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Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Two cyclists and one weary pilgrim |
My
friend and fellow children's book writer, Gretchen Woelfle (above on the left), is an avid and accomplished cyclist.
Here is the conclusion to her report of her trip she made with a group of other cyclists along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.
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Walking through the woods |
The Camino sometimes parallels main roads and quiet
roads, other times veers off into the woods or hills. One morning a few of us
chose to walk 12 km up through the woods, rather than cycle the steep
road. Walking offers a more meditative pace
than cycling for those who travel the Camino with a personal or spiritual goal.
One young Australian had quit his career and was hiking the five hundred miles
to figure out his future. When we met
him he had been walking for three weeks, with one week to go. He hadn’t found the
answer yet.
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Baroque interior of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compstela |
Finally we reached Santiago, a city filled with
pilgrims, tourists, and university students. No one does Baroque like the
Spanish and the Cathedral, home of the famous bones, is an exuberant example.
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Gretchen's Camino passport, stamped along the way |
Then it was time to redeem our reward. Our group of
fourteen enthusiastically embraced the tradition of Camino passports. At every café,
hotel, chapel, and cathedral we visited, we rushed to get a stamp to prove our
legitimacy as pilgrims. In Santiago we showed out passports and got a
personalized certificate – in Latin!
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Two routes out of town |
My friend, Alice Burston, and I spent two more days
in the city. We traveled (by bus) to Finisterre, where the Camino meets the Atlantic.
We visited three wonderful museums in Santiago – ethnography, contemporary art,
and a history of pilgrimage. In the latter, we saw images of James and his
pilgrims through the centuries. (James morphed from a pilgrim to a Crusader
warrior as the centuries passed.)
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Statue of 17th Century pilgrim |
One sculpture struck my fancy: a German pilgrim adorned
with 17th century bling – golden scallops adorning hand, hat, and
cape. Today’s 21st century
cyclists in lycra and hikers with ergonomic backpacks sport different gear, but
continue the ancient tradition. ¡Buen
Camino!
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