Setting up for the Santiago’s Way — El Camino Portugués
It was August 2018. As it happens every year, the same questions came up in my mind: Where should I go on vacations? How should I spend my Summer holidays?
Not many options I could choose from, by considering:
- The limited budget of money;
- Hey, It is already the first week of August! Hurry up!
I therefore realised there would have not been a more suitable period in my life to shorten my to-do-list-before-die. It was time to remove the item named Walking towards Santiago De Compostela!
Pathways to Santiago De Compostela
I started to make some on-line researches and discovered various pathways you can choose from in order to reach one of the top pilgrims destinations in the world:
- Camino Francés: the most popular one. It starts from Saint Jean Pied de Port. It has a length of around 800 Km and, in average, you might need up to 6 weeks to complete it.
- Camino del Norte (known also as Camino de la Costa): it is, thanks to its landscapes, the most beautiful (and most difficult) one. It starts from Irun and it goes around the north cost of Spain. It has a length of around 850 Km and, in average, you might need up to 6 weeks to complete it.
- Camino Primitivo: you will constantly be in touch with the nature, due to the fact you will walk inside forests. Full of ups and downs, with a length of 320 Km, it starts from Oviedo. It may take you up to 3 weeks to complete it.
- Camino Portugués (known also as Via Lusitana): the “newest” one, not super organised and still not well-known by pilgrims. It starts from Lisboa, with a length of 640 Km. You might need up to 4 weeks to make it.
Among all these options, I decided to select this latter one due to the fact that I have never been in Portugal before. It would have definitely been an occasion to visit It.
El Camino Portugués
El Camino Portugués counts three routes:
- Central way: it is the most historical one. You will walk 50–60 Km far from the cost. It starts from Lisboa, it crosses Coimbra, Porto and it ends in Santiago De Compostela.
- Cost way: it is quiet new. It starts from Porto and it goes 10/15 Km far from the cost. Sometimes, you will end up to walk very close to the ocean. There are several wooden walkways right next to the seaside. In some points, it meets with the Senda del litoral.
- Senda del litoral: It starts from Porto and you will end up to walk next to the sea. In some points you need to figure out the path (since it is not well-signed) but you know you must keep the ocean always on your left. It is longer compared to the other two but way more beautiful.
From Redondela, the three routes merge in the central one. From here on, you will see many pilgrims and it would be harder to find a place where to sleep during the night!
Moreover, from Pontevedra you can decide whether or not taking the stunning Variante Espiritual (known also as Camino Del Salnes). It goes in forests on the mountains. The path if full of ups and downs but what you see it is simply gorgeous: waterfalls, green trees, lots of nature, peaks from which you can admire fantastic panoramas. It really worth!
I, therefore, choose the route of the cost (with the variante espiritual). In total, it counts 240 Km which I made in around 2 weeks (I had to stop one day due to a problem with my knee).
The backpack — what should I carry?
I have finally defined my path to Santiago. At this point, it was time to think about the backpack: What should I put into it? How should I fill it?
It is the most important thing you have to care of during all the camino. It would be your house. So, here some important guidelines:
- Weight: your backpack should not exceed the 10% of your body weight. You might not realise it before starting the journey — trust me, less your bag weight better you walk.
- Plastic bags: organise everything you put in your backpack inside different plastic bags (example: divide walking clothes, underwear, socks, etc). It would be easier and faster for you to get ready, before start walking on each day (after waking up).
- Shoes: bring with you at least two pair of COMFORTABLE shoes. You will be walking between 25 and 35 Km per day, be ready for some painful blusters on your feet!
- Torch: it might be useful to carry a small torch (or, in the worst cases, you can use the one your mobile phone has). Sometimes you will need to wake up very early in the morning (04:00 / 05:00), if you want to find a place where to sleep in the next stop.
- Knee-pad: you will encounter several ups and downs on your way to Santiago. Knees will have to work a lot and a knee protection will definitely help you to avoid injuries. Bring one … just in case.
- Walking stick: I could not see the need of a stick for myself. I have regretted to not have one with me since the beginning. It helps a lot to amortise your feet during the camino. Do not worry! You will for sure find one in all the albergue you will crash along the way (pilgrims leave them there for the next ones who need it).
- Sleeping bag or Sleeping liner? Personally, I had no idea on what the latter one was before starting my camino. Just to be sure, I brought both of them. Honestly, I used the sleeping bag only once for the aim it has been built for. I mainly used it as: pillow, fruit container, plastic water container and much more. I was amazed on how many ways you can use a sleeping bag!
Coming back to the point, in general, bring a sleeping liner with you if you travel in Summer. Bring a sleeping bag if you travel during cold periods of the year. Keep in mind that, almost all the albergue has covers (do not guarantee on their cleanliness) for the night (in case you feel cold) — just ask for them! - Water bottle: do not forget a very good bottle which can conserve your water during the camino! Ideally, not one made with plastic.
- Pouch: it does not sound good but … trust me, it will be super helpful. You can keep there what has more values or what you use more (wallet, mobile phone and so on). You won’t regret having one with you.
- Earplugs: they will be essential if you want to sleep at leat few hours per day! You will end up to share the bedroom with 10 / 20 and sometimes even 50 people. Therefore, you are more than welcome to join all the free music concerts (with different kind of soundtracks) being played at night! ;)
- Clothes: of course, do not forget to bring your own clothes! It is not necessary to bring lots of changing clothes, just two or three pair are more than enough. You can always wash them at each stop.
- Credential (your “Camino Passport”): you will need to bring it with you from day 1. Every day, you need to put 2 sello (stamps) from: bars, albergues, restaurants, etc. Once arrived at Santiago De Compostela you can ask for the Compostela. It is a certificate which states you made the Camino (it is given only if you walk for at least 100 Km).
You can ask for the credential at the main cathedral in Porto.
What about sleeping?
During the Camino De Santiago, you will go through: small villages, cliffs, forests and sometimes you won’t be able to see humanity for hours. You have to plan your stops carefully, understanding your physical body and when it needs to rest.
Generally speaking, during the Camino, you will have several options where to crash:
- Albergues: the cheapest option for real pilgrims. There are two kind of them: private and municipal (known also as “public”). The difference is: you can book your place in the private albergue (the cost goes from 10 to 15 euro per night) but you cannot book your bed if you want to stay in a municipal one (the cost is, at most, around 5 / 6 euro per night). In this latter option, it works as: first come, first served.
- Convents and Monasteries: they are managed by nuns or priests. You might have the possibility to book your bed and usually it is asked a donation.
- Hostels: in some bigger villages, you might find hostels where both tourists and pilgrims can stay. They can be booked and the price goes from 15 to 20 euros per night.
- Hotels: the most expensive option and it is usually chosen by turigrinos (pilgrims who want to be tourists). The cost goes from 40 to 150 euro per night.
- Firefighters (known also as bomberos): the cheapest option. When all the albergues are full or booked and you do not have a place where to sleep, they can save your life! Of course, you won’t even have a mattress … but you will at least have a roof … and it is for free!
You will need to adapt yourself a lot during your way, if you want to make it till Santiago De Compostela! ;)
How much does the Camino De Santiago cost?
The expenses of the Camino were my biggest concern. I did not want to use a big amount of money: both because my budget was limited and I wanted to live as a real pilgrim!
Generally speaking, I would say that the cost of living in Portugal is way cheaper than in Galizia. Moreover, closer you get to Santiago, higher the prices will be.
Personally, I spent an average of 15 euro per day during the first week of Camino. I went up to 20 euro (sometimes even 25 / 30 euros) during the second week (where I needed to stay in private Albergues — since getting in municipal ones started to be difficult due to the amount of pilgrims that were on the way).
Overall, I believe that you can split your daily expenses in this way:
- 5 / 6 euros: municipal albergue;
- 3 / 5 euros: breakfast (if you go to buy groceries in the supermarket, you will save a good amount of money);
- 6 / 10 euros: dinner (same consideration of the upper point). You can even ask for the pilgrim’s menu (from 5 to 9 euros).
- Sharing is caring: remember, if you split the bills with other pilgrims, you will save more money.
Of course, once or twice, you might want also to try some special and local dishes along the way. I suggest you to do so: how can you resist to the delicious pulpo de galicia?
ps: if you are lucky enough and your airline company makes a relevant delay (in one or both the ways), you might also be entitled for a compensation: a good amount of money which covers half (or more than half) of your trip! ;)
What’s more?
The motivations which bring someone to start this Camino are personal. There are people who lost their path of life, some others need to take a break from everything and start thinking about that life decision which might have a big impact in his / her future life. I met people who did the Camino for spiritual and religious reasons and some other just randomly as a vacation.
Beside the reasons which make you do it, I think that The Santiago’s Way is an experience which will enrich yourself. You will walk lots of kilometers alone, in touch with the nature and some other with random people who will might become your close friends for a portion of the path.
The Camino makes you to reflect and experience new feelings and new emotions. It makes you notice things that you cannot see during your busy life routine. It makes you trust others and see that all the people along the path are trustworthy, you just need to open up!
I hope this short reading would be useful for the next generation of pilgrims! Here you can find a simple and short video which makes you live what you might experience: Enjoy!
Buen Camino!
ps: you can find more information regarding all the Ways to Santiago at this link: https://www.gronze.com/.
Humans loose the health in order to make money and then they make money in order to recover. They anxiously think too much about the future and they forget the present. By doing so, they are not able to live neither the present nor the future. They live as they won’t ever live and they die as they have never had lived.
- Salvatore Vespo Daniele (a pilgrim met along the way)
