Santiago de Compostela - Buon camino

The die-hards walk through it for several months, starting from their homes. Others take a step each year. And there are all those who would like to but have neither the time nor the health to hope to reach one day the end of the St. James' Way.. To experience all the same this strong moment that is the arrival in Santiago, the offer of an Alsatian tour operator allows you to undertake the last section of the Camino Francés, the French path: 115 kilometers in 6 or 7 stages, with transport luggage insured, it is quite feasible. That's what we did.
After the arrival by train to reach Sarria, the start of the first stage, you just need to take a bus from Santiago airport to the station, and from there a train.

The next day, we embark on an incredibly green landscape. On the way, an old man greets us, hands me a stick. I am moved, until I understand that he wants to sell it to me… Okay, come on, I forget. This will also be the only “mercantile” meeting along the way.
In the morning freshness, we take a good step forward and soon catch up with a large group of very noisy Spanish hikers…

For me, it's like a cold shower. I had been told so much about this path, about spirituality, stillness… Patiently, in the middle of the crowd, I queue to get the first stamp in my pilgrim's “passport”.

Fortunately, these walkers are not at all interested in all the little wonders that are to the right and left of the path. After having branched off to visit an adorable little church, we find ourselves (almost) alone on the path. What a wonderful change of atmosphere!

The kilometers follow one another in varied landscapes. Eucalyptus forests, chestnut woods, meadows.

The stages are relatively short (between 15 and 24 km), which leaves plenty of time to make (small) hooks along the way to visit a church there with 11th century frescoes, there the gardens in the stone villages which live again thanks to the pilgrims.

Many cafes and small inns offer an invigorating stopover. In Arzua, we buy a piece of “pilgrim's” cheese for a small improvised picnic.

It is impossible to take the wrong path, everywhere yellow markers or arrows indicate the right direction.

The inhabitants, but also the pilgrims, greet with a happy "Buon camino!" ", Good way of St. James. What is surprising is the origin and age of the pilgrims: Europeans, of course, but also Americans, Asians and many young people. Their motivations are all different. There are those who make a real pilgrimage, in thanks or in search of a miracle. Those who want to experience what they consider to be part of culture and heritage. Still others to find themselves.
And then there are those who, like us, expect nothing at all. As you walk, the mind calms down, empties itself of all superfluous thoughts to concentrate on the path, nothing else.

The kilometers add up and we only think of putting one foot in front of the other - we are not quite sporty! The last kilometers are the worst. Not because of fatigue, but because they are done on the asphalt: the cathedral being in the city center, it is necessary to arrive there ...

But here it is, splendid after its exterior restoration. Inside, Saint-James is there waiting for us. Like everyone else, we climb a few steps to hug his statue

before joining the pilgrims office to validate our passports and obtain the famous credential.

But the uplifting feeling is accompanied by a little dismay at the bustle of the city. The return to normal life...

Our stages

Saria - Portomarin - Palas de Rei - Arzura - Rua - Pedrouso - Santiago