Olga Pader, a resident of our Western North Carolina mountains, walked the Camino Primitivo (the Primitive Way) in northern Spain in the summer of 2010. The Camino Primitivo is the oldest of a network of walking paths starting in the Pyrenees at the French border and crisscrossing Spain, all leading to the magnificent city of Santiago de Compostela. Here, in the world-renowned Cathedral, rest the remains of the Apostle St. James, whose shrine is revered as one of the spiritual centers of the ancient and modern world.The Camino Primitivo, the first of the Caminos, was established by a Spanish king who first walked from the city of Oviedo to Santiago in 840 C.E. In its remote sections, the Camino pilgrims walk not only through space but also through time, joining the thousands who have traveled on it since then coming from far and near and with motives ranging from a search for adventure to a search for self or spiritual growth.
With her hiking buddy Cheryl Morgan from Tennessee, Olga walked 208.4 miles over 14 days through remote mountains, pristine forests, ancient villages, modern cities, Roman and Celtic ruins, and along a sandy beach leading to Finisterre on the Atlantic coast, the end of the medieval Earth. Their journey began in Oviedo and culminated in the Old Town of Santiago de Compostela, both U.N. World Heritage sites. Halfway on the journey after a very long day, they entered Lugo through one of the doors of its Roman wall, the oldest and best preserved fortification of its kind, that also has World Heritage designation. The Camino itself attained the first U.N. European Cultural Itinerary title because of the artistic and cultural treasures it preserves for all peoples. Olga will share some of her adventures, experiences with exotic places and people, and the innumerable learnings from this unforgettable journey.
Upon entering Santiago and showing the "sellos" accumulated on her walk at the Pilgrimage Office, Olga officially became a "peregrina" (pilgrim) of the Camino de Santiago, receiving a "credencial" in Latin testifying to her journey.
This program is free and open to the public. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information, please call the library at (828) 586-2016.