Camino? What Camino?

The "Camino de Santiago", in fact a number of different "camino"s" (ways, or paths, routes), have, historically, been a factor of cultural unification in the Europe of the Middle-Ages. Somehow -undoubtedly by divine intervention- the tomb of one of Jesus' apostles ended up in Galicia; assumedly that granite slab floated on the waves. The religious authorities incited the faithful to undertake a pilgrimage to that tomb, the apostle having meanwhile, in a manner quite less divine, acquired the name "Santiago Matamoros" (not a nice name!). In those days, the catholic church proposed Christian people to ...take the Holy Land "back" from the Saracenes, leading to a series of "crusades", in which it would appear the christians learned, inter alia, how to (occasionally) wash themselves with good Syrian soap from Aleppo. But I digress. The interesting part is that a network of "routes" brought millions of medieval Europeans to Galicia, therewith spreading christian culture accross the continent.

One of the most traditional routes is the "Camino Francés". Basically, I could just leave home (near Brussels) and walk accross France, and then through the Pyrenees, the plains of La Rioja (hmmm), the plains of the Duero (hmmm), the Montes de Leon (hmmm), the region of the Bierzo (hmmm) into Santiago de Compostella, where I could drink a few bottles of Albariño or Ribeiro in a private interpretation of the ritual of Holy Baptism. But this trip is far too long: it would take me, say, most of three months (I've met people who done it in 73 days - incredible!). Chances are, I wouldn't stand a chance of making it. Who wants to cross France diagonally, anyway?

If any one place in Spain could be considered my "home town", it is Salamanca. I learned basic Castilian there (in two weeks time), and went back a few times. It is situated on the of the Castilian plateau, the Meseta, a kind of sun-drenched, wind-swept steppe, prairie or pampa. From there to Santiago de Compostella is about 470 kilometers, via de "Vía de la Plata", the traditional route from Sevilla to Santiago. I'll be leaving from my Spanish "home": La Plaza Mayor, "debajo del reloj del Ayuntamiento"; the 28th of August. I turn 60 on the 25th, take a plane to Madrid on the 26th, then a bus to Salamanca, go for tapas 26th eveningtime, the 27th have breakfast in the famous "Novelty" on the Plaza (if they don't throw me out!), do some last-minute shopping (water, olives, a can of tunafish and the miniature scissors and knife I can't carry hand-luggage), and pay homage to the house in which Don Miguel de Unamuno died in his sleep, on 31 December 1936, leaving Spain to the dogs, later have a few glasses of Dominio de Tares in a wine-bar I know there, and on the 28th in the early morning... ¡Santiago¡ On foot. Alone (sounds brave).

Normally, I should walk for 24 days, 20 kilometers per day. Sounds easy but I'm sure it ain't. Already now, in training (doing 50+ km per week), I'm suffering from occasional cramps in my right calf (just as when I was running marathons!), and the odd pain in the hip joints. It'll get worse. Doth that make me a Christian? Nope. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.