Saint James Way: A Living Pilgrimage 2

"About six years ago, the relationship between my son and I wasn’t going through its best moment. The thing is that I got to convince him, I don’t know how, to come with me and walk the French Way. A whole month ahead, he and I alone: walking, talking, meeting other pilgrims… Starting at the beginning. What happened is that this experience, those weeks we spent together, changed our relationship —probably forever— for the very best, and made us feel closer than ever.”

“He always goes to walk alone, “I have to train,” he says and he flees away, and I have to stay home, taking care of the children. Sometimes, I even pretend to be angry. The truth is that, actually, I don’t like walking very much, and I’m pretty happy getting to stay with the kids. The funny thing is that I’m keeping up the pace with him here, and easily, without much effort, so, I can’t help wondering, Do you really need all this training, Ming? Do you really need it? Huh?”

“Elena: “I consider myself to be a spiritual person; I love to read about Buddhism, I practice meditation…”
Vicente : “‘The coach’, I call her; your personal spiritual trainer.”
Elena: “Vicente isn’t, as you can see. He’s more…practical, let’s say. Yet, I can see some changes in him here. I can feel it.”
Vicente : “Excuse me?”

“Every 10 years I give myself a special present for my birthday, an adventure if possible. This year I’m celebrating my 60th birthday. I have these 2 tattoos for inspiration while I walk: ‘Keep going’ and ‘Choose love’. The former is my new motto and the latter…, well, ‘Choose love’ feels pertinent right now...

...They are temporary, and they fade a little each day I walk, but I prefer to believe that what’s really happening is that I’m, somehow, absorbing their meanings.”

“Yesterday’s was a hard stage, especially for Franrra. We walked a lot, and there were many hills to climb, but here he is, keeping up like a champ.”

Courtney: “I’ve been living in the UK for some time and I’m flying back to Australia soon, but I wanted to live this experience before leaving. I tend to take the easy way and to give up at the first sign of discomfort.”

Sarah: “I wanted a walking holiday and something historical too. I also wanted to prove myself, because, like Courtney, I too tend to give up quite easily, so I thought, ‘If I’m able to walk 130 kilometres, I can do other things in my life.’”

“We’ve walked the Portuguese, Sanabres, and French Ways, and have come to a conclusion: Don’t worry about what you need to bring in your backpack: from the place you are coming you barely need anything; and the place you are going to has everything you need. The only thing you have to do, your only task, is to enjoy the Camino.”

“Being in nature from morning to evening, under the fog, the sun or the rain—that’s what I like the most about the Camino."

Deborah: “We’ve always loved doing mother-daughter trips together, although they are usually of a different kind. More like going somewhere and spending money. When we arrive in Santiago we’re flying to Zurich. But before we are going to treat ourselves... To fondue and chocolate!" (Laughs.)

Marianna: “We’ve been friends forever. We were born in the same year and on the same street, and our parents were friends already. Now I’ve been living in Spain for many years, whereas Connie is still in Holland, but we’ve managed to keep our friendship alive. This is our first Camino together. We are walking at a slow pace, taking our time—watching, listening and smelling."

Maria: “We’ve wanted to walk the Camino for ages, but we kept finding excuses for not doing it. This year I called Gian’s wife and I told her that I was finally doing it and that I was bringing her husband along with me. It’s funny, but just before you met us I was telling him about something that happened in my childhood, something personal I haven’t thought about in years. It’s like I’m feeling something here—some kind of energy, if you want—that makes me be more open.”

"I’m doing the Camino as a religious pilgrimage. I also needed some time away for myself, if that makes sense. I trained a bit, back home in California, but I think that I was expecting something easier, because there are many ups and downs. I’m happy, anyway. More Caminos will follow."

"I live in London, but my roots are in Galicia: my grandmother lives in Ferrol, my father in Fene, my uncle in Santiago… that’s why I’m here, I guess."

Anna: “Coming here, walking the Camino, was one of my dreams. It wasn’t one of Nicola’s, though, plus, he has an injured knee. Even so, he decided to come with me. I think he’s doing it because he loves me.”

“My husband is from North America and he turns 40 this week. When? On July the fourth, of course. He wanted to come to the Camino, while I wanted to go to Japan. He got his wish this time, but my birthday is also approaching, so our next destination will be Japan. No doubt about it.” (Laughs.)

“What do I like the most about the Camino? Well, since this is my seventh time here, I think I can say with some confidence that what I like the most about the Camino is… everything, just everything: the people, the landscapes…you name it.”