When I was looking for a possible pilgrimage starting in the middle of October 2022, I was immediately drawn to the Via de la Plata. Not only was the weather still okay for hiking in southern Spain, but the way from Seville to Santiago de Compostela seemed to have everything I loved – long stretches in nature and a richness of history and culture.
Map from internet “camino ninjo app”
Even before the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 206 BC, there existed a way from south to north used by hunters, shepherds and later by Phoenicians and Greeks in search for gold and zinc. The Romans fortified and enlarged the road, built bridges and camps which later became towns. This Roman road was used by the people of the great migration (Goths, Vandals…) and later by the berber tribes of Africa, who conquered the land in 711 AD. The berber tribes called the road Balath (meaning fortified street) which developed into Via de la Plata (silver road). The Islamic culture left a rich heritage, especially in the southern part of Spain
The “discovery” of the grave of apostle James in the field of stars (campus stellae) in the beginning of the 9th century started the “Reconquista”. Santiago de Compostela became, besides Rome and Jerusalem, the most important pilgrimage destination. Masses of people were motivated to fight against the “heathen” and liberate the Iberian Peninsula from Islamic rulers. By 1492, the last Islamic stronghold, Granada, was conquered and the “Reconquista” ended. During all this time, the Via de la Plata was used as the main connection between northern and southern Spain by millions of people over thousands of years.
It was intriguing to think that I could follow the footsteps of people walking this road since ancient times, that I was just a drop in the bucket joining millions with one step at a time, disappearing into the past like everybody before me. Due to time restrictions, I could not walk the entire path to Santiago de Compostela (1000 km), but I decided to end my pilgrimage in Salamanca. The distance from Seville to Salamanca is about 600 km.
I walked for 26 days with 2 days of rest. During this time, I hardly met any other pilgrims. Not only is the Via de la Plata a less frequented pilgrimage route due to extreme weather conditions and long distances to the next possible accommodation, but most of the pilgrims walk in spring when the weather is nice and everything is in bloom.
Walking a pilgrimage for me is always an opportunity to practice staying in the here and now, to be fully present in my body, to have my senses wide open and live every experience as fully as possible. I took koans, poems and words of wisdom with me in order to clear my mind. They were given to me by friends. I also packed light, but the decision to take only one pair of shoes with me became problematic.
Overall, this pilgrimage was a beautiful experience, but with challenges I did not expect. Every day, I wrote a diary about my experiences, my thoughts and feelings. Especially in the beginning, I composed haikus (most of them I wrote in German) in order to capture the moment – beside making many photos. It is a pleasure for me to share my journey with you. Please walk with me the Via de la Plata, the silver road to Santiago de Compostela.
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