The Shell

I became intrigued with the scallop shell markers that I would encounter near our home in the forest. Here in Germany, the trails are marked well and I wondered about the shell marker- which eventually led me to the road that I will soon follow.

The scallop shell has been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Many legends associated with the shell abound. Two common versions are:

 After James’ death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, the body washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops.

After James’ death his body was mysteriously transported by a ship with no crew back to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. As James’ ship approached land, a wedding was taking place on the shore. The young groom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and the horse and rider plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells

The symbolism of the shell with the grooves coming together represent many roads leading to the final destination. I believe that the shell which are plentiful in the Galacian region of Spain were most likely used to gather water or used as an eating utensil or bowl, and soon became associated with the Camino. Today, many pilgrims wear the shell to signify that they are pilgrims on the route. The Camino is marked with blue and yellow signs pointing The Way.

The Journey Begins

I am filled with excitement, trepidation, wonder, fear- basically the whole gamut of emotions- as I finish the final preparations today for my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela- The Way of Saint James. Thursday morning I take a flight to Santander, Spain then catch a train to Palencia, take  a bus to Leon and hopefully meet up with my friend Eve. I will walk this portion of the Camino – 210 miles.

My pack has been packed, emptied re-packed and once again this morning I have deleted items and added others. I have been walking and hiking in preparation and hope that my regime has prepared my body for the long days of 15- 20 miles. Many books, websites and guides have been read in the hope of educating myself on how to prepare and what to expect, however I am going with an open mind so that any expectations I have will not result in disappointment. I am viewing this as a journey of a lifetime- to walk through part of Spain, with time to reflect on the many blessings I have in my life and be one with nature in what I have heard is beautiful countryside. The idea of walking where others have gone for thousands of years is exciting to me. It will be a wonderful time to reflect on our past two years of living in Europe and some quiet time before the total chaos of moving.

Why the Camino? Well I guess I could answer several ways,  “Because it is there” or  “Why Not”  but I guess the real reason is that I became fascinated with the idea when we moved over here. As you know, I LOVE TO WALK- it is my way to relieve stress, my preferred form of exercise and a great way to truly see my surroundings. While walking through the woods here in Germany, I would notice scallop shell markers on some of the paths and found out that I could walk to Spain from our town on a road that pilgrims have walked for thousands of years. I started to investigate and when my friend Eve told me that she was going to be a pelegrina this spring the plan began to form. My wonderful honey has been supportive and encouraging and provided me the opportunity to fulfill this dream that began almost two years ago- another bucket list item soon to be checked off (I hope).

I will carry each of you in thoughts and prayers with me on my journey and ask that you keep me in yours.

E Ultreia,

J