Camino de Santiago / The Way of St. James (Part 1 of 2)

***** UPDATED 2011-11-13 *****

(Please also review Part 2: Running the Camino de Santiago "The Way": Jenny Biondi Anderson 815.6 km, 9 days 5 hrs 29 min)

According to Wikipedia:

".... The Way of St. James or St. James' Way (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago) is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried ...."

".... The French Way (Spanish: Camino Francés) is the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles on the Spanish side and then another 780km on to Santiago de Compostela through the major cities of Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and Léon. A typical walk on the Camino Francés takes at least four weeks, allowing for one or two rest days on the way.

Paths from the cities of Tours, Vézelay, and Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. A fourth French route originates in Arles, in Provence, and crosses the French–Spanish frontier at a different point, between the Pyrenees towns of Somport and Canfranc. This fourth route follows the Aragonese Way and joins the main Way of St. James at Puente la Reina, south of Pamplona, in Navarre, about seven hundred kilometres from Santiago de Compostela ...."

(Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_French_Way)

Below is a video with similar description of the French Way:

Camino de Santiago from George Derk on Vimeo.

The Camino Frances is the most popular route along the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage trail with various routes all leading to a 9th century cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, Spain. Photographer G. Derk started the 500-mile trek in a small town in France, tracing the route along northern Spain and finally ending at the magnificent 9th century cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, which is believed to be the final resting place of the apostle St. James. The town is an UNESCO World Heritage Sites, chosen because of its historic importance to Christians in Spain. The pilgrimage route, too, is considered historically significant for its place in linking the Iberian peninsula with the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages. It's a stunning trek and the video only does it further justice.

There are other alternate routes:

http://www.spain.info/en/conoce/grandes-rutas/caminodesantiago/

http://www.spain.info/conoce/grandes-rutas/caminodesantiago/camino-norte/?l=en

http://www.spain.info/en/conoce/grandes-rutas/caminodesantiago/camino-primitivo/