Caminar ala medieval

 
This year, my big plan is to walk the Camino in medieval style. Brave words, I know. Let me explain.

Why walk? Because it is an incredible way to really experience the country, to meet local people, to make friends with other hikers and, of course, to see all the magnificent monuments that nature and humanity have left behind.

What is the Camino? El Camino de Santiago or the Way of St James is the now every year more popular medieval pilgrimage route leading to the (believed) shrine of St James the Greater in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, northwestern Spain. In medieval days, it was one of the most important pilgrimages ever, right after Rome and Jerusalem.
There is no single route to Santiago but some are considered main ones. Along those people from different countries have congregated and travelled together. The most famous and therefore the most popular is Camino Frances from St Jean Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Atlantic Pyrenees to Santiago. There are other, however. Spain has a veritable network of them and there are three main routes through France, with extensions to Germany and Eastern Europe.
My plan is to start in Torino on the branch of Via Francigena (connecting Canterbury with Rome) also called Via Domitia (after the Roman road connecting France and Italy), cross the Alps at Col du Montgenevre, descend to Arles via the valley of the Durance and the mountains of les Alpilles (this is now marked as GR 653D, following the course of Via Domitia), there join Via Tolosana (marked as GR 653) through Toulouse, cross the Pyrenees at Col du Somport, where Via Tolosana becomes Camino Aragones and then join Camino Frances in Puente la Reina. For the beautiful conclusion I will also walk Camino Fisterra from Santiago to the end of the world at the Atlantic coast. All in all, about 2200km.

Why the Camino? Because there is something unique there. I walked it once before and felt it. I cannot say what it is and since I am not a Christian, for me it doesn't connect with religion. Perhaps it is the draw that makes the walkers strive to achieve the same goal? Perhaps thousands that have walked it in the past with this goal in their minds left their mark on the route? Perhaps medieval pilgrims weren't the first to travel there? Perhaps we will never now. But it's definitely there.

Why medieval style? I like Middle Ages. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I just feel... at home in the Middle Ages. And somehow it feels right to walk such a route in medieval garb. It has a very strong medieval presence.
And, well, since I am a female, I think that in the Middle Ages a pilgrimage was one of the very few ways the vast majority of the respectable females could take to explore the world outside their cottage and outside their village. :o)