The Camino de Santiago, from Spiritual Route to Obstacle Course
ARZÚA, A CORUÑA. – He Camino de Santiago It is no longer the silent spiritual retreat that the books make it out to be. If you were looking for inner peace, you are late: now it is a human conveyor belt, a "tourist magnet" so powerful that it has transformed reflection into a constant negotiation for living space.
According to the hilarious and painfully real documentary Mass tourism on the Camino, the Jacobean route has gone from being a path to a waiting line giant to make a selfie in the Obradoiro.
«Jacobean Claustrophobia» in the Forest
The young Canadian Aisha Ross, who has been walking from the south of France for three weeks, summarized the experience at the gates of Arzúa with overwhelming sincerity: “You're dodging people, looking for a place to climb... it's claustrophobic”.
And, dear pilgrim, if before the biggest threat was blisters, today it is the risk of being run over by a group of thirty people marching in unison. The essence of the Camino has not been lost; It is simply buried under a barrage of backpacks and walking sticks. trekking.
The Business of «Compostela Express»
The 2023 data, which recorded almost half a million pilgrims, confirm that the Camino is today the most attended global phenomenon since the Queen concert at Wembley. The key to this agglomeration is the famous stretch Sarria-Compostela: the minimum and magic distance (about 100 km) to obtain the Compostela, the coveted certificate that justifies the feat.
The director of the documentary points to the great change: the Camino has become the perfect destination for the "pilgrim of delivery«:
- The luggage is sent by parcel (because carrying the backpack inhibits the networking).
- Hotels are reserved in advance (because the penance must be with thread sheets).
- It is organized as a perfectly planned leisure trip, eliminating the component of improvisation and, apparently, silence.
In short, it is a profitable business, but also a space where saturation is such that the only internal search left is for a free table for dinner in Molinaseca.
Santiago: The City that Lives in a Constant Awakening
If the walk is intense, the arrival in Santiago is directly an acoustic war zone. Beatriz Asorey, an artisan and resident of the historic center, recounts the morning nightmare:
«We live at the entrance to the Camino... and many times the groups stop in front of our house. They sing, they shout, and they even enter the portal. Are 300 or 500 people at seven in the morning. It's a constant noise."
The historic city does not sleep; It prepares every day for the new wave of pilgrims who arrive singing hymns at 7 AM. Coexistence is increasingly a challenge, transforming the entrance to the Cathedral into a human funnel where emotion mixes with the rush to find a space for the required photo.
In short, the Camino de Santiago is an unforgettable experience. But if you really want to listen to your inner voice, maybe you should start looking for a route that isn't already on TikTok. Good… and loud… Road!
