To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago (20 page)
Read To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago Online
Authors: Jean-Christie Ashmore
Tags: #Backing, #Camino
You might also hear speculations about the scallop shell’s meaning long before it became a symbol for the Camino pilgrimage. It was not uncommon for pagan symbols and rituals to be adopted by the early Roman Catholic Church, especially if they already had special meaning for the local inhabitants. So it’s possible the symbolic shell image was transformed to its new purpose over a thousand years ago. Some will say the earlier meaning of the shell was connected to the Roman worshippers of Venus. Archaeological digs in an ancient Roman cemetery close to Finisterre have found bronze shells, perhaps supporting that idea in the local context.
But a human connection with the scallop shell goes back even further than the Romans. A Phoenician coin with a scallop-shell motif was recently found in Sagunto, Spain (near the city of Valencia). Even more fascinating is the discovery of scallop shells in two caves near Murcia, Spain (also near Valencia). Archaeologists say those shells were used by Neanderthals about 50,000 years ago to mix pigments—and those archaeologists also say the shells might have been worn as jewelry too. That’s about 10,000 years before modern humans arrived on the scene.
So perhaps the only historical certainty about the symbol of the scallop shell is the enduring human affection for it. Maybe the shell’s significance was the same for Neanderthals, Phoenicians, Romans, and the early pilgrims to Santiago: they thought the scallop shell was beautiful, so they wore it or used it as a design element.
Scallop Shells Today
Most pilgrims today find some way to display the scallop shell. The most common method is to attach a shell to the backpack. But pilgrims might also wear shell pins, pendants, or necklaces to participate in the Camino tradition of wearing the scallop shell.
Look for a shell to attach to your backpack in tourist shops or Camino association offices at popular Camino departure locations such as Vézelay, Le-Puy-en-Velay, and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France; and Sevilla, Roncesvalles, Pamplona, or Puente la Reina in Spain.
You might also find a scallop shell at towns or cities located midway on a pilgrimage route, especially at an important and historic pilgrimage site. Look for tourist shops near a cathedral or a large church—they sometimes sell scallop shells. If you’re flying into the city of Santiago de Compostela before taking transportation to your pilgrimage starting point, you’ll easily find a shell in the medieval part of the city.
You’ll also see a variety of pins, pendants, and other jewelry with the shell motif for sale along the most popular Camino routes. Once, when I couldn’t find an actual scallop shell, I bought a keychain with a metal shell that was large enough to attach to my backpack. That turned out to be a practical option: there was no chance the metal shell would break like an actual shell might during its precarious life dangling from a Camino backpack.
Finally, there’s the gastronomic option: order scallop shells at a restaurant (
vieira
on a Spanish menu, and
coquille Saint-Jacques
on a French menu) and take one with you after your meal. Or go to a fish market and buy one scallop shell. The tricky part is to find a way to drill two holes into the shell so you can attach it to your backpack. Ask around—local citizens are usually happy to help a pilgrim.
Because the scallop shell is the Camino’s beloved symbol, you’ll see it displayed everywhere—on trail markers, road signs, fenceposts, and in gardens, restaurants, hotels, chapels, churches, and cathedrals. When you see the shell, it often reassures you that you’re on the right path. And wearing or carrying the scallop shell indicates that you have joined the historic Camino community of pilgrims who have embarked on a journey to a faraway place, hoping for adventure, fun, spiritual renewal, and, most of all, a safe return home.
Author’s Camino gear: backpack with scallop shell, Basque cane, blue foam sleeping pad, and that temporary 100 percent paper hat
This list includes all of the websites mentioned throughout the book. I’ve also added several books about the Camino pilgrimage that might be helpful when planning your own journey.
Also, feel free to contact me if you have specific questions about the Camino or feedback about this book. I’d love to hear from you!
Twitter: @JeanChristie1
Website:
www.caminopacklist.com
Confraternity of Saint James
The Confraternity of Saint James is a London-based nonprofit group that is dedicated to helping people organize their own Camino pilgrimage. You can buy guidebooks from their online bookshop for all of the most popular Camino routes—and for many of the less-traveled Camino routes too. You’ll also find numerous links on their website, including links to Camino associations throughout the world. Their website is a good place to check for updated information on the Camino in general and for specific routes. I recommend this website as the place to start your search for more information about the Camino.
Camino de Santiago Forums (in English)
These forums provide a platform where you can ask questions or read what others are saying about the Camino. Although they have similar website addresses, these are separate websites, each with their own pilgrims’ forum—click “Forum” on the home pages to access them. You’ll also find a lot of other helpful information on these websites (including links to other Camino websites).
Caminolinks
This helpful website provides links to Camino-related websites that are written in English—including links to pilgrims’ journals (click “Journal Links”) and a few links for artisan walking sticks.
The Pilgrims’ Office in the city of Santiago de Compostela
www.peregrinossantiago.es/eng/
This link will take you to the English version of the website that focuses on the Christian spiritual and historical aspects of the Camino. You’ll see interactive features showing the details of the Cathedral of Saint James and find Camino statistics showing the approximate (not all pilgrims are counted) number of monthly arrivals at Santiago de Compostela by gender, age, nationality, and other categories. This can be useful information if you’re not sure when to walk the Camino: it will show you when is the best time if you want to go alone but want to feel certain that you’ll meet others along the way—or if you want to walk at a time that is less busy.
Confraternity of Saint James
Publishes Camino route guidebooks for nearly all the routes in a lightweight print format with plastic covers to protect against the rain. Also provides some digital route guides through their website. As of this writing you can find the digital route guides on their site by going to “CSJ Guides and Updates,” found under the heading “Information and Resources” on their home page. You’ll find the print guidebooks under the heading “Bookshop.”
Cicerone
A great site for walkers and trekkers in general, and a publisher for some of the Camino guidebooks—both in print and in ebook formats. Located in the U.K., but sells internationally.
Be sure to read the fine print: some features of an app may only work with a wireless or cellular connection. This is frequently true for any map-related features. If the maps aren’t embedded within the app itself as a part of the download, you’ll likely need a connection to use the full functionality of the app—and it’s sometimes difficult to get connected in rural parts of the Camino.
Use the keywords “Camino” and “Camino de Santiago” when searching for the latest apps that relate to the Camino de Santiago (a search may not bring up all the options when using just one or the other alone).
Apple iTunes App Store
Go to the iTunes App Store from your computer or mobile device (as of this writing you’ll need an Apple device to use the apps).
Android Market
You’ll need a device that uses the Android operating system.
Amazon’s Appstore for Android
The Amazon apps are also for devices using the Android operating system.
Books About the Camino Experience
These books will help you learn more about what to expect on a Camino pilgrimage.
Gitlitz, David M., and Linda Kay Davidson.
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. A classic resource about the most popular pilgrimage route in Spain: the Camino Francés. The book’s cover best describes what you’ll find inside: “Including art, architecture, geology, history, folklore, saints’ lives, flora and fauna.”
Mullen, Robert.
Call of the Camino: Myth and Meaning on the Road to Compostela.
Scotland, U.K.: Findhorn Press, 2010. An inspiring account of the author’s journey to Santiago de Compostela that also blends well-researched myths, legends, and historical aspects of the Camino with the stories of the pilgrims he’s met along the way.
Frey, Nancy Louise.
Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago.
Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998. This is an in-depth study of the Camino pilgrim experience by an anthropologist-author. But the book is not a dry, academic read: the author shares stories from many of the hundreds of pilgrims she’s met, and not only about their pilgrimage journeys, but also what happens to many of these pilgrims after they return home.
Books Not About the Camino, But Worth Mentioning
Cousineau, Phil.
The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred.
Berkeley, California: Conari Press, 2000. This book is not specifically about the Camino pilgrimage (although it is mentioned), but it considers the pilgrimage phenomenon as an archetype that has occurred throughout time and place, and for all human beings. This book is one of my favorites, and I recommend it here since it might inspire you to think about the possibilities for your own pilgrimage—starting with the first chapter, “The Longing” to go...
Jardine, Ray.
Trail Life: Ray Jardine’s Lightweight Backpacking.
AdventureLore.com
: Adventure Lore Press, 2009. Its focus is on wilderness backpacking, but this book is considered one of the classics by experienced lightweight backpackers. I’ve also listed Ray Jardine again below under Making Your Own Backpack Gear, since this book also has details about how to make some backpacking gear. (Shop around for this book: for some reason I found it listed on major online bookstores with outrageous pricing—from $121 to $900 USD! You can go directly to
www.rayjardine.com
to get the author’s more reasonably priced book.)
Google the keywords “lightweight backpacking” or “ultralight backpacking” to discover more resources—including your own local shops.
Backpacking Light
At this website you’ll find backpacking gear reviews and articles, a community forum for lightweight backpackers, and both new and used gear for sale. Some features on the website are by subscription only, but you can also discover a lot of free information and resources. The focus is on wilderness backpacking, but Camino pilgrims might also find helpful information.
REI
Outdoor gear, in all categories. They have terrific exchange and refund policies, in my experience.
Barrabes
A Spanish website that sells outdoor gear, including the Altus Atmospheric Poncho used by many pilgrims (they have an English-language option for their website). I’ve not used the poncho myself, but so many pilgrims have recommended this particular poncho that I thought I should mention it.
GoLite
Specializes in lightweight backpacks, sleeping bags, rain jackets, and other hiking clothes.
Western Mountaineering
Specializes in lightweight down sleeping bags, vests, and jackets.
Rick Steves
Sells a variety of travel items, including money belts, pocket packs, and European maps and guidebooks (though not Camino maps and guidebooks). The website also provides a lot of European travel tips. Email them to find out if they ship directly to your country (they process orders outside the U.S. differently).
J. R. Liggett’s
