Prologue: which relates our adventurers´ quest and motivation

(You´ll have to forgive the entry titles... I´m reading Don Quixote en route)

For the next month, Luke and I will be hiking across Northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago, or Road of St. James. The plan is to walk the 450 miles from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela in 24 days - averaging between 15 and 20 miles everyday. We might end up hopping on a bus from Burgos to Leon if the terrain doesn´t look very exciting (or if our bodies give out), but as of now, we´re planning to do the whole thing a pie. At night, we´ll stay in albergues, or hostels, that are often run by monks or nuns.

According to legend, St. James preached in Galicia during the early Christian period before returning to Jerusalem, where he was beheaded. His body was taken back to Spain by his disciples, and it was forgotten about. 800 years later, a shepherd called Pelayo saw a bright star over a field. The body underneath the ground there was surrounded by seashells, and the church declared that it was St. James. This declaration occurred at the onset of the Christian Reconquest of Spain and lent a destination and Patron Saint to the cause. The spot where St. James´s tomb was ¨discovered¨ became known as Santiago de Compostela (campos = field, strella = star hence Compostela).

At times during the 12th and 14th centuries, the number of pilgrims headed toward Compostela outnumbered those travelling to Rome or Jerusalem. These fervent Catholics were hiking to repent and cut their time in Purgatory by up to half... I have less lofty goals. The camino seems like a great way to do two of my favorite things (hike and speak Spanish) without having to carry a tent or spend a lot of cash. Also, if I can walk 450 miles, I can definitely teach 9th grade... right? I´m pretty sure Luke is here for self-enlightenment, but you´ll have to ask him...