Known as the Camino de Santiago or the Way of Saint James, this journey offers spiritual seekers a unique journey of faith, reflection, and community

History from the website https://caminoways.com/camino-de-santiago

Medieval Christian Pilgrimage

“At first it was heavily utilized as a formal pilgrimage route, the path was everyday infrastructure used by local coastal populations and traders. It linked major fishing ports and salt-production hubs.

It also served as a major military defense.

Following the reported 9th-century discovery of the bones of Saint James the Apostle (Santiago) in Galicia, the paths transformed into holy routes.

Therefore Medieval Europeans began to walk the trails to seek miracles, pray for healing, or complete court-ordered penance for crimes.

—Saint James is not just a historical figure but a spiritual beacon whose life and sacrifices continue to guide and inspire people in their faith journeys. His unwavering commitment to spreading the message of Jesus has left an indelible mark on Christian history, and his legacy as a devoted apostle and fearless missionary endures to this day.—blending faith, legend, and nature in one unforgettable journey.”

So what was my unforgettable journey like?

Well firstly you should know I did indeed take the costal route. Why? Costal route

pace encourages reflection rather than momentum. It’s not so much about getting to Santiago as it is about how one arrives. And to be honest we actually went backwards. We stared at the end goal. But isn’t that how His kingdom works? He already conquered death and we just get to walk freely from the finish line.

So we did indeed walk in reverse direction and let me tell you we were the only ones. Is that how Jesus felt when he started doing things unconventionally?

Well, it allowed us to sleep near a different group every night. Interacting with more of the beautiful people he put on Earth. Interactions looked like teaching someone the only song I knew: Way Maker. It looked like surfing and then connecting with people from all over the world about surf. It looked like shared meals and seeing the Lord provide for our meals over and over again: from oatmeal to pasta to endless fruit trees. It looked like talking to the different hosts and learning how they had made their family linage home a place to welcome people in. It looked like seeing cultural heritage and parades. It was about seeing cultures mixing and finding harmony together. Celebrating each other in birthdays and in their accomplishment of the day. It also looked like sore feet (I ended up doing 26 miles in crocs),  handwashing laundry (you wanted to carry as little as possible) and too tired muscles to walk a mile to the beach so there I and many others appeared to be a blob on the bed. Haha

In those tired moments when I seemed to be able to go no further, dependence on Him was obvious. And when we prayed as we were going, boy did he ever show up. And when we didn’t pray, He was gracious enough to give us what we needed.

Throughout the entire trip he continued to throw provision in my face to the point where giving glory to anyone else was unavoidable. Every time I was too hungry a fruit tree would appear. When my ankle hurt an ankle brace was alongside the road with no one around to claim it. When we had no where to lay our heads but a jardín we ended up sleeping next to a castle with a king beds.

Do you treat yourself like the prince and princess you are? Do you believe you deserve provision? Not just the physical, but the spiritual? Will you depend on Him and His community for it? The choice is yours. The path to His kingdom is always accessible and he already reached the finish line….. you just have to be willing to partake in the journey.

So below you will see our route

8/17

Walked 4.61 miles in Santiago

Walked 2.96 miles in Vigo

8/18

Walked 18.75 miles from Vigo to Baiona. 

8/19

Walked 14.72 miles from Baiona to hotel south of Oia.

8/20

Walked 13.05 miles from Oia to Moledo. 

8/21

Walked 9.65 miles from Moledo to Carreco.

8/22

Walked 15.6 miles from Carreco to Castelo do Neiv.

8/23

Walked 10 miles  from Castelo do Neiv to Esposende. 

8/24

Walked 11.78 miles from Esposende to Vila do Conde.

8/25 

Walked 10.84 miles from Vila do Conde to Perafita 

8/26

Walked 11 miles from Perafita to motel in Porto.

Portugal Camino Completed

Toured around additional 6 miles 

8/27

We walked 11.9 miles sightseeing Porto.

8/28

We walked 2 miles to bus stop in Porto and then 8.1 miles sightseeing Lisbon

Additional fun facts 🐚

“Along the trail pilgrims wore scallop shells attached to cloaks or hats to show they were on the Camino. The shell also served a practical role as a lightweight bowl for food and drink. At churches and pilgrim shelters, food was often given in shell-sized portions. The shell became a badge of identity and also helped gain the support and kindness of locals. It reminded others to assist pilgrims on their sacred journey, creating a strong sense of connection and purpose.

Now days the hikers wear shells on their backpack. The shell’s lines represent the many different Camino routes across Europe, all converging at Santiago de Compostela. It acts as a metaphor for unity, direction, and shared purpose, though interpretations about its orientation may vary.”