by Carly Okyle

“Joder…necesito una cerveza, y un cigarillo.” That’s what my art professor said to me as we hiked up the hill towards Santiago de Compostela, site of the tomb of Saint James the Elder. In English, his words translate to a four letter word, followed by an expressed desire for beer and cigarettes. Vulgar as it was, I thought it was funny. In centuries past, the trip to see an Apostle’s Bones might have commanded more reverence from pilgrims. But for a man who had done this multiple times, this was just another morning hike. For the rest of us on the trip, it meant something more. We were American undergrads, enjoying a week off from classes in which we could hike through the green hills of Galicia to make the pilgrimage. As a reward, we would have our very own document in Latin- the Compostelana, proving that we had made the trek.