Background

So, what's the deal with this Camino walk and Santiago de Compostela?

Here's one version: The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, is said to hold the headless body of the apostle St. James. Apparently these bones arrived in northwestern Spain after Herod Agrippa beheaded the apostle in Jerusalem in 44 a.d. The apostle`s friends smuggled his headless body and put it in a stone boat that, amazingly, without oars, sails or crew, made a week long journey from Jerusalem to the coast of Spain. His body was buried inland in Compostela, the ``field of stars," a remote hillside in Galicia. The burial site was forgotten for centuries and it wasn't until 813 a.d. that the bones were found by a hermit in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.

The King of Spain, Alfonso II, built a chapel there and declared St. James the patron saint of Spain. Pilgrims began to make their way to the chapel and Pope Alexander III declared Santiago de Compostela a Holy City in 1189. Now declared a World Heritage site, pilgrims of today come from all over the world to walk the Way of St. James.  

Those who do the trek are all pilgrims: you don't have to be Catholic, religious, or even spiritual. Everyone has their own reason for making the journey. Seriously, I don't think I know mine yet, except that it seems like an adventure, a challenge, and something interesting. Perhaps that will change as I walk miles on end - sometimes alone - meeting other pilgrims and locals, or perhaps not. The plan right now is that Dave and I will walk together, but even that isn't set in stone. I've spoken to a long-married couple in San Francisco who, for the most part, walked separately, for a variety of reasons. They love each other but don't have to do everything together. They met up each night/afternoon. They did the Camino a few years ago and are trekking in Italy in another week.

Dave and I are planning to take the Camino Frances, from St. Jean Pied de Port, in the Pyrenees mountains of France to  Santiago, a western walk over three mountain ranges, across the Spanish plains and through towns and villages - steeped in Roman and Spanish history. The total mileage per my computation will be 490 miles. Signs will all be in kilometers, so for those of you using the metric system, it's a more impressive 790 km. We hope to do it in 33 days, about 15 miles/day or a more impressive 24 km. :-)  There are other "ways" of St. James, including traveling through Portugal and other countries, but this is the most common. You can read about it here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago

The scallop shell, often found on the shores in Galicia, has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Over centuries, the scallop shell has taken on mythical, metaphorical, and practical meanings, even if its relevance may actually derive from the desire of pilgrims to take home a souvenir. Dave and I have purchased one that we will attach to our backpacks, along with a patch identifying us as American pilgrims. The images below also show the scallop and its variations that we will encounter along the way. They say it's difficult to get lost, but if it's possible, it will happen to the DJRs. :-)

When you complete the journey you also get a certificate of completion. See image below. To get the certificate, you have to have completed the last 62 miles (100 km) of the trek. One also has a "passport" and collects stamps along the way.  Ok...enough Camino background for today.