Some interesting tidbits on the El Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

While slogging through the hilly terrain of the El Camino de Santiago, here are a few fascinating things to ponder:

• The El Camino de Santiago are old pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain where Santiago (St. James) the patron saint of Spain and the first Christian martyr, is buried
• Pilgrims have been walking along the Camino de Santiago for more than 1000 years
• The Camino was considered one of three pilgrimages on which all sins could be forgiven, with the others being the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem
• The main route is called the Camino Frances, it starts in St Jean Pied de Port and finishes in Santiago roughly 780 kilometres later after traveling the breadth of Northern Spain
• The Pilgrimage is experiencing a resurgence in recent years, from 3,501 registered pilgrims in 1988 to 30,000 in 1998 and nearly 70,000 in 2002— and none of these were Holy Years (when numbers can swell quickly)
• 2004, a Holy Year, was the busiest year on record—nearly 180, 000 pilgrims received their credencial in Santiago
• In 1993 UNESCO named the Camino Frances a “World Heritage Site”, resulting in a slew of publicity for this route
• Pilgrims age 21 -30 are the largest group, followed by the 41-50 age range
• Famous pilgrims include Anthony Quinn and Shirley MacLaine