The Way

The Way of Saint James/ Le Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle/ El Camino de Santiago (because this is a blog post that really calls for a trilingual title) is a famous European pilgrimage that crosses northern Spain to end at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northwestern corner of the country.  Now, there are routes all across Europe that lead to this specific path across Spain, and ultimately to the cathedral, but one of the most famous and the most well-travelled begins in Le Puy, France, a city that I got to visit this weekend.

Common routes of "The Way" in Europe


Le Puy, France (medieval cathedral and pilgrimage point on the left; statue of the Virgin Mary on a cliff on the right)

"The Way" is a very common and well-known journey to take in Europe, even among the non-religious, who often go for the historical aspect, or merely the adventure.

Interestingly enough, two of my three host families' homes have actually been on The Way, meaning they were on streets that were included in the pilgrimage, and which are marked with the recognizable shell emblem:



If you look on the map of possible routes, you'll notice the stretch of path between Le Puy and Lyon (which is a bit less straight than it appears on the map).  My city, Montbrison, is in between the two, and is considered one of the minor cities on The Way.  My host families have told me that just about every summer, they come across a handful of foreigners (often Swiss or Italian, since this is generally the easiest route for them to take to get to Spain) who are slowly but surely walking their way to Spain.

I personally would love to walk The Way someday.  It's pretty inspiring to see some of these people out there, with nothing but a large backpack and several layers of clothing, braving the weather, the exhaustion, and frustration, all of them acutely aware that the cliché is true- that their journey matters a whole lot more than their destination.  All along The Way, there are also brilliant sites to see: breathtaking cathedrals, castles, ancient cities, and picturesque landscapes.  Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against city-hopping and seeing the great European capitals, but if you ask me, journeys like The Way sound like the real way to discover Europe.

Last note: there's actually a movie about The Way, conveniently titled The Way.  Look it up if you're interested!  It's some pretty incredible stuff!