Nearly ready...

...now where did I put the kitchen sink?

The First Guide Book - Codex Calixtinus

The Codex Calixtinus, also known as the Book of St James, is an anthology of background information and advice for pilgrims walking the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela. Written in the 12th century by a Frenchman, it consists of five books, the first four of which cover aspects of the religious and secular history of the St James legend. The most interesting for me however is the fifth book which provides among its eleven chapters practical travel advice to the medieval pilgrim and is considered the earliest travel guide to the Camino, possibly even the first travel guide ever written. An original copy of the Codex is kept in the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela.  Although a relatively short document - some of its chapters consist of only a few lines - it provides among other things information on food, the customs and peoples that will be encountered on the route, shrines to visit and scams to look out for. I found a copy of the fifth book on line before leaving for the Camino and parts of it made interesting - even entertaining - reading, particularly those parts on the people of the different regions you pass through.  I look forward to seeing what may have changed over the last 900 years....

Buen Camino!

'Buen Camino!' - a greeting I expect to hear a lot of in the coming weeks.

It was some time ago that I was taken with the idea of walking the Camino, a medieval pilgrimage route of some 500 miles through northern Spain to the city of Santiago de Compostela where supposedly the remains of St James the apostle are enshrined. Together with Rome and Jerusalem it was one of the great pilgrimage destinations for Christians during the Middle Ages. Christian legend has it that the body of St James was brought to Galicia for burial – Iberia being an area where he is said to have preached the gospel - and medieval legend has it that the remains were then discovered by a shepherd early in the 10th century. Whether either of these stories is true will no doubt be a matter of continuing debate but the effect was to help unite a Christian population against the Moors and ultimately to bring great wealth to the region with the influx of pilgrims that resulted.

Many thousands of people do at least part of the walk each year and for a variety of reasons, some spiritual but many not. For me the reasons were more rooted in the idea of enjoying a good, long-distance trek, anticipating no more than the usual introspection such journeys encourage.  Additionally there would be the added interest from the route's history and of course the opportunity to enjoy a variety of foods in the different regions of Spain that the ‘Way’, as it is known, would take me through.  

The Camino is definitely a challenge with over a month of walking an average of 16 miles a day through some rather remote parts of northern Spain.  While the whole trip has had to wait until I found space in my diary I did find time to do the first few days with a colleague last year and even in that short time was blessed with meeting interesting and like-minded people and having experiences enough to provide entertaining tales to share with friends once back home. It seemed a good omen for the time when I would undertake the complete walk. And now that time has come; my bag is packed, my new boots have been tried and tested and transport to the start in France is arranged. I am set to become another ‘pilgrim’ to join the millions that have taken this route over the centuries, hopefully to enjoy a ‘Buen Camino’.

The Route to Santiago de Compostella