Who among the readers/contributors walked before 1979?

[Anthony Rocco]

I recently spent time on a camino with a person who first walked the Frances waaayyy back in 1979. She walked as a student of the great camino writer David Gitlitz. Her knowledge of the camino and stories of walking over the past 44 years are spellbinding. I'm wondering if anyone in the world of Ivar walked the camino before 1979?

 

[Bradypus]

Your friend is a member of a very small club! With the scale of the Caminos today it is very hard to grasp how few people walked in the 1970s. The Spanish Wikipedia article on the Camino de Santiago has annual totals for Compostelas issued back to 1970. Probably not a full account as not all those who walked may have asked for a Compostela but a good indicator of how much things have changed.

 

[Kathor1]

I recently spent time on a camino with a person who first walked the Frances waaayyy back in 1979. She walked as a student of the great camino writer David Gitlitz. Her knowledge of the camino and stories of walking over the past 44 years are spellbinding. I'm wondering if anyone in the world of Ivar walked the camino before 1979?

Forum member @LynnT walked in 1974. Click on the forum name to see her earlier posts. She mentions the 1974 Camino in some of them and uploaded some photos.

 

[LynnT]

Forum member @LynnT walked in 1974. Click on the forum name to see her earlier posts. She mentions the 1974 Camino in some of them and uploaded some photos.

You are correct. I walked in 1974, also with David Gitlitz, on his first Camino with students (he led 5 trips, the last 4 with Linda Davidson, who also walked in 1974). I'm happy to share stories from that experience.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I finished my Master's Degree in June of 1977 (Ancient & Medieval European Studies, 'natch!) and had some free time. So I bought a Eurailpass, and, with a backpack quite primitive by today's standards, flew to Europe from NY via Iceland and Luxemburg to do the almost stereotypical young-American-with-a backpack-and-a-Eurailpass "cool thing"!

Now, I didn't set off thinking of myself as a pilgrim but over the course of the Summer I came honestly to realize that I was one, after a fashion. I had a list of sites to see, almost all of them religious.... Lourdes was at the top of my list of places to visit, and there I had the most profound, life-transforming and life-enhancing experience of my life. Spent the rest of the Summer riding a religious "high"....

Santiago de Compostela was second on my list. At the time I didn't know that anyone was still walking the Way -- in fact, the idea of walking never even crossed my mind! I trained from Lourdes to Santiago via Burgos and Madrid, and arrived -- overnight train! -- not long after dawn on a lovely summer's day.

I allowed myself one whole day to visit -- I thought that that would be sufficient. Hard now to believe that I was ever so green and naïve!

The rail station was either where it is now, or somewhere very nearby; I remember little about it. I checked my bag into a big cheap metal locker at the station. I then walked from the station into the centro, and along the Rua Franco to the Plaza de Obradoiro. The Rua looked then much as it does now. Fewer trinket shops, perhaps....

The Obradoiro was quiet, and entirely pilgrim free! I was able to enter the Cathedral via the Portico de Gloria, and press my hand into the now-forbidden handprint.... The Cathedral interior was not crowded, and lent itself to leisurely sightseeing. I took my time. I was then present for a mid-day Mass, but the butafumeiro did not swing.... Exiting via the Silversmith's Square I observed two or three people with big backpacks, pilgrims almost certainly. They were surrounded by people, and I didn't even try to speak with them. They were being treated rather like celebrities!

I slowly walked round through the Obradoiro again, then up through the infamous bagpiper's tunnel. No bagpipers! I walked as far as the Plaza de Cervantes, which I remember well, then wound my way through the University/Mazarelos district and out to the Sta Maria de Sar Church, (about which I was particularly curious from my studies). Bought Sar Museum ticket # 6, which I still have.... I finally walked to the Alameda Park where I sat gratefully admiring the view, until it was time to head back to the train station.... I took no photographs that have survived the years (no cell phones back then, sigh!) , bought no souvenirs, and most definitely got no Compostela!

(Were they even giving out Compostelas in 1977? Who knew!?)

That was 46 years ago! .... A merciful God has allowed me to visit Santiago many times since then., and I love it dearly. My trekking days are now over, alas! but I hope to visit it one last time this coming October.

 

[Migueldc]

I finished my Master's Degree in June of 1977 (Ancient & Medieval European Studies, 'natch!) and had some free time. So I bought a Eurailpass, and, with a backpack quite primitive by today's standards, flew to Europe from NY via Iceland and Luxemburg to do the almost stereotypical young-American-with-a backpack-and-a-Eurailpass "cool thing"!

Now, I didn't set off thinking of myself as a pilgrim but over the course of the Summer I came honestly to realize that I was one, after a fashion. I had a list of sites to see, almost all of them religious.... Lourdes was at the top of my list of places to visit, and there I had the most profound, life-transforming and life-enhancing experience of my life. Spent the rest of the Summer riding a religious "high"....

Santiago de Compostela was second on my list. At the time I didn't know that anyone was still walking the Way -- in fact, the idea of walking never even crossed my mind! I trained from Lourdes to Santiago via Burgos and Madrid, and arrived -- overnight train! -- not long after dawn on a lovely summer's day.

I gave myself one whole day to visit -- hard to believe that now! (I was so young and green!)

The rail station was either where it is now, or somewhere very nearby; I remember little about it. I checked my bag into a big cheap locker at the station. I walked from the station into the centro, and then along the Rua Franco to the Plaza de Obradoiro. It looked then much as it does now. Fewer trinket shops, perhaps....

The Obradoiro was quiet, and entirely pilgrim free! I was able to enter the Cathedral via the Portico de Gloria, and press my hand into the now-forbidden handprint.... The Cathedral interior was not crowded, and lent itself to leisurely sightseeing. I took my time. I was then present for a late-morning Mass, but the butafumeiro did not swing.... Exiting via the Silversmith's Square I observed two or three people with big backpacks, pilgrims almost certainly. They were surrounded by people, and I did not get a chance to speak with them. They were being treated rather like celebrities!

I slowly walked round through the Obradoiro again, then up through the infamous bagpiper's tunnel. No bagpipers! I walked as far as the Plaza de Cervantes, which I remember well, then wound my way through the University/Mazarelos district and out to the Sta Maria de Sar Church, (about which I was particularly curious from my studies). Bought Sar Museum ticket # 6, which I still have.... I finally walked to the Alameda Park where I sat gratefully admiring the view, until it was time to head back to the train station.... I took no photographs that have survived the years (sigh!) , bought no souvenirs, and most definitely got no Compostela!

(Were they even giving out Compostelas in 1977?)

That was 46 years ago! .... A merciful God has allowed me to visit Santiago many times since then. I hope to visit it one last time this coming October.

Excellent post. Many thanks. Buen Camino.

 

[Bradypus]

(Were they even giving out Compostelas in 1977?)

Yes - 31 of them according to the Wikipedia article I mentioned above. Just had a look at the live counter -the pilgrim office has already handed out more Compostelas today than in the entire decade of the 1970s.

 

[wynrich]

I have not seen Elyn Aviva on the forum, but she walked the camino in 1982 and wrote a book about it: Following the Milky Way. When my husband and I started planning our first camino (which was in 2013) we were looking for books to read. There were not as many back then! One we found was Elyn's book and then we realized it was written by someone we knew! We had met her and her husband in a grocery store in Gijon a year or two before and they, eager to visit with English-speakers, had invited us to their apartment, although they never mentioned the camino then. (At that point, we had never heard of the camino.) We enjoyed reading her book. It was interesting to read what it was like so many years ago. https://pilgrimsprocesspublishing.com/elyn-aviva

 

[MichaelMySon]

I walked with a friend in September of 78 we were both 19yrs old from bilbao to santiago de la competseta. .it was nothing like. want it is today .unfortunately I can't remember the route we took. But it was brilliant it was hower first outting has adults and has students nurses .am going back in 2025 on the French SJDPP to Santiago but this time has a retirement present buen camino

 

[MARSKA]

I finished my Master's Degree in June of 1977 (Ancient & Medieval European Studies, 'natch!) and had some free time. So I bought a Eurailpass, and, with a backpack quite primitive by today's standards, flew to Europe from NY via Iceland and Luxemburg to do the almost stereotypical young-American-with-a backpack-and-a-Eurailpass "cool thing"!

Now, I didn't set off thinking of myself as a pilgrim but over the course of the Summer I came honestly to realize that I was one, after a fashion. I had a list of sites to see, almost all of them religious.... Lourdes was at the top of my list of places to visit, and there I had the most profound, life-transforming and life-enhancing experience of my life. Spent the rest of the Summer riding a religious "high"....

Santiago de Compostela was second on my list. At the time I didn't know that anyone was still walking the Way -- in fact, the idea of walking never even crossed my mind! I trained from Lourdes to Santiago via Burgos and Madrid, and arrived -- overnight train! -- not long after dawn on a lovely summer's day.

I allowed myself one whole day to visit -- I thought that that would be sufficient. Hard now to believe that I was ever so green and naïve!

The rail station was either where it is now, or somewhere very nearby; I remember little about it. I checked my bag into a big cheap metal locker at the station. I then walked from the station into the centro, and along the Rua Franco to the Plaza de Obradoiro. The Rua looked then much as it does now. Fewer trinket shops, perhaps....

The Obradoiro was quiet, and entirely pilgrim free! I was able to enter the Cathedral via the Portico de Gloria, and press my hand into the now-forbidden handprint.... The Cathedral interior was not crowded, and lent itself to leisurely sightseeing. I took my time. I was then present for a mid-day Mass, but the butafumeiro did not swing.... Exiting via the Silversmith's Square I observed two or three people with big backpacks, pilgrims almost certainly. They were surrounded by people, and I didn't even try to speak with them. They were being treated rather like celebrities!

I slowly walked round through the Obradoiro again, then up through the infamous bagpiper's tunnel. No bagpipers! I walked as far as the Plaza de Cervantes, which I remember well, then wound my way through the University/Mazarelos district and out to the Sta Maria de Sar Church, (about which I was particularly curious from my studies). Bought Sar Museum ticket # 6, which I still have.... I finally walked to the Alameda Park where I sat gratefully admiring the view, until it was time to head back to the train station.... I took no photographs that have survived the years (no cell phones back then, sigh!) , bought no souvenirs, and most definitely got no Compostela!

(Were they even giving out Compostelas in 1977? Who knew!?)

That was 46 years ago! .... A merciful God has allowed me to visit Santiago many times since then., and I love it dearly. My trekking days are now over, alas! but I hope to visit it one last time this coming October.

Hello friend! Wonderful to hear this story. How things change!
Kathy (we met in Oct 2023 on the Camino)