Little of the day of the Apostle Santiago, which is celebrated every July 25, Santiago de Compostela it recovered that semblance of a city taken over by pilgrims from around the world who arrive after long walks. The road to Santiago –the roads, actually, because there are several official roads that culminate in the capital of Galicia, just in front of the tomb of the apostle– resurrected after the pandemic and fully operational. Although the paths were open, it was the hostels that receive the walkers that were closed and, later, had limited capacity.

And towards there they go with that bearing that characterizes the walker: the backpack on the shoulder, the cane to help oneself, the spirit of adventure and the camaraderie between pilgrims always present. 150,000 people have already received the Compostela (the pilgrim’s diploma) so far this year, still far from the 350,000 of 2019, but a symbol of post-pandemic recovery.

The Camino de Santiago is celebrating the holy year, which was also extended to 2022 due to the pandemic. It is considered a jubilee year when the day of Santiago Apóstol falls on a Sunday, as it happened in 2021, which will happen again in five years.

Everyone finds their way and their excuse to travel these ancient routes that began spontaneously before the 10th century and that transcend religion as one of the most important pilgrimages in the world.

You can choose the itinerary that each one wants (the most crowded is the so-called French, but there is also the Portuguese, the Primitive, the English, the Vía de la Plata and the North, among others) and cover the number of kilometers wish, although the minimum is 100 on foot (200 by bicycle) to be considered a pilgrim.

Recent news evokes an Italian actor, Giulio Votta, who rode 150 kilometers on stilts to give visibility to the artistic sector and make the authorities aware of the needs of cultural workers.

Or also the former Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo, who traveled 450 km of the Camino on an electric bicycle to fulfill a promise if his club, Real Valladolid, achieved promotion to the highest category of the Spanish league.

the portuguese version

Although few know it, andn Buenos Aires there is a Camino de Santiago: a kind of recreation. The Archbishopric approved a section of almost 27 kilometers, which runs through the city and has the backing of the Xunta de Galicia. It begins in the Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, stops at various churches in Buenos Aires, enters the Costanera Sur reserve and ends at the San Ignacio de Loyola church.

“As many people began to do the English Way, which leaves from La Coruña and is 75 km to Santiago de Compostela and there are 25 more to go to reach 100 kilometers, the minimum to obtain the Compostela, the official diploma that is awarded to pilgrims, so, we managed to add this route, to be considered the first section. It is only valid for the English Way and it is exclusive for Argentines”, says Rosana Montano, president of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago Association in Argentina and a frequent pilgrim: she has 18 routes to her credit.

The institution, officially recognized by the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, is in charge of granting the pilgrim’s credential free of charge, which will then be completed with stamps in each of the stages through which they walk to reach Santiago and of advising the pilgrims.

“The path changed me completely. I always say that I did not walk the path, but that the path made me”, says Montano, who went for the first time in 2008 together with a friend to fulfill a promise for a health issue and was marked by the experience and when she returned decided to give life to the institution to spread the pilgrimage. She that first time she walked 800 kilometers in 32 days.

But you can choose shorter walks “The first thing we recommend is to decide the number of days available, which may be few, and based on that choose the route,” he explains.

New services are also offered, in this case provided by the Spanish mail, which gives the pilgrims the possibility of contracting online the delivery of bags to the post offices along the different routes and picking them up in Santiago, to walk with the just . Or directly you can choose the backpack packthe service of sending backpacks and suitcases stage by stage, from accommodation to accommodation.

Next Saturday, in commemoration of Santiago Apóstol, there will be a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Buenos Aires starting at 8 o’clock from the Santiago Apóstol church, with free participation. Registrations: [email protected].