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| Mosel Camino Sign |
The Mosel Camino is a branch of the medieval St. James Pilgrimage Trail (or "Camino Santiago" in Spanish) than ends in the Gallician city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. During the Middle Ages, the Camino had branches throughout Europe, and the Mosel Camino is a section that led from Koblenz to Trier through the Mosel River region of Germany.
In the picture at the top of this page, you can see the trail marker that is now used for the Mosel Camino, a scallop shell. The rays of the scallop point backwards, in the direction you've come, and the flat part points forwards, towards your destination. The scallop is the symbol of the Camino, and many hikers (including ourselves) wear a shell on their backpack or a small metal scallop on their hat.
Pilgrimage slows you down. Hiking between 17 and 24 km a day, with an elevation traversal, up and down, of up to 2500 feet a day, was not super strenuous. But it wasn't the same as doing the trip by car, or even by bike. "Der Weg ist das Ziel" -- the path is the goal -- is the motto of the pilgrim. It's not about getting somewhere but about being where you are - and getting somewhere as part of the process. If things go wrong, they don't really go wrong - after all, you are still on your way. If things go well - all the better!
Even in the old days there were two types of pilgrims:
- Some pilgrims were deeply religious. They went on pilgrimage to have their sins forgiven, or to fulfill a vow. They went to churches, they prayed, they said confession to a priest periodically along the trail, and, in the end, they received an indulgence letter forgiving them of all their mortal sins so that they could enter heaven after they died.
- Other pilgrims were just as interested in the adventure. During the Middle Ages, people rarely left their village. Pilgrimage was a way to remove yourself from the day-to-day. It was a chance for introspection, for being in a different context, for learning something new, and, at the same time, seeing some beautiful scenery.
You can still do the first type of Camino pilgrimage - get your pilgrim's book stamped in every town, and get a letter at the destination (I think you also have to be Catholic, but I'm not sure).
However, we were very much the second type of pilgrim. We were touched by the chapels, the holy places, the Stations of the Cross and we'll have photos. But our pilgrimage was a path to meet ourselves, to try something new.
However, we were very much the second type of pilgrim. We were touched by the chapels, the holy places, the Stations of the Cross and we'll have photos. But our pilgrimage was a path to meet ourselves, to try something new.
So, let the journey begin!
