Follow the Shells and Get Your Passport Stamped While on the Camino

This is Part 3 of a 6 part series on my experiences while trekking along the Camino de Santiago (the St. James Way) in northwestern Spain. To read other parts of the series, please use the term “Spain” in this site’s search function. 

John Brierley’s guidebook  provides very detailed route information and practical advice while walking the route. The main point to remember while walking the Camino is to follow the scallop shell symbols, for they unerringly point the way. Whenever we came upon a confusing intersection, or wondered how many more kilometers we need to walk for the day, we always could count on a marker with the ubiquitous scallop shell showing us which way.

These symbols are seen everywhere along the route. They successfully serve as waymarks and directional aides while on the trail. They can be seen on posts, rocks, walls, bridges...everywhere. No map is needed for they are common enough that one will never get lost. 

The ubiquitous scallop shell points "The Way"
past a Knight's Templar castle

Why the scallop shell? There are many stories to believe. Ones I found on Wikipedia seem to be the most common:

Version 1: After James's death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain, a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, it washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops.

Version 2: After James's death his body was transported by a ship piloted by an angel, back to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. As the ship approached land, a wedding was taking place on shore. The young groom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and horse and rider plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells.

The scallop shell also acts as a metaphor. The grooves in the shell, which meet at a single point, represent   the various routes pilgrims traveled, eventually arriving at a single destination: the tomb of James in Santiago de Compostela. The shell is also a metaphor for the pilgrim: As the waves of the ocean wash scallop shells up onto the shores of Galicia, God's hand also guides the pilgrims to Santiago.

Many pilgrims affix their own scallop shell to their backpack or wear it around their neck. Doing so signifies you are walking the Camino and tells passerby’s or village locals that you are their friend and, if in need, they will be at the ready to assist you on your journey.

We strapped these to our backpacks

And then, there is the credencial,  the pilgrim's passport. While walking the Camino, you can get it stamped by your hotel or at any restaurant or church you may come across. It is recommended that you should get it stamped at least three times a day.

Once you arrive in Santiago, you are to present it to the passport office as proof that you walked the trail. You do not have to walk the full 800 kilometers to be recognized.  Walking only the last 100 kilometers is good enough. If you arrive by bicycle or donkey (yes, there are a few who arrive by donkey), you have to complete the final 200 kilometers.

In return for presenting your credencial, you will receive your official Compostella, a document recognized by the Church that you are a "true pilgrim". But, be prepared wait for awhile before you receive your Compostella. Hundreds of pilgrims will be in line waiting for the same thing. 

And if the walk isn’t enough an accomplishment, you get to see you name written in Latin. When was the last time you got to see that?