Camino de Santiago and Covid-19
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Stay home. That’s the message that we keep hearing these days of isolation and uncertainty. The Covid-19 sanitary crisis has turned our lives upside-down. And the Camino de Santiago, perhaps for the first time in its history, has been left with no pilgrims to walk its hundreds of miles.
To help you get through this situation and maintain the jacobean spirit, we suggest a few plans to keep walking the Camino without having to leave your homes.
#ShareYourCamino
What a better way to remember the Camino than going back to it? Share your pictures, videos, songs, quotes, drawings… with the rest of the pilgrim community using the hashtags #ShareYourCamino and #StayHome.
Together we can fill social media up with the jacobean spirit and share the values of the Camino, which are so needed at the moment. ¡Join us!.
Inspirational readings about the Camino de Santiago
Lately, everyone has a bit more free time to spend on reading. Why not choose a book that takes us straight to the Camino de Santiago?
We have gathered for you ten readings to enjoy the Jacobean Route from your couch. From best-sellers to self-help guides, first-person stories, comic books or recipe books with the Camino de Santiago’s best dishes. Come, read and enjoy.
Virtually travel through the Jacobean Routes
Camino Francés, Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo, Vía de la Plata, Camino a Fisterra y Muxía… We can’t set foot on them, but nobody can deter us from going back through its stages, visiting its monuments or even saying “hello” to local postmen and women.
All virtually, of course. Check out the ‘Los Caminos’ section of our website and choose your favorite route. Also, there are several lists on our YouTube channel where our postmen and women give you some advice or show you the key places in each Route. That way, you get to revisit all the special places that you went through when walking the Camino.
The Camino de Santiago on your screen
Another way of travelling to the Camino is through the films that address pilgrimage to Santiago. The Martin Sheen film ‘The Way’, starring his dad, Emilio Estévez, is a reference.
If you haven’t watched it yet, now is the time. And if you have already accompanied Tom Avery in his Way, it’s never a bad time to watch it again. Rakuten.tv has decided to make it available to watch for free in order to help us go back to the Camino.
Also, here is a list of international films to bring a smile to your faces or even make you shed a tear or two when remembering your pilgrimage. Documentary, comedy, drama… There’s something for everyone.
Pilgrimage within reach through a “click”
The internet is a constant content provider. Also regarding the Camino de Santiago. From the thousands of available options we have selected two main ones.
The first one is the webseries ‘El Latido del Camino’, available on YouTube. On the occasion of the Jubilee Year, in 2010, the pilgrims José García and Tomás Abeijón started this series of 26 episodes, in which they summarize their experiences in search for the reasons that lead thousands of people to pilgrimage to Santiago. If you’re thinking about walking the Camino, do not doubt. You can get to know some of the most emblematic places on the Camino Francés, at the same time that you discover the motivations that led others to jump into the adventure of the Camino.
We also suggest following the steps of Javier Jordi, the pilgrim ‘youtuber’. Historical context, landscapes, food, monuments… and the friendships that are made during the Camino de Santiago. This is the common element of his videos, recorded with a hand-held camera through the thirteen stages that separate León from Santiago de Compostela. You can find all episodes, one per stage, in his YouTube channel: CLOTXA Produccions.
Pilgrim music
Music is another way of immediately travelling to the Camino de Santiago. There are many playlists that link certain songs to the Jacobean Route. Although, you probable have your own: those songs that you listened to during your pilgrimage, or the one that was playing at a special moment on the Camino.
Perhaps the first few chords you overheard as soon as you set foot on the Obradoiro. We are quite classic about that and, if we have to choose one song to represent the Camino, we choose two. Firstly, the Dum pater familias, which appears on the Codex Calixtinus. And, of course, the traditional pilgrim song: Ultreia.
Guided tour of the Catedral de Santiago
Would you like to visit all of the rooms in the Catedral de Santiago and its museum? Well, you can. Without having to leave your house! Starting this weekend, the Fundación Catedral has made their audio guide available for free for all of us.
It’s a mobile app, available for iOS and Android, which includes an interactive map of the Catedral, over 200 historical and current pictures, stories and videos that allow virtual visitors to go through the Catedral and its museum. Contents are available in Spanish, Galician, English and French. Don’t say it’s not a great plan!
Tasting the Camino
El Camino de Santiago gets to you through your palate. Do you feel like cooking any local food you tasted while your Camino? Over your stoves you can cook a tastefull Tortilla española, Fabada Asturiana, some Patatas a la Riojana, Cocido Maragato del Bierzo or a good Caldo Gallego. And for dessert, we suggest the “tarta de Santiago”. Here’s the recipe.
These are some ideas of all kinds for all pilgrims. We hope that you enjoy them and that they help you get through these days a bit better. Now, it’s your turn. Are you thinking about the Camino de Santiago? Do you plan to do it this year? What takes you back to the Camino? Tell us everything in the comment section or share it on social media. Lots of encouragement and Buen Camino, pilgrims!
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