I realize I have yet to write a post about the ins and outs of the Camino, so here’s a little Q& A for you all.
- What is the Camino? A pilgrimage route through Northern Spain.
- How long is it? The route I chose, the Camino Francés, is 480 miles from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago.
- Why would someone do this? Well, hundreds of years ago people walked to Santiago (translation: Saint James) to because the relics of St. James were said to be there. Some went for penance for their sins. If you’re interested in why I’m doing it, click here to read that story.
- How long will it take to complete? I’m taking about 40 days. The average is about 33 days. I started on May 11 and will finish by June 19, if not earlier.
- How many miles per day is that? I planned to do 12-15 miles per day (about 20-25 km per day). So far I’ve had two days where I’ve walked 18 miles, but am pretty much sticking to 12-15. I just get up in the morning and walk however far my body takes me.
- Where do you stay? There are albergues (like hostels) specifically for pilgrims all along The Way. They are usually places with large rooms full of bunk beds. They cost between 5 and 8 Euros per night (between 6 and 10 US dollars).
- Did Martin Sheen just make a movie about this? Yes. It’s called The Way. I would recommend watching it. It gives a pretty good idea of the walk, but remember it is a movie so does miss some things. I am thinking of writing a post about that.
- How did you hear about this? Shirley MacLaine walked it and wrote a book about it. I saw her interviewed on a morning news program back in 2000.
If you have any more questions about it, do feel free to write a comment or send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to answer them.
RenaissanceRebecca 
Rebecca, do you intend to walk on others paths, in the future, for example la Via Podiensis, in France, from le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which is beautiful as well ? About me, I am sure that, when I’ll end the Santiago camino (I hope next year), I’ll go on hiking for several weeks, every year; it is nowadays a need for me.
From where you are now, do you catch sight of Santiago?
Rémy.
Hi Remy – Now that I’m walking the Camino Frances and meeting people who have walked other routes, I could see doing another route sometime, but not for a while. I’m interested to see if walking is something I will do more of after this journey.
As far as my location, I am currently in Barbadelo. Just over 100km to Santiago!
I’ve just read that you think of writing a post about the Way, a Martin Sheen movie. It could help me a little because I’ve just bought the DVD and seen the film a first time; but I have problems with the American accent and don’t understand all the dialogues. Rémy.