Follow the Yellow Brick Road

The long arm of colorless gravel path lined with bare trees reaches through the rolling Spanish countryside, disappearing into infinity. Sparse shacks, now empty, appear every 100 meters or so. The vast fields alternate from spring green to dry and brown. It seems that without the blue skies and early spring sun, the view would be rather dull, gray, and depressing. Lady Luck is on our side today, I think as I walk down the path, kicking stones in front of me. Nevertheless, I wish winter would pack its bags. The scraggly trees could use a little greenery.

This is the Camino de Santiago, the millennium-old route that spans through the north of Spain. Beginning at the traveler's doorstep--or somewhere near the French Pyrenees--and ending in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, the Camino de Santiago was, and continues to be, a spiritual journey for the peregrinos* who traverse it year-round. During the Middle Ages, religion was the only thing that the peregrinos had in common, but it united them to build churches and cathedrals along the route. The Camino de Santiago is responsible for the population and industrialization of northern Spain.

Although I am not an official peregrino, I can feel the importance and the power of the Camino de Santiago, mixed with the chilly air. I can see the determination and concentration on the faces of the other travelers I see on the road. Entering a tiny, dusty town, I feel the jolt of accomplishment. As I wonder how it must feel for those who have been walking for days and weeks, I tell myself, I'm coming back.

*pilgrims