Essential truths about the Camino de Santiago
You wanted to discover the great truths about the Camino de Santiago because you were considering living the experience. After a while investigating, you have read and heard many stories and concepts about the Camino de Santiago.
The point has come that even some of them are jarring to each other. From Santiago Ways We want to tell you that it is normal that you feel confused.
There is a lot of information about the Camino de Santiago. Unfortunately, not everything is reliable or clear enough. Much is based on myths of the Jacobean network.
So, everything in its place. The best thing is to leave the legends for the magical places on the way to Compostela. What you want to know is how the Camino de Santiago really is.
What is it, where does the Camino de Santiago go?, how to make the road, how to prepare for a pilgrimage, what do you really face?, and what will you find on your trip to Santiago?
As you continue to learn about the Camino, we’ll get to work and help you organize the perfect trip. If you are interested in doing the Camino de Santiago from Sarria, give us a few more details about your plans and we will take care of making it happen.
Then we answer all those questions. All the information about the Camino de Santiago you need to know. After reading the 7 essential truths about the Camino de Santiago that we have prepared for you, all mysteries will disappear.
The Camino de Santiago is whatever you want it to be
You will have read a thousand articles about what is the Camino de Santiago, how to complete the Camino de Santiago, etc. You’ve probably found a lot of different information about it. This is because the Camino de Santiago is whatever you want it to be. There are so many ways to live the Camino de Santiago as pilgrims.
Truths about how to do the Camino de Santiago
You can complete the Camino de Santiago on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. You can even do it by sailing, according to the statistics of the Pilgrim’s Office, it is a valid option.
Doing the Camino de Santiago by car is not crazy either. In fact, when it started with the
recuperation of the Camino de Santiago, in the 20th century, at first, it was established as a route that could be made by car. Afterwards, the Camino de Santiago was adapted to do it on foot.
The pilgrim path is full of people who, according to many, cheat. They take transport at certain stages, they hire transport services to take their baggage, etc.
They all do the Camino de Santiago, anyway. Everyone lives it in their own way. There is no single way to make the Camino de Santiago.
Truths about why you do the Camino de Santiago
Not all pilgrims live the Camino de Santiago as a religious pilgrimage. Today, although the destination is the tomb of a saint, there are many people who go to Santiago de Compostela for non-religious reasons.
Motivations to make the Camino de Santiago are very diverse. If you want to know some of them, do not forget to read our article about motives for those who go to on the Camino de Santiago.
Another of the great truths of the Camino de Santiago is that, although on the Jacobean route you can learn many things, some of them, authentic life lessons, Not everyone does. There are people who leave the pilgrim route without learning anything.
Everyone lives the way they want. those who are not open can learn nothing.
There’s not just one Camino de Santiago
Another of the great truths of the Camino de Santiago is that it should be called “Caminos de Santiago”. There is no single path.
Many people when they look for where the Camino de Santiago goes, they begin to feel very confused by the contradiction of the information they obtain. This is because depending on which pilgrim route you see; the Camino de Santiago passes through one place or another.
Relative truths of the Camino de Santiago
Some people search like: What is the most beautiful way to Santiago? Which way to Santiago is easier? or even, what is the funniest way? There are no universal truths about this.
It depends. We said in this article about which Camino de Santiago is best. It depends on what’s nice for you. If nice is a beach, the most beautiful Camino de Santiago will be the Camino del Norte or the Camino Portugues coastal route. If, on the contrary, if you want to flee the asphalt, the most beautiful Camino de Santiago will be the Camino Primitivo.
With regard to which is the easiest way to Santiago, the answer is much more objective. But it still has nuances.
If by easy you mean an absence of climbs, the Camino Portugues, both the Central and the coastal route, they’re the easiest. If you mean easy as in logistical aspects (accommodation, services, signage, etc.), your own would be to say that the Camino Frances is the one.
Truths about the authenticity of the Camino de Santiago
Another common question that people who want to complete the Camino de Santiago search for on Google is what is the most authentic pilgrim’s route. Another search that can throw up a multitude of contradictory results.
One of the truths of the Camino de Santiago, which few people know, is that the original Camino de Santiago disappeared. If you are interested by this revelation, we will tell you the details in this article about the history of the routes on the Camino de Santiago.
In reality, the Camino de Santiago is a network
Finally, another question posed by many people who have little time, but who want to do the Camino de Santiago, is what is the shortest Camino de Santiago. Most likely, after consulting the information, you will end up concluding that it is the Camino de Santiago from Sarria.
Again, the name of the Camino de Santiago misleads us. People are looking for this information thinking about a route with a fixed starting point and a clear destination, Santiago de Compostela.
However, the Camino de Santiago is a network of roads. Each of the pilgrim routes can be started from any point and some link between all of them. In this article, we will tell you about the great number of “Caminos de Santiago” which you do in just a few days.
It’s a great physical effort, particularly at the start
The Camino de Santiago is an experience that requires considerable physical effort on your part. This is why it is recommended prepare yourself physically for your Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
But one of the truths about the Camino de Santiago is that this physical effort, which everyone fears, hooks you. Many of the pilgrims who travel the different pilgrim routes, no matter the distance they have walked, having arrived in Santiago de Compostela decide to continue until Finisterre.
It’s hard to stop! Once you are used to the pilgrim’s routine, to stop walking becomes complicated. Especially because there comes a time when you don’t need so much physical effort.
Obviously, stopping walking definitely indicates that it is time to return home and to abandon the pilgrim adventure. That certainly influences you.
However, even pilgrims who make complete routes, such as the Camino Frances, say that when, every 7 or 8 days they take a day’s rest, they feel strange.
It does not matter that the stop is motivated by the desire to visit one of the great cities on the route. They just want to keep walking.
Waking up and not packing your stuff to keep walking, you’ll find unusual. The next day you’ll be eager to continue walking kilometres on the Camino de Santiago.
You’ll sleep on the floor only if you want to
You’ll never sleep on the floor unless it’s your decision. A common concern is to walk without hesitation and reach a point of no return where you cannot find where to sleep.
We know that this is terrifying, but, calmly, along the route, you will always find a place to shelter. In addition to the hostels on the Santiago network, you will find many other lodgings.
If one day you don’t find a bed in a hostel, you can always resort to private lodgings, dormitories, hostels or cottages. Clearly that will be a more effort on your part, as you’ll have to go looking for places to sleep.
Another option is to keep walking to the next town. Usually, the classic stage endings are the ones that fill up faster.
If you don’t want to risk this kind of situation, you can always make reservations in advance. Remember that if you do not want to worry about your accommodation, and enjoy the Camino de Santiago peacefully, we can organize everything for you. Call us.
You’ll get tired of answering the same question
One of the questions you will answer most on the Camino de Santiago is why you do it. It is a very recurrent topic among pilgrims. You’ll find it funny at first.
You may even have not even raised it until you are asked for the first time. Although if you’ve read our article about how to do the Camino de Santiago, you’ll have a ready answer.
However, one of the truths of the Camino de Santiago is that, if you spend many days on it, you will end up getting tired of always answering the same question. You must understand that the fact of making a pilgrimage is not just any old thing, the motivations are diverse and it is difficult to understand why people do the Camino de Santiago.
You’ll meet a lot of interesting people
It is almost impossible to complete the Camino de Santiago and not meet fascinating people. Unless you are one of those people who seek to be alone all the time and who does not speak to anyone, you will meet interesting pilgrims.
Some people will surprise you with their life history. Other pilgrims will captivate you with their personality. And maybe you can even fall in love on the way to Santiago.
Flirting on the Camino de Santiago is a common thing. Once a pilgrim who travelled with us said: “What do I want Tinder for if the Camino de Santiago is better?” We found the comparison very funny!
The truth is that it’s not off the mark. One of the truths about the Camino de Santiago is that many people decide to do so because of a divorce or a romantic break-up. So the pilgrim route is full of single people who want to meet someone and start over.
Not everyone cries when they reach the Cathedral of Santiago
The end of the Camino de Santiago is a special moment. The arrival at the Cathedral of Santiago, in front of the Portico de la Gloria, is a moment that all the pilgrims remember.
Everyone will tell you that when you get there, you’ll get excited and cry. Yet another of the great truths about the Camino de Santiago is that not everyone does. There are even people who, along the Camino de Santiago, live moments of greater emotion than their arrival in Santiago de Compostela.
This is because not everyone lives the Camino de Santiago in the same way. Therefore, if when you get to Santiago you do not get excited and cry, do not feel frustrated.
Sometimes it’s like that. Maybe that’s the learning curve on the Camino de Santiago for you. It’s not always the goal, sometimes it’s the route.
However, the moments that you live in front of the cathedral of Santiago, undoubtedly, are very beautiful. Regardless of how you live your arrival, enjoy the excitement that floods the square.
Just seeing the hugs and kisses of the pilgrims who are reunited, having shared kilometres of fatigue, is something that you will keep engraved on your retina. Along with the many pictures you will take.
That’s another of the truths of the Camino de Santiago, everyone takes 300 photos of their arrival in Santiago. Theirs and their friends’. Just as the tears of emotion fly, the cameras fly too.
Share your truths about the Camino de Santiago
You see that anyone can live this experience, each one in their own way. Many people are eager to travel the pilgrim route but much of the information they find discouraging.
Help us to eliminate the hoaxes and myths about the Camino de Santiago. If you liked the information that we have provided, share them with your friends on Facebook. Together we can make the Camino de Santiago a place for everyone.
Buen Camino!
