Page 404 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

is the 12th-century Cap- bulls tear through the Calle Cuesta de Santo Domingo
illa de Sancti Spiritus. streets at dawn causing 47; adult/student/child €2/1/
If you need some exer- chaos as they go (and free, free Sat afternoon &
cise there’s lots of good alcohol-fueled revel- Sun; h9.30am-2pm & 5-7pm
walking around here. lers cause chaos for the Tue-Sat, 11am-2pm Sun),
remainder of the day – whose highlights include
The Drive » It’s basically huge Roman mosaics.
47km (one hour) downhill all and night), Pamplona
the way from Roncesvalles to is a quiet and low-key The Catedral (www.cat-
Pamplona. It’s a pretty drive city at any other time of edraldepamplona.com; Calle
through mountainscapes, the year. Animal rights Dormitalería; adult/child €5/3;
forests and gentle farmland. groups oppose bullrun- h10.30am-7pm Mon-Sat)
The N135 road passes through ning as a cruel tradition is late-medieval Gothic
innumerable hamlets and and increasing left- with a neoclassical fa-
villages painted in the red and wing influence in local cade. The cathedral tour
white Basque colours and is a highlight and takes
centred on old stone churches, government has called
many of which are crammed the future of Pamplona’s you up to the top of the
with religious treasures. bullrun into question. bell tower, into the pretty
Pamplona’s history cloisters and a museum
stretches back to Roman with religious treasures,
2 Pamplona times, and is best traced a Roman-era house and
Renowned across the in the city’s fantastic finishes all surreal with a
world for the Sanfer- Museo de Navarra (www. room full of Virgins!
mines festival, when cfnavarra.es/cultura/museo; 54 p412
SPAIN 29 NORTHERN SPAIN PILGRIMAGE

WHAT IS THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO?
The Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) originated as a medieval pilgrimage and
ever since people have taken up the challenge of the Camino and walked to Santiago
de Compostela. It all began back in the 9th century when a remarkable event occurred
in the poor Iberian hinterlands: following a shining star, Pelayo, a religious hermit,
unearthed the tomb of the apostle James the Greater (or, in Spanish, Santiago). The
news was confirmed by the local bishop, the Asturian king and later the pope.
Compostela became the most important destination for Christians after Rome
and Jerusalem. Its popularity increased with an 11th-century papal decree granting
it Holy Year status: pilgrims could receive a plenary indulgence – a full remission of
your life’s sins – during a Holy Year. These occur when Santiago’s feast day (25 July)
falls on a Sunday: if you’ve been naughty then you’ll need to wait until 2021 for the
next one – but driving there doesn’t count...
The 11th and 12th centuries marked the heyday of the pilgrimage. The
Reformation was devastating for Catholic pilgrimages and by the 19th century the
Camino had nearly died out. In its startling late-20th-century reanimation, which
continues today, it’s most popular as a personal and spiritual journey of discovery,
rather than one primarily motivated by religion.
Today the most popular of the several caminos (paths) to Santiago de
Compostela is the Camino Francés, which spans 783km of Spain’s north and
attracts walkers of all backgrounds and ages from across the world. It’s the Council
of Europe’s first Cultural Itinerary and a Unesco World Heritage site but, for pilgrims,
it’s a pilgrimage equal to visiting Jerusalem, and by finishing it you’re guaranteed a
healthy chunk of time off purgatory.

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