We have heard about the Camino de Santiago – the pilgrimage many make each year to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are several routes. On a previous trip we found ourselves in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port France, watching the pilgrims register for the 40 + day journey and reserve their place in the hostels by hanging their backpack on the door.

Oviedo is where the first pilgrimage began in the 9th century, shortly after the discovery of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle and because of the devotion of King Alfonso II. He made the first pilgrimage. Knowing that we would be in Oviedo motivated us to at least try a small bit of the pilgrimage. The starting point is the Cathedral of Oviedo. Bronze shells mark the path, and we followed those shells for almost an hour through Oviedo. While clearly not the experience of a true pilgrim it was still very moving.