Our Walk Along the Camino Sanabres

  “…not all who wonder or wander are lost…” Bear McCreary, This Wandering Day Camino Questions, Pilgrimage Reflections One question followed us all the way along the Via de la Plata and the Camino Sanabrés: Is this a pilgrimage or a long-distance hike? On a long-distance hike, you anticipate being self-sufficient and finding your own way. Trail blazes may guide you, and there are often opportunities to resupply, but the rhythm is largely individual. The hiker carries the responsibility of food, shelter, and safety as an essential part of the journey lies in that independence. A pilgrimage, on the other hand, carries a different set of expectations. Along routes like the Camino Francés , one anticipates clear route markers, regular intervals of villages or cafés where food and water can be found, and the assurance that at the end of each stage, there will be some kind of lodging. To borrow the familiar phrase, the Camino provides . The infrastructure itself becomes part of the expe...

  “Some paths call softly.  Others shout.  Listen close – the right one often whispers.” Santiago de Compostela Although we had arrived in Santiago de Compostela five days earlier at the end of our long journey along the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés, we had not lingered. Instead, we continued walking westward on the Camino Finisterre to Muxía before returning once more to Santiago. It was only now, back in the city, that we allowed ourselves the space to bring this pilgrimage to a close - attending the Pilgrim Mass, collecting our Compostelas, and beginning the slow transition from being pilgrims on the way to travellers preparing to return home. Pilgrim Mass in Santiago de Compostela We woke at 5 AM with the intention of attending the early morning Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago . Stepping out into the still-dark streets of the historic quarter, we found the city hushed under low clouds, a touch of rain, and fog that seemed to blur the stone towers a...