Pictures from Spain

Following the Path of Pilgrims of Old on the Camino de Santiago

A Pilgrimage to Spain

Led By

The Rev. John Herring
All Saints Episcopal Church
Atlanta, GA

June 7 - 16, 2010

The Camino de Santiago, or the way of St. James, actually begins in St. Jean de Port, France and continues some 500 miles to Santiago.  This same path has been taken for hundreds of years by the faithful making their holy pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.  The path was also used by Roman, Moor and Saracen invaders, the Knights Templar and the armies of Charlemagne and Napoleon.  Therefore, this journey is not only steeped in spiritual significance as you travel to the place believed to be the burial site of St. James, but it also has much historical and cultural significance.

At the beginning of our walk, each pilgrim will be given a pilgrim’s passport that will be stamped at our stops along the way showing that we have completed that portion of our walk.  The pilgrim’s passport is simply a document showing our progress along the trail.  It has no connection with a US Passport.  When our walk is complete, we will exchange our pilgrim’s passport for our Certificate of Completion of the Camino de Santiago.

Trip map

DAY 1, Monday, June 7, 2010 - Depart the Atlanta Airport on Continental Airlines to the Newark Airport.  There we will transfer to our trans-Atlantic flight into Barcelona, Spain.  Dinner on board the aircraft. D

DAY 2: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 - We arrive at Barcelona Airport and meet our driver and guide.  We drive into Barcelona and enjoy a guided panoramic tour.  We see the Harbour and a general overview of the city.  We enjoy a lunch of Tapas; snacks, canapés or finger food.  Tapas come in many different forms and can vary from town to town.  Tapas are served day in and day out in every bar and café in Spain and are so much a part of the culture and social scene that the Spanish invented the verb tapear which means to go and eat tapas.  After lunch we enjoy a walk of the Rambla, Barcelona’s old city, one of the nicest and most romantic of Europe and the best known landmark of Barcelona.  Dinner and overnight Barcelona. D

DAY 3: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - After breakfast we see the Parque Guell, Montjuic Olympic Installations and Poblet Espanol.  After lunch we visit the Church of La Sagrada Familia, begun on March 19, 1882 from a project by the diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar.  At the end of 1883 Gaudi was commissioned to carry on the building which he did not abandon until his death in 1926.  Gaudi said “The expiatory church of La Sagrada Familia is made by the people and is mirrored in them.  It is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of the people.”  The building of the church is still going on today.  Dinner and overnight Barcelona. BD

DAY 4: Thursday, June 10, 2010 - Today will be a full day of traveling across Spain on the train arriving in Sarria at 10:00 PM. BD

DAY 5: Friday, June 11, 2010 - Today we begin with Morning Prayer before we start our 115 KM walk to Santiago taking in the sites of the small country churches, oak and chestnut groves and farm life along the way.  Upon arrival in Portomarin, we will visit the Church of San Juan which was moved stone by stone from its original location down in the river valley.  This afternoon we visit the city of Lugo where we will walk along the 1800 year old Roman Wall encircling the historical quarter.  Overnight Portomarin.  Walking distance 23.5 KM/14.5 miles. BD

DAY 6: Saturday, June 12, 2010 - Today we traverse a section of the trail covered in a reddish soil as we venture toward Palas Do Rei.  We will travel through many small towns and villages.  At Castromaior, ruins of a Roman camp have been discovered.  We will pass through Venta de Narón where Christian armies fought and defeated the Muslims in 820.  We will continue to Lameiros where we will see the Cross of Lameiros depicting the Passion and Virgin and Child.  Our final destination today is Palas Do Rei which contains 43 parish churches of which 20 are in the Romanesque style.  We will have dinner and overnight in Palas Do Rei.  Walking distance 25 KM/15.4 miles. BD

DAY 7: Sunday, June 13, 2010 - Today’s hilly walk continues through field and forest filled with countless examples of Galician vernacular architecture – wayside crosses, granaries, and medieval bridges.  We will walk to the small bustling town of Melide where we will visit the small Ethnographic Museum.  We continue on to the small medieval pilgrims’ hospital and bridge spanning the Río Iso where we will take the bus to Arzúa.  Afternoon excursion to the Portodemouros Reservoir where we can rent kayaks on our own (approximately 9 Euro) or visit the Museo de Mel (Honey Museum) (approximately 2.5 Euro).  Because of the distances to be traveled, we will walk and use the bus today.  Overnight Arzúa.  Walking distance 26 KM/16 miles. BD

DAY 8: Monday, June 14, 2010 - This morning the bus will take us back to where we ended our walk yesterday and we will continue our walk to Arca.  We will visit the Monastery of Sobrado, founded in the 10th century and which continues to be active today.  Overnight Arca.  Walking distance 22 KM/13.6 miles. BD

DAY 9: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - During this, the final stage of our journey, we continue our walk into Santiago as many pilgrims before us have done.  We stop and reflect on the Monte del Gozo (Mount Joy) from which the spires of the Cathedral can be seen.  We arrive in Santiago in time for the 12 noon Pilgrim’s Mass where we will see the Botafumeiro, a 4 foot incense burner that is swung across the cathedral.  In the medieval days, the incense was burned to mask the smell of the pilgrims in the church.  We walk to the Pilgrim’s Office where we turn in our Pilgrim’s Passport in exchange for our Compostela Certificates of Completion which will indicate that we have walked the pilgrims’ route.  There will be some free time to enjoy the city in the afternoon.  We will have dinner in Santiago prior to boarding the overnight train to Madrid.  Walking distance 11 KM/6.7 miles. BD

DAY 10: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - We arrive at the Madrid Train Station at 8:05 AM and transfer to the Madrid Airport for our return flight home.  We board Continental Airlines for our departure to Newark.  There we will transfer to our flight into the Atlanta Airport. BL

Price: $3,349.00.  Price is based on double occupancy without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Atlanta, Georgia Airport.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement:  $139.00

$200.00 per person deposit due with registration and copy of passport.

Excludes airline taxes and surcharges that will be added to your final payment invoice.  Estimated taxes as of 10/27/09 $345.27.

Final payment due March 5, 2010

The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the Euro and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the Euro.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.49589 to the Euro

Cancellation Penalties
◊ October 27, 2009 – March 8, 2010 - $100.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ March 9, 2010 – April 22, 2010 - $200.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After April 23, 2010: NO REFUND

Price includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, S Snack

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.