00:00These people here have just finished hiking hundreds of kilometers.
00:04Just wow!
00:05I don't have words.
00:06Everything hurts, but it's amazing.
00:08I came alone and arrived at the end with many friends.
00:13We're in Santiago de Compostela, Spain,
00:16one of the world's most iconic Christian pilgrimage destinations,
00:20a sacred place many people visit for spiritual reasons,
00:23and the last stop on the Camino de Santiago, the Wade of St. James.
00:27We explore the city, meet hiking experts and get some tips in case you want to do it yourself.
00:35But before we explore Santiago de Compostela,
00:38let's go to the city where the Camino's oldest route begins, in Oviedo.
00:43It is widely believed that from here the first pilgrim started his journey to Santiago de Compostela in the 9th
00:50century.
00:51Oviedo's main attractions are the Cathedral of El Salvador and the Historical Center,
00:55which has a blend of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
01:01And now it's time to start our journey.
01:04Erika and Ricky show me some locations of the Camino Primitivo.
01:11If we were going to walk the whole Camino Primitivo, we would need 14 days to cover around 300 kilometers,
01:18and this is one of the shortest paths.
01:20On the Camino Primitivo, people walk between 16 and 30 kilometers each day,
01:26passing through historic sites and beautiful landscapes.
01:30The Santiago roots and landscapes are very diverse.
01:34What should people pack?
01:38I think you need to invest in good shoes and a good backpack.
01:42Then what you put in your backpack should be very basic and not too heavy.
01:47People say carry 10% of your body weight, but we always say 7% because then you add food
01:54and water.
01:56For example, when you are walking, you sometimes don't meet anyone, right?
02:00How do you feel about that? Is it safe?
02:05Yes. For me, the Camino is one of the safest places.
02:08In fact, many really young and older women walk the Camino alone.
02:13There's even a police force dedicated to the Camino.
02:17Things can happen as they do everywhere in the world, but I feel quite safe.
02:25Riqui, what surprises you most after walking for so many years?
02:31I always wondered why people come here walking for days, months.
02:36And what we've observed with many of the people who come to the Camino de Santiago
02:40is that they carry psychological baggage with them.
02:43A problem, a breakup, a loss.
02:46And the beautiful thing about all this is that many people connect and understand
02:50that even though their situation may be very complicated, they're not alone.
02:59Pilgrims and hikers stay in albergues or hostels.
03:02These are mainly dormitory rooms, but some have private rooms too.
03:06The prices for a bed are between 7 and 25 euros, depending on if it's a public or private hostel.
03:14For me, El Camino, it's gratitude and kindness.
03:18And the most beautiful gift, except of course belonging to the Pilgrims community,
03:24is the feeling that I'm alive again.
03:29Well, that was a long day and I honestly can't imagine walking the entire Camino.
03:35Tomorrow is a big day, so, buenas noches.
03:39We're now heading to Santiago de Compostela, around an hour and a half drive away.
03:43The closer we get to Santiago, the more pilgrims, hikers and bikers we see.
03:50We made it, although by car.
03:53Santiago de Compostela is a small city with around 100,000 people, but it gets a lot of visitors.
04:00In 2024, half a million pilgrims came here.
04:04The Cathedral of Santiago stands at the heart of the city, a masterpiece of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture.
04:12It's in the main square, Plaza del Obradoiro, and the final stop of pilgrims and hikers.
04:19The cathedral is beautiful, so, it's the Bota Fulmeiro, one of the largest incest burners in Europe.
04:26It measures 1.5 meters.
04:29Let's go back to the main square to meet some pilgrims and hikers.
04:34Congratulations, you made it!
04:37Wow, just wow! It was a dream come true!
04:42It was a rewarding experience and a beautiful journey with all our classmates here from the university.
04:47Tough, tiring, but very satisfying. Worth repeating.
05:00That was a quick peek at the Camino de Santiago and I have to say it was very emotional.
05:06Would you ever want to try one of these routes or have you done something similar?
05:10Hasta la proxima!
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