Feelings on Camino

Now that Camino is over physically, the journey itself, the more special part remains to be analyzed, the emotional experience. It seems entirely natural to me the nervousness and anxiety at the beginning of the trip, but also the frustration and helplessness when one by one the flights were canceled. Once the possibility to go by bus came our way,  I said now or never, it is the gateway to the great adventure, and our desire is overwhelming.

Arriving in Zaragoza after 36 hours by bus, the flame of love seems to ignite slowly. After years the longing to return to Spain becomes another reality, given that we spent our youth there. Walking slowly through the busy streets of Zaragoza, something attracted me to a certain place, only to later understand that the true experience is born and remains in the heart.

All my life I had the problem of not accepting something with a full heart, if I could not give something in return. This time everything started to change, the love with which I received as a gift the trip on the Camino, in fact, was the beginning of a trip to myself.

With the physical fatigue that gradually set in, the existential thoughts and questions: "what is the purpose of the journey", "why continue the journey", "why right now", did not give us peace. I understood that these disturbances were not ours as beings, but of all the pilgrims who at one point made the Camino, because we knew all too well why we were there.

We were part of the long line of pilgrims who for centuries learned and made the great initiation of the Earth's love. You learn to listen to your thoughts, body, nature as a whole, from which you as an individual are like a speck of dust. Fatigue gradually disconnected the nervous system from the machine called body and gave you time to relate and live with the multitude of pilgrims who carried over the centuries the entire inner transformation of humanity.

Gradually you forget about the fancy physical desires and you are satisfied with the minimum related to food and rest. You experience the joy of a sip of water, which cools your body under the scorching summer sun or the pleasant breeze.

We had the opportunity to walk hundreds of miles without seeing the shadow of a man outside the locals, who worked in the fields, but I never felt alone.

We have become deeply grateful whenever divine intervention manifests itself visibly, taking care of us and guiding us, of course, through people.

I learned not to react, even if someone else's behavior left something to be desired.

I learned not to be touchy and to understand that through us some people manage to keep their business afloat. 

I learned that life itself is a special Camino that you have to live consciously, to rejoice and cry, not to give in when it gets harder, but to find the strength to move on.

Buen Camino, peregrino!

 

Santiago - the last steps

We start in the morning with the desire of a duke early in the morning, we thought it would be an easy day, the last stage, but the climbs take our breath away. We pass through beautiful and crowded villages in our way and the majestic forests alleviate our tiredness. I am pleasantly impressed by the young eucalyptus plantations, but also by the huge areas that are replanted.

We walk quite fast, when we reach Monte do Gozo we can see in the distance the towers of the cathedral of Santiago. Strange feelings surround us, both me and Vasi, we do not know what to do laugh or cry from our overwhelming emotions, we definitely laughed with tears. Something has changed, as if a weight is falling from our shoulders knowing that we are almost there. The road to the city is full of adventures due to infrastructure works, the sidewalks in work were for me real slalom tracks.

We slowly approach the pilgrim's information office to pick up the valuable "diplomas" that certify the pilgrimage, but also the well-deserved stamp that ends the route from the credential, of course the visit to the cathedral follows. 

We are a little disappointed because the whole cathedral is under renovation. The cathedral's  huge incensory is nowhere to be seen and everything is covered by huge safety nets. At the tomb of St. James, unfortunately I can not go, because the narrow entrance does not let me enter with my wheelchair, and on top of that there are stairs. But it's enough that I'm there, Vasi will go in there for me too.

There is no problem, you can feel the Saint in your heart too!

Day 18 & 19

 Day 18: Palas del Rei - Arzua

This stage from my point of view is not very interesting, because it runs parallel to the national road N547, which you have to cross several times, which is quite dangerous during the week when it is busy.

From a technical point of view, the stage up to Arzua contains numerous ascents and of course the descents associated with. We have a reservation at the Don Quijote albergue since yesterday, but when we arrive the albergue is closed and none answers the phone. So we stayed at the nearby Ultreia albergue, the owners are very nice and offer us a private room to be more comfortable, since it was a bit crowded.

Day 19: Arzua - O Pedrouzo

We have reservations at the Porta de Santiago albergue. The road to there is quite simple, walking through the forest and beyond, as in the previous stage following the road.

We arrive around 11 am so we sit on a terrace to have a coffee and rest until 1 pm, when the hostel opens. This albergue is very welcoming and to my surprise equipped with an adapted bathroom. I was pleasantly impressed by the indoor garden with flowing fountain, it was soothing and deeply relaxing to hear the murmur of the water, as if preparing for the big day, the arrival in Santiago.

Day 17 - 11.07.2020

Hello dear ones, it seems that age has made its presence known say, and I forgot to tell you something! On our way through the wonderful villages, when everything gets monotonous and becomes full of boredom, every time someone comes to warm our hearts.

This time the "angel" who came to get us out of the monotony is Jose, a Spanish "chico", who lives in Germany and carries the Way in his soul, he came by bike from Germany and rides the whole Camino and if he has no problems he will he also ride his bicycle back home to Germany. Jose gets off his bike to keep up with us and to keep us company part of the route. From story to story he tells us that he visited Romania and with regret he told us that he did not get to see it all.

Today's stage continues like the previous day, passing through rural areas and intersecting small villages. In the first half of the route, starting from 350 meters altitude, you reach 725 meters altitude, after Hospital da Cruz.

We arrived quite easily in Palas de Rei, passing through huge chestnut forests. When booking a hostel we find that it is totally inaccessible with many stairs, so we decide to look for something else. We finally find another hostel, but because of the Covid-19 hostel itself it is not open, so we get a room.

This whole stage is very tiring for me, not physically, but mentally, because going through many small villages that did not have bars and restaurants, I had nowhere to go to the toilet. We arrived around noon, it was exactly 2 pm, when we finished the accommodation procedures, and the rest of the day we do nothing but rest.