The Walk to Santiago de Compostela or How a Disparate Group Became Family

So, why would a 79-year-old woman want to walk 100 kilometers (about 63 miles), even if it was through a beautiful route in western Spain?

Well, I was that woman and I don’t know how, where, or when the idea came to me that I wanted to walk the pilgrims walk (the Camino) to Santiago de Compostela where the relics of St. James the greater, one of the 12 Apostles and brother of John the Evangelist, are purported to rest. Was I crazy, or just wanted to challenge myself, or a combination of both?

The idea of an active vacation appealed to me. The Cathedral in Compostela was started in the 9th century and almost immediately pilgrims (peregrinos in Spanish) started to travel to Compostela to venerate the relics of St. James. By the 11th century, thousands of pilgrims came from all over Europe, developing multiple paths of varying lengths, that traversed multiple terrains.

To obtain an official certificate of completion of the walk, in this era, one must walk at least 100 kilometers. The most common route to travel is called the French Route, which is the most famous, and starts at the French-Spanish border and goes westward across northern Spain. The route we walked, the Portuguese Way, was more rural and less traveled than the French route and goes through Galacia from Tui to Santiago.  Lush green terrain, vineyards, vegetable gardens, and cool temperatures graced our walk.

A friend, who had been on the walk several years earlier and was eager to repeat the experience. She gathered a group of disparate personalities to join in the walk and worked out the details with a Spanish tour company, Fresco Tours. Here was my chance!!

My husband did not want to go but immediately nominated my son to go instead. He gladly agreed – his first foray to Europe.

There were 13 of us plus our guide, Jeffrey Barrera, and our driver, Raul. A few of the people in the group knew each other through a state-wide speakers organization, but most of us did not know each other. We were from all walks of life, a nice mix, with ages ranging from a 20-year-old college student to two of us geriatric folks.

Many people who walk the Camino carry back-packs and stay in hostels along the way. We had it pretty easy, with lovely accommodations in interesting places, including a count’s home and a renovated bank building, plus a van to carry our luggage. All we needed to do was walk, enjoy the alfresco lunches planned and executed by Jeffrey. Each meal was an experience in family-style dining on authentic Spanish food (and wine). What made this trip especially meaningful was the opportunity for a group of very different people to get to know one another. By the end of the trip, we were like a close-knit family. So, dynamically, what happened?

I believe that the shared meals, the “breaking of bread”, was an important underpinning of our relationships with one another. The meals brought us together. Breakfast, at our lodgings, was usually a quiet affair, as we were preparing ourselves mentally and physically for the day’s walk, sometimes as much as 11 miles. We usually stopped sometime during the morning for a coffee, the bathroom, and to have our Compostela “passports” stamped to prove that we walked the distance. By the time lunch came, we were ready to sit down and we were hungry. It provided an opportunity to share our experiences from the morning excursion. The fresh luncheon food always tasted especially good! There were usually a variety of salads, cheese, bread, wine, beer, served at nice pastoral spots along the way.

Dinner was always a festive meal, especially since we had done our walking for the day and had a chance to rest and freshen up a little. Most of our dinners were in local restaurants, with Jeffrey ordering the food and drink so that we could sample different Spanish cuisines and wines. Sharing meals family-style, day-after-day brought such cohesion to our group. It fostered caring relationships, like in a family. No one was a poor sport, or complained, or made everyone’s life miserable. After all, if one commits to walking 100 kilometers, one has to realize there will be strained muscles, sore feet, and some general fatigue. The time of communal meals brought us together and gave us time to share our impressions of the day and discuss the wonderful food we were eating and the wine we were drinking.

The trip ended in Santiago de Compostela in front of the Cathedral in a bustling square full of hundreds of other peregrinos. We had a tour of the Cathedral and museum, got to hug a statue of St. James from behind, attended a pilgrims mass, and received our certificates that validated we walked 100 kilometers.

Alas, it had to come to an end. But our friendships and caring for one another has continued and as soon as we are no longer captives at home due to COVID19, we will have a joyful reunion.