Santo Domingo

The miracle of this area occurred in the 14Th century. One day, a pilgrim family, father, mother and son arrived in Santo Domingo. At the inn where they stayed, the owner's daughter developed a crush on the boy, but the boy's virtue could not be compromised while he walked. Angry at being scorned, the girl slipped a silver cup in the boy's rucksack. When the family was leaving town, she informed the local authorities of the theft. Chased down, the boy proclaimed his innocence, but he was sentenced to death and hanged from a tree at the edge of town.

The grieving parents walked on to Santiago to fulfill their pledge. On their return trip, as they approached Santo Domingo, they could still see the silhouette of their son's body dangling from a branch. (In some parts of Europe, the indignity of a death sentence was rounded out by leaving the body to rot of the rope) As they neared the tree, though, they could see their son moving: He spoke right up, explaining that their dutiful journey to Santiago had won James' heart. The saint had returned the boy's life and than held him up by the arms until their return. To us, perhaps, a pretty serious miracle. But in the Middle Ages, various states of unconsciousness were thought to be "death", so the resurrection was actually common, The story continues.

The parents ran to the town mayor and insisted that he come and see what had happened. The mayor, always depicted in paintings as a portly, well-fed bureaucrat, was seated at his dinner table, ready to cut into 2 hot roasted chickens. He dismissed the parents as insane and complained that their crying was interrupting his meal. Annoyed at their presence, he finally shouted, "Your boy can no more be alive than these chickens could get up and crow!" Immediately, the main course stirred. The chickens kicked away the garnishes and vegetables. They stretched their plucked brown wings. They squawked and danced across the table. The boy was cut down and the miracle proclaimed. The story of resurrected chickens had a profound tug on the medieval mind. Hundreds of versions of the miracle dead and crowing fowl can be found throughout Europe. This is yet another one.

Ghost towns in Spain

Today we are walking from Nejara to Santo Domingo. It's an easy 20 kms and the only unusual sighting is a different type of ghost town. We associate ghost towns as an once thriving town that has been abandoned due to environmental issues, such as drought, volcanic eruptions or because there were no employment opportunities available any longer. Here I think about the gold rush or other mining industries that brought the town it's wealth and made it livable. Today's ghost town feels eerie just the same but is completely different. We are walking through a brand-new ghost town. Yes recently build houses, all up for grabs but no one living there. Nice town, very expensive. Walking through Spain you come to realise that economically Spain isn't rich. The vast poverty is obvious wherever you turn. Only major towns appear to be livable cities. There you could have an easy life with all the pros and cons we experience in our world. The Spanish are building these cities everywhere but this must be the first time that it appears that supply outweighs demand. We arrive in Santo Domingo around 1pm and a fellow pilgrim takes us to the cathedral in the town and after the sight-seeing tells us about the legend of Santo Doming and the 2 chickens.

Missed the obvious

Let's get back to the walking. The last couple of days have been rather uneventful and straight forward. Since arriving at Puerta de la Reina, 3 days have passed and we are now walking from Logrono to Nejara. Lately we seem to cover a lot of ground, 30 kilometres per day are a regular occurrence and today is no exception. The walk is like a scene from a movie. I feel, I have arrived in the wild wild west. Our eyes are enjoying every bit of scenery there is and as we wander into Nejara it doesn't stop. We are having trouble finding the albergue, and end up having a discussion about the fact that the albergues almost always seem to be on the other side of the town. Trust me, at the end of the days walk, you are buggered and just long to arrive at an albergue and rest. We end up asking a couple of times for directions in our very broken Spanish. People keep pointing in the same direction, so on we go up a hill and out of town. Here Gary thinks "something is wrong". Albergues are never out of town. We head back and walk straight to the Albergue. People were standing in front of the sign on our first passing and consequently we walked straight passed it. People kept telling us to keep going in that direction to head to the next town. We have walked an extra 5 kilometres and this is the first time that I feel like throwing in the towel. I am really struggling and just want to drop on the spot and ..........At the albergue I shower and get talking. Another pilgrim tells me never to trust the Spanish people to know the way. We have made so many friends now and tonight we all decide to share a meal. Christiaan and I are cooking and the rest are providing the wine that is a customary to have with meals in Spain. I like this tradition and it's free, refills and all. Afterwards a group of pilgrims including Gary and myself play cards and just enjoy the camaraderie between our fellow pilgrims and us.

Symbol of the Camino- the scallop shell

A question many pilgrims have as they prepare to walk the Camino de Santiago is how will I know where to go next? Buying a guide book and sticking it in your pack is a good idea, but other than that , the simple answer is follow the shells. The scallop shells are often yellow and appear regularly in many different shapes and sizes along the trail. They may be spray-painted on a tree or cemented into a sidewalk or mounted on the side of a building or standing along the side of the trail like a road sign, but finding them along the way is all part of the fun. Many pilgrims who walk the Camino wonder if the scallop shell has any special significance to the Camino de Santiago. Looking back over the centuries, there is evidence that the symbol of the scallop shell has taken on mythical, metaphorical and practical meaning.

The Myth

As with many myths, the details change depending on who is telling the story, but here's the one I am going to tell you.

James, the Apostle of Jesus, was killed in Jerusalem for his convictions about Jesus. James had spent some time preaching on the Iberian Peninsula, and after his death, his bones were transported by ship back to the Iberian Peninsula to the northwestern province of Galicia in Spain.

A wedding was taking place along the shore as James' ship approached land. The young bridegroom was on horseback, and seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and the horse and rider plunged into the sea.

Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water, covered in seashells, and galloped off into the distance.

To this day, the scallop shell, typically found on the shores in Galicia, remains the symbol of the Camino de Santiago.

The metaphor

The scallop shell also acts as a metaphor. The grooves in the shell, which come together at a single point, represent the various routes pilgrims traveled, eventually arriving at a single destination, the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.

The scallop shell is also a metaphor for the pilgrim. As the waves of the ocean washed scallop shells up on the shores of Galicia, god's hand also guided the pilgrims to Santiago.

the practicality

The scallop shell served practical purposes for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago as well. The shell was just the right size for gathering water to drink or eating out of as a makeshift bowl.

Also because the scallop shell is native to the shores of Galicia, the shell functioned as proof that he or she had finished the pilgrimage and had actually seen "the end of the world- or finisterre" which at that point in history was the end of the known world. The scallop shell can nowadays be obtained anywhere along the Camino. My scallop shell traveled all the way from St Jean Pied de Port hanging at the front of my pack. So everyone would know I was on my way to Santiago as one of the many pilgrims along the way.

The legend of St James And Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is the site where, it is said, you will find the bones of St James the Apostle and is the third most holy site in Christianity, after the holy land and the Vatican. St James was the 4Th apostle and , along with his brother John the evangelist, was asked by Jesus to follow him and he would make them fisher's of men. It is said that Christ later told James to go west to the end of the world preaching the gospel.

In those days, Spain was the furthest point west before the discovery of the Americas, and Finnisterre in Galicia is the most westerly point of the peninsula. His journey was largely unsuccessful and he returned to the holy land where Herod Agrippa later beheaded him in A.D.44. Many legends have developed to explain the appearance of St James' bones in Spain and the development of the pilgrim routes in the middle ages. The most consistent are that the followers of St James carried his body by boat to Galicia and buried him there. Around 800 years later a hermit is said to have seen a bright star with a glowing light that fell to the earth at Compostela (possibly from Campus Stellea, starry field) where the bones of St James were subsequently found. The legend also says that during the reconquest of Spain, St James appeared on a white horse and slayed the moors, animating the Spanish Christian troops to fight harder to regain their country. For those who don't know, St James is the patron saint of Spain and there is a national festival on the 25Th July dedicated to him.

The pilgrims' curse.

If you feel I got side tracked with the running of the bulls. I have to say right now that this was never intended to be purely about the Camino but about Spain and all we discovered along the way. Spain is a very colourful country with many traditions good or bad. I will try to remain non judgemental regardless of my own views on certain matters. Anyway that said and done let's get back to the story. Last night we slept at a wonderful albergue. The hospitalero was very knowledgeable about the many problems, pilgrims face along the way. She attended to many different ailments, blisters, sore ankles, feet and knees, did some dressings and bandaged some feet and knees, advised about what caused the problem in the first place (usually shoes). If you ever consider walking the way of St James, or intend to do any other serious bush walking you must get all the right gear. Everything must be lightweight and good walking shoes must be worn. Backpackers try to minimise their loads and aim to carry between 10 and 15 kilograms. If your pack is any heavier you are putting extra strain on your back, knees and feet and may do damage to these. At this stage I was still alright but Gary had his toes attended to. All these ailments and injuries are known as the pilgrim's curse. Today's walk is from Cizur Menore to Puerto de la Reina. We are happy to finally leave the snow behind us and to be able to take to the trails again. Little did we know that we were about to be faced with another problematic natural element (mud). Not just any mud, but mud that sticks to your shoes like glue. With every step we take the mud under our shoes doubles and continues to do so. With every footstep, the weight increases and your feet feel like lead. At the end of this day, I am faced with my own painful curse (my right knee is killing me and I hope with the overnight rest it will improve, but it gets better and along the way you learn to cope with the aches and pains. Everyone does including Gary and myself.

The running of the bulls- Pamplona

Today our walk will take us through our first major town (pamplona) but we will only be stopping here to buy new shoes for Gary. His KT26s aren't up to the task and we need to walk on the road all the way as his toes are still very sore. Pamplona is an interesting city but the running of the bulls is the single most characteristic event of the festival of San Fermin.It is the event that has given this festival world-wide fame and which is broadcast around the globe. It is held at 8am each morning from the 7Th to the 14Th of July. It consists of largely young men (although women may also run) who run in front of the bulls to lead them from their pens into the bullring. It usually lasts approximately 2 minutes, although when complications arise due to loose bulls much longer.

The lenght of the run is 830 metres, you don't have to sign up anywhere to take part; you just enter into the run and choose the street where you will run and do the best you can.

The run began as part of the process of moving bulls from the edge of town to the bullring. During the mid 1800's runners began to join the herd on their journey. Many runners who gather at the bottom of Santo Domingo, the start of the run, crowd together and sing a homily to the image of San Fermin that goes something like this "We ask San Fermin, as our patron, to guide us through the bull run and give us his blessing."

A rocket goes off at the moment the bulls are let into the street. A second rocket goes off to let everyone know that all the bulls are now in the street. This is the moment of truth, the bulls run like the wind. It is impossible to race them or keep up with them for very long. As well as the danger inherent in running in front of a bull (it's worth remembering that this is an animal which weights about 600 kilos and which has 2 hard, sharp horns which can practically cut through anything, not to mention possible bruising from just being stepped on, there is also the problem of overcrowding in the run. Once the bulls have past the run for you is over, unless a bull turns back and now you are faced with a potentially life threatening situation. This does happen occasionally. When a 3rd rocket is heard all the bulls have arrived in the bullring, a 4Th rocket means all bulls are safe in their pens. Between that 1st and last rocket only a few minutes have gone by, but what a couple of minutes.

The differences in pet care.

We walked from Roncesvalles to Estibar today. We are still being hampered by snow and rangers are closing trails as we arrive. It is still an enjoyable walk but Gary has a sore toe as his shoes have gotten wet through. He must be in a lot of pain as he is looking for alternative accommodation as we are progressing. Once he even wants to throw in the towel and stay where he is ( not a good idea as he is outside where it is cold and the only mattress available is a layer of snow covering the ground. I gently explain to him that he needs to continue on walking and that we will stop at the nearest albergue. He makes it of course. We meet a few pilgrims we know along the way. They are having lunch and are surrounded by quite a number of hungry, stray cats. They are sharing their meal with them. It's the first time I am saddened by the sight of neglected animals, it will prove to be a common one as the Camino progresses. It involves cats and dogs in rural areas. Spain is not a rich country and the houses are extremely old and in various states of ill-repair. Dogs are chained up in sheds at the farmers vineyard (farm) and there is not a soul around. They have water and look well fed but they spend their entire lives mostly in their own company. There is no one to play with them, brush ,wash them or take them for a walk. I wondered many times, how often these animals see their respective owners. Some haven't even got a warm place to protect them from the cold. It was winter and 1 greyhound looked malnourished and who will save these buggers. They often come across as potentially dangerous, so pilgrims mostly steer clear of these animals. What a contrast with their fellow mates in the cities. Here pets are pampered like any other place in the world. They have a wonderful live.

St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles

We tried to obtain our pilgrim's passports at the office of tourism in St Jean Pied de Port, but unfortunately it is closed. We returned to albergue to spend the night there and are informed that it may be unwise to take the mountain route as we intended to. There has been heavy snowfall and 2 people got airlifted from the pyrrenees as they strayed of the route because of poor visibility and got themselves lost in a potentially dangerous situation. Snow hides many things and what appears to be a safe area to walk may lead to serious injuries and/or death. After being informed by the hospitalero to obtain our credentials at Roncesvalles and receiving our stamps to acknowledge the fact we started in St Jean Pied de Port, we retire for the night. The next day prior to setting of on our first day, we are informed the pyrrenees have been officially closed. We have to walk on the road and take the trail wherever we can. This will be the most difficult stage of our journey as it will be uphill all the way Today's walk will take about 8 hours and the temperature is bitter cold. We are wearing all of our clothing to keep as warm as possible. Our surroundings are breathtaking. Nothing beats snowcapped mountains. Mountains are very majestic in their own right but add snow and it becomes wonderous. When we finally reach the top, I am extremely tired and just continue to place 1 foot in front of the other. I don't really want to be walking anymore. We find a place to rest and have our lunch in a sheltered area but the wind is blowing straight through all of our clothes. We have an quick rest and meal and continue on but I am shivering and cannot stop this for the rest of the way. Luckily the rest of the way isn't long at all, approximately 15-30 minutes is all it takes to reach our destination, the monastery of Roncesvalles. We obtain our passports here and receive our first official stamp in this passport, we pay and are taken to our room where we will be spending the night. This time I am more than happy with the dormitory style accommadation. All of last nights pilgrims are here and some others who we have met along the way. We chat about the day and decide to all go and have our very first pilgrim's meal. We are a very multicultural group and we are all asked about our reason for this pilgrimage. After our meal we attend our first pilgrims' blessing but more about that later.

Albergues and refugios

Albergues and Refugios are hostels- but hostels for pilgrims only. To stay in one you are required to present a passport or credential to the hospitalero. The Hospitalero will stamp these with their special stamp when you sign in to an albergue. The passports or credentials can be obtained from a number of places. First you can get them from your country fraternity, if you are a member only, or from the major towns such as St Jean Pied de Port, Roncesvalles or Pamplona where most people begin their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella.

Albergues operate on a first come , first serve basis. Preference is usually given to walking pilgrims and theen to cyclists. You cannot book a place ahead and most hospitaleros will not allow car pilgrims to stay there or allow a support car to book beds before hand. There are quite a number of pilgrims who cheat the system with 1 new way to finish the camino and that is they catch a bus, taxi, hitch hike or use a car to get from point A to B. Sorry to the guys who actually used this system during the time we spend with them.

The facilities vary greatly. Some albergues are warm and cozy, some are old school buildings that lack any atmosphere. Some have washing machines ( but you need to do this mostly by hand) and kitchens. Most have hot water and heating and internet connection available. In most towns there will be a bar that will serve the "pilgrim's menu", this is usually cheaper but with little choice. Pilgrims menu will cost approximately 7 euros but after a while you may tire of this meal and decide to change to menu of the day. At 10 euros this will provide you with a better choice and quality of the meal.

The house rules vary in each albergue, most open at around 4pm and close between 10 and 11pm. You need to return prior to closing time as some albergues will lock you out and spending the night on the street ain't my kind of fun. Some hospitaleros will wake you at 6am sharp and everyone out by 7am. You are only allowed 1 nights stay, unless you are forced to rest for medical reasons. You must supply a doctor's certificate. My first night in an albergue in St Jean pied de Port was an eye opener. I had never before stayed in dormitory style accommadation and certainly not mixed. I wanted to run a million miles away to some nice hotel/motel. I was in shock and sooo very tired after traveling from Australia to France. I am also very glad that I resisted this urge as the people taking care of us were very kind and warm hearted. We slept the first night in a private room. I believe the hospitalero sensed my inner feelings and decided to make the transition a little easier for me. We met some pilgrims who stayed with us quite some time. It's these people and some others who we will always cherish.

The Beginning

The Camino is a journey not a vacation or holiday. It's a journey to discover self (yourself). The Camino brings you back to what really matters in life. We started in St Jean Pied de Port (France) and finished in Santiago de Compostella in Spain. The Camino is approximately 800 kilometers long and there are several recognised ways to do the real Camino. You can do it on foot (this is the most popular way, most people carry their own backpacks but pack animals are accepted as well. You can also do it on a bike, or astride a horse. There are many recognised Caminos but we decided to do the St James or the real Camino. There are several reasons why people choose to do the Camino. The Camino is a religious wallk or pilgrimage so some people choose to do it for religious reasons. Other pilgrims (as we are all called) do it for spiritual reasons. They may have lost a loved one, lost a job or just need time to find themselves again. Others walk it purely for the cultural aspects along the way. There is a lot of history and archtecture in Spain which is worth visiting. People also walk the Camino just for the challenge of it. 800 kilometers is not just your average kind of walk and this was my reason for it. Tassie wanted me to experience this particular walk as he had done it previously in 2001 and enjoyed himself immensely. Whatever your reason you will be assured of a memorable walk into self-discovery and develop close friendships with the other pilgrims and discover a country rich in legends and myths. Here is our story.