El Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago: What is it?
Professors Herren-Lage (FHUHS) and Lefebre(OVS/BVS), along with Mr. Snay (FHUHS) lead a trip to Spain in June and July of 2012. The trip exposed students to daily life in Spain by hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago. The Camino is a 1000+ year old pilgrimage across the north of Spain to the city of Santiago de Compostela. Tens of thousands of pilgrims make the trek every year, for both spiritual and cultural reasons. Our students will have many opportunities to experience aspects of both rural and urban Spain, and will meet Spaniards and other internationals from all over the world.
Follow Us In Spain!
We walked about half of the Camino in Spain over the course of 24 days (app. 300 miles), from Burgos, a centrally located regional capital, to Santiago de Compostela (Mr. Herren walked the entire Camino in 2006 while living in Spain).
While we were in Spain and on the Camino, students posted updates with information about the places we saw and our progress. You can follow us in Spain by reading our blog here.
The trip exposes students to all kinds of culture. Here’s an example of just one of the many things we were able to do!
ACTFL Published an Article About Us!
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, a professional organization of language teachers and professors, recently did a story about our trip in one of their publications! The April 2012 edition of The Language Educator ran an article written by Patricia Koning on things that teachers do during the summers to improve in their professions and to recharge their enthusiasm. Our trip to walk the Camino is featured in a special side-bar, and they used one of Mr. Herren’s photos from the Camino as the central image of the entire article. The article is available online to ACTFL members, but we have scanned the relevant section and placed it here. (Copyright 2012 © ACTFL)
Would you like to support us?
Our goal is that the per student cost of the one month trip, including transportation, would be $2500 or less per student. We were able to complete the trip within our budget and even had an opportunity to do a few things we hadn’t planned!
We are currently accepting donations. Your support and/or donation to our fund raising efforts will facilitate a once in life time experience for a deserving student from our community. Thank you!
See our list of current donors below.
Our fund raising goal is $250 per student. As of Friday, May 24, 2013, we have raised $148.00 per student. If you’d like to help, we’re accepting cash or credit card donations. You can make a secure credit card donation through PayPal by clicking the button below.
Or, we can accept checks payable to the “FHUHS Spanish Club” and sent to:
FHUHS Spanish Club
c/o David Herren
33 Mechanic Street
Fair Haven, VT 05743
More information about the Camino

- Packing checklist (This is Mr. Herren’s suggested packing list, based on various lists across the Internet and his own walk in 2006)
- Camino Cultural Handbook: This is a great book filled with all of the history, geology, culture, etc. surrounding the Camino you could ever want.
- American Pilgrims on the Camino
- The Camino Francés ( The “Camino francés” is the name of the specific route we will follow)
Key Dates for Students and Parents
- June 9 : Bottle Drive in Castleton at the Castleton redemption center! Save your empty returnable bottles and cans and tell all your friends and acquaintences!
- June 13 : Final meeting at 5pm in Mr. Herren’s room
- June 19 : Meet at school at 10 am to load the bus and run a last minute check of your paperwork and pack. We will plan on pulling away at 11 am to arrive in Boston between 3 and 4 pm.
Dates of the trip:
- depart for Spain : June 19, Boston, Iberia Flight #6166 6:20 pm
- arrive Madrid, June 20, 7:20 am (2 nights in Madrid, Hostal Persal)
- depart Madrid by train or bus, June 22
- Ajés, Burgos : June 22-23
- Camino : June 24 – July 16
- Santiago de Compostela : July 16, 17
- Madrid : July 18 (Hostal Persal))
- Return to U.S. : July 19, Iberia Flight #6165 1:55 pm
- arrive Boston, July 19, 3:20 pm
Hotel in Madrid
We will be staying in Madrid a total of 3 nights: June 20, 21 and July 18. Reservations have been made and confirmed at the Hostal Persal. The Persal is just a few short blocks from the very center of Madrid, Puerta del Sol. Our reservations will be in a combination of double, triple and quad rooms, and includes the morning meal.
Current Donors
The following local businesses have stepped up to support our trip to Spain. Be sure to show them your appreciation and visit their establishments.
Current Euro to Dollar Exchange Rate
As of Friday, 24 May 2013 the current exchange rate is:
- 1 Euro (€) = USD$
- 1 US dollar ($) = €
(Exchange rate calculations courtesy of hotscripts.com)
