledge of the language, so I’m glad to have that!  Overall, I’m looking to get away for a while – escape the imprisonment of technology and discover who I am outside the Facebook profile (ok that sounds really cheesy, but really I’ve realized how dependent we all are upon our tiny metal boxes).  That being said I’ll probably cling to every Internet opportunity I get, but then life’s full of contradictions.  The reasons for my Camino are complicated and numerous, but overall the route is something that has called me – and here I go to set about answering it!

            Though I’ve still got a lot of planning to work out in the next two weeks, I’m definitely looking forward to my journey.  Going on a shopping trip this weekend for all that I still need: some quick dry shirts, a sleeping bag and pad, rain poncho (hope I don’t have to use it very often…), hat, headlamp, Swiss army knife, boot insoles, and a pack to keep it all in.  They recommend no more than 10% of your body weight to carry with you, but I can’t imagine wanting that much stuff anyway!  Still have to work out where I’m sending all my stuff, but I’ve got my flights home, so I know I’ll make it.  I’ve got the blessing of my family, which is extremely important: both my mom and brother gave me a conch shell, the symbol of the Camino, when they left after visiting here.  That means such a great deal!!!  I know I’m blessed as I head out on the road, and it’s almost here!