Walking the 'Camino de Santiago' in Spain

Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) is a cross on the Camino de Santiago. The tradition is to throw a stone, brought from the place of origin of the pilgrim, with his or her back to the cross to symbolize their journey. Spain, on 25 July 2018. The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. Yearly, hundreds of thousands of people of various backgrounds walk the Camino de Santiago either on their own or in organized groups. The most popular route (which gets very crowded in mid-summer) is the Camino Francés which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port in France to Santiago. The scallop shell is the most iconic symbol associated with the Camino de Santiago. Its seen everywhere, from churches and distance markers to pavements and backpacks. (Photo by Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)