The Camino Primitivo

On October 4, I will begin walking the Camino Primitivo in Northern Spain with my brother, Dave. The Camino Primitivo (which translates from the Spanish more like “Original Camino”) is the oldest Camino de Santiago route. It was the route followed by King Alfonso II of Asturias, who lived from 760 to 842 and was the first pilgrim to travel to the shrine said to hold the bones of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in the 9th century. He was called Alfonso the Chaste and established the route from the city of Oviedo, in Asturias, 342 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela. This was the first Camino de Santiago trail when most of Spain was under Moorish control because it allowed pilgrims from the rest of Europe to sail to the north coast of Spain to begin their pilgrimage.
The first stage of the Camino Primitivo, across the mountains, is one of the most challenging of all Camino routes but the scenery is breathtaking. The attraction of walking any Camino is not so much the beautiful surroundings but the opportunity to do nothing but walk for days on end and experience the freedom that comes from having nothing to worry about but the pack on your back. This allows the pilgrim to enter into a place of contemplation and spiritual peace. Adding to this are the numerous medieval churches along the way that maintain an air of sanctity that can be experienced by sitting in their “sacred space.”
I will be reporting on a regular basis, depending upon the availability of wifi and whether I have something to say. Stay tuned.