A hike through history on the Camino de Santiago

August 27, 2019

Frances Kennedy and Sally Widener embark on their trip from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to their starting point in the Meseta of Spain.

Sally Widener and Frances Kennedy were anything but sedentary on their summer vacation. Widener, Trevillian Distinguished Professor and director of the School of Accountancy and Kennedy, professor and special assistant to the provost for academic quality improvement, walked 250 miles (400 kilometers) of the historic Camino Frances route of the Camino de Santiago, over 19 days, on their pilgrimage across Spain. Follow their adventure as they bunked in Spanish hostels and traversed the beautiful countryside of northern Spain.

The Camino de Santiago is a walk back in time.

It has existed as a Christian pilgrimage for more than 1,000 years, and trekking 250 miles of it over 19 days was the adventure of a lifetime.

Taking on a journey as rigorous as this took some planning, and training. Beyond our normal gym workouts, we began a training regimen for the trip in January. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Frances and I walked four miles, then did back-to-back walks on the weekend. We worked our way up to 14 miles Saturday and 12 miles Sunday, with loaded backpacks.We embarked on the Camino Frances route of this storied walk in mid-May, right after the semester ended. We passed through some larger cities such as León, Astorga and Portomarín, as well as rural hamlets with fewer than 100 residents.

Not part of a group, we did this walk alone and carried all of our gear in our backpacks. We slept in hostels and albergues (which are hostels for pilgrims). We walked on a wide range of trails, including paths next to highways, on asphalt, dirt roads and paths, country lanes and mountain trails.

A walk of this length on varying terrains takes its toll in many ways, not the least of which are your feet. Along the way we saw hikers with foot and shin splint problems who had to take breaks to address the soreness. Though Frances didn’t need her first aid kit, I did. Each night, I taped my feet with moleskin and blister band-aids, and applied foot cream to the affected areas. But it didn’t deter us from moving on, or take away from enjoying the journey.

Along the way, we visited countless small churches and saw numerous statues honoring the pilgrims. We met walkers and shared communal dinners with pilgrims from all over — Singapore, South Korea, Australia, U.S., England, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, France, Canada and more. I had my Clemson hat attached to my backpack and had one walker yell “Go Dawgs” as we passed and had another walker stop and chat about the money he has invested in Clemson (his daughter graduated recently). Passing by other travelers and locals, either on the trail or in the towns and villages, people would say “Buen Camino,” which loosely translates to “happy walking” or more precisely “good way,” since the Camino Santiago is the Way of St. James.

Meals were bountiful and inexpensive. A pilgrim’s menu consisted of a starter, entrée, dessert and either wine, beer or a soft drink for about 10 euros. The starter salad — very fresh greens, white asparagus, tuna, olives, and cucumbers — was enough for an entire meal, but it was followed by an entrée that often included lamb or chicken. France’s favorite meal was grilled “Pulpo,” which is Octopus. The Galicia region in northwestern Spain is known for this delicacy. Our favorite dessert was the Santiago (almond) cake. We also became fond of Cava, which is a Spanish sparkling wine. The first time in a restaurant, Frances ordered wine and she got the entire bottle (only 6 euro). She quickly learned that if you ordered wine, a bottle was the default. If you only wanted a glass, you had to specify “cuppa vino.”

A Few “touristy” landmarks

We started walking in the Meseta, which is Spain’s central high plateau. It is flat, wide-open, and has lots of fields with few trees. We saw medieval walls in Mansilla and walked along a stretch of preserved Roman road.

In Leon, landmarks included its Gothic Cathedral, the Hostel San Marcos (a pilgrim hospital) that has been restored as the Hotel Parador (featured in the movie ‘The Way’), and the Basilica de la Virgen del Camino.

We moved into rolling, green hills leading up to the Cantabrian Mountains. In Hospital de Órbigo, we encountered one of the longest and best-preserved medieval bridges in Spain dating from the 13th century. It was actually even older since it was built over a Roman bridge. This 200-meter bridge was the site of a legendary medieval jousting competition.

In Astorga, landmarks included the 15th century Cathedral de Santa María and the Episcopal Palace designed by Antonio Gaudi. Leaving Astorga, we entered the Cantabrian mountains. Between the towns of Foncebadón and Manjarín, we passed by Cruz de Ferro and the chapel of Santiago. The former is an iron cross monument that stands at the highest point of the mountain pass where walkers leave a rock behind signifying the leaving behind of your burdens.

The last large town on the Camino Frances route was Ponferrada, the capital city of Bierzo in the Province of León. Here, we visited the Templars Castle, constructed by Ferdinand II in 1178 AD to protect pilgrims. This region was full of vineyards, cherry orchards and wildflowers.

After leaving Bierzo, we started climbing through beautiful scenery, and entered the region of Spain known as Galicia. This is where we reached the highest point of the trail, with stunning mountain views and beautiful wildflowers.

Nineteen days and 250 miles later, Frances and Sally reach the end of the journey at the Cathedral de Santiago in Santiago de Compostela.

A side trip took us to the small village of Samos, where we visited the Benedictine Monastery of St Julian and spent the night in its albergue.

Our journey ended on the 19^th day at the Cathedral de Santiago in the UNESCO World Heritage Center of Santiago de Compostela.

Like most international vacations, one has to make adjustments, from time changes and language barriers, to cultural differences such as dining schedules and afternoon siestas. We did have to work around the siestas when sites or attractions were closed due to the daily ritual. And, like in many cultures, dinner was served at a much later hour in the day.

What little English was spoken in the many villages we visited along the way, made for a more fun and authentic experience, as we adapted to the Spanish way of life by managing to communicate by dusting off what little Spanish we knew.

Overall, adapting to the culture added color to an enriching experience neither Frances nor I will soon forget.