The time came to hit the road again! On July 1, 2005, we set off on the Camino de Santiago from our doorstep in Paradise Street, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Camino de Santiago is an ancient pilgrimage trail dating back to the ninth century. There are numerous routes leading from all corners of Europe to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where St. James, the apostle, is reputed to be buried.
St. Gallen, founded in 612 by St. Gall from Ireland, was one of the most important cultural and learning centres in Europe in the middle ages. It seemed an apt starting point to trace the footsteps of millions of pilgrims, who for centuries have been taking this well-worn historical path for countless personal reasons.
The official Camino routes are clearly signposted with the characteristic scallop shell showing the way.
Our à la carte camino criss-crossed a few of these paths in Switzerland, France and Spain, with the odd side-trip thrown in for good measure. Once we’d arrived in Santiago de Compostela, we continued on the Portuguese Camino to Lisbon, before flying out to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October, 2005. Click below to see how we got on!
