Camino De Santiago: Wyoming Couple Makes The 1000 Mile Journey

By Amy Elliot

Long-time Wyoming couple Brigitte and Antoine Cordier had an adventure of a lifetime that most of us only read about – or watch movies about – walking the Camino de Santiago! But retirement suits the Cordiers well, and we thank them for sharing their experience with our readers.

The History

Created and established after the discovery of the relics of Saint James the Great at the beginning of the ninth century, the “Way of Saint James” became a major pilgrimage route of medieval Christianity from the tenth century onwards. Often referred to as the Camino de Santiago or ‘the Camino’, the “Way of Saint James” takes pilgrims through many different routes across Europe and culminates in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in the north of Spain.

In the Middle Ages, pilgrimages were deemed to be a suitable form of expiation by the church for sin and long pilgrimages would be imposed as penance for very serious sins. Pilgrimages could also be imposed as judicial punishment for crime. It has been only recently (in the 1990s) that the pilgrimage to Santiago regained the popularity it had in the Middle Ages.

Starting in France

Just after retiring, Brigitte and Antoine Cordier headed to the city of Le Puy-en-Velay (in southern France) with their backpacks and started on the Via Podensis on August 17, 2023. At 470 miles, the Via Podensis is one of the four routes through France. Along the way Brigitte and Antoine met people from all over Europe, pilgrims that started from Germany, Italy, and different region of France, but also Americans, English, Australians, Lithuanians, Dutch, and French Canadians. Every pilgrim walked for different reasons (religious, vacation, taking a break, meeting people), different lengths of time, and different distances.

“We walked every day on an average of 15 miles a day with our backpacks (weighing between 17 and 26 pounds) for 462 miles from Le Puy-en-Velay up to the border city with Spain, St. Jean Pied de Port. We carried only minimum stuff (two t-shirts, two pairs of shorts, three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear, one pair of leggings, one long sleeve shirt, and one sweater): we learned that we could live with few clothes and still be happy.” Antoine shared. “Every morning, we were happy to take the road again, whatever the weather!”

Antoine and Brigitte crossed different regions of France, with different landscapes, eating different food. They were able to make lodging reservations only two to three days ahead of their arrival as there are many accommodations along the route in France.

Entering Spain

On September 24, they crossed, by a beautiful day (not always the case), the Pyrenees from St. Jean Pied de Port to reach the Abbaye of Roncesvalles. The Camino changed as soon as we started on the “Camino Frances” as South Koreans, Asians, Americans arrived by tens.

Most of the Americans have seen the movie The Way with Martin Sheen, and like his character, they started from St Jean Pied de Port. As far as the Koreans, they saw a show on television about the “Camino Frances”. So, it became more crowded and more difficult to find housing. Plus, it became more business oriented as the pilgrim hostel (in Spanish Albergue, hospital de peregrinos) were bigger and lacking sometimes the spirit of the Camino.

The “Camino Frances” goes through four Spanish regions for around 500 miles: Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y León, and Galicia. And it goes through big cities like Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, and Leon. We did not have any issues finding food as you have shops, cafés, restaurants, and hostels where you can find food to buy or to eat. Favorite foods? Antoine and Brigitte loved the tortilla with potatoes!

Weather was hot and dry in Spain, but as soon as we reached the mountains of Galicia, rain started to pour. In Galicia it rains more than in the rest of Spain. And some days it never stopped raining. Antoine and Brigitte reached Santiago de Compostella on October 27, after walking more than 500 miles in Spain and more than 1000 miles in total.

Official Camino Passport (Credential)

The Camino de Santiago passport will have spaces for sellos, (stamps). This proves that you have walked that day and are entitled to stay in an Albergue (pilgrims-only hostel). The pilgrim’s passport often ends up being a treasured possession as it is a great reminder of all the places where you stopped and stayed overnight. The stamps are different, and almost all bars and cafes will have one.

This won’t be the last adventure for Antoine as he is currently involved in the Marathon des Sables in Morocco once again. This couple trains on our streets of Wyoming – keep your eyes out to spot these international adventure seekers!