Connected In Ways We Cannot Imagine
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By Mike Moffatt
As human beings, we are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
In biblical times, after the death of Christ, the apostles were commanded to go and preach the gospel to the known world. It is believed that the apostle James journeyed from what is now the southwestern tip of France, across northern Spain. Today, this path is known as “Camino de Santiago” or “The Way of Saint James.”
I began the Camino in St. Jean Pied de Port, France (This translates to “St. John at the Foot of the Pass.”).
When I checked in at the office, I received my Pilgrim’s Passport. This credential must be stamped twice each day as evidence that you made the pilgrimage. This also gives them a record in case you turn up missing, as one of my fellow pilgrims did.
I began on May 16th and walked for 48 days. I covered a distance of 1,039 kms, or 645.6 miles. While many stop in Santiago, I traveled on to Finisterre, up the Costa de Morte to Muxia, and then returned to Santiago. It challenged me with many lessons with life-changing impacts.
The three main things I learned were:
As human beings, we are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
You can’t judge a book by its cover (I have been told this all my life, but it finally stuck.).
One does not need many material things to be content.
For three months, I had limited clothes, no TV, no heating or AC, and I handwashed my clothes. I carried 500 Euros, which is approximately $550, enough to cover me for about a week, my US passport, and my bank card. I stayed in albergues (bunk hostels) and did not make reservations.
I just walked until I got tired, usually about 2 pm. Almost everything in Spain closes from 2-5 pm for the siesta. I looked for an albergue, asked if they had a bed, and got in it. Albergues furnish a paper-fitted bottom sheet and pillowcase. If it was a private albergue, you could eat a meal with the family. The bed was about $15 and the meal about $10.
There are three types of albergues: Private houses, Convents/monasteries/churches, and Municipal. I stayed in all types.
The first day of the journey was unquestionably the hardest. I started at St. Jean Pied de Port, France, and continued to Roncesvalles, Spain. In total, it was about 15 miles, but it climbed 4,500 ft upward. As I climbed, a Greek myth came to mind in which the main character, Sisyphus, had to roll a boulder up a hill endlessly. I thought the climb would never end! Other famous instances also came to mind, such as The Song of Roland, the oldest epic poem in French literature. Walking through those misty, lonely mountains, it was not difficult to envision the Basque hordes attacking French invaders.
I found my bed for the night in a monastery in Roncesvalles.
In the bunk next to me was a couple in their 60s from Worcester, Massachusetts, who ran a Catholic charity. I spent the next several days walking with the lady as her husband liked to walk a bit faster. Her mother was from Memphis. I mentioned that I graduated from Whitehaven High School. She said, “My mother graduated from Whitehaven.”
We are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
On the second day, I traveled through Burguette. If you have read Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, this is where Jake Barnes, Robert Cohn, and Bill went trout fishing. It was not difficult to see them fishing in the small Urrobi River as I walked across the bridge.
I arrived in Pamplona on the third day. You can drop in at Café Iruna and visit a space dedicated to Hemingway. I spent the night with Pablo who was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in 2009/2010. We walked the next leg to Punte de La Reina together.
After climbing out of the Pyrenees Mountains, you come to the province of Rioja, which is famous for its red wine. Walking over the ancient Roman Via through those fields of gnarled grape vines, some of which are 100 years old, it’s not difficult to envision those Roman Legionnaires marching along and hear the tromp, tromp of their footsteps.
The large city of Leon is named after the 7th Roman Legion, which was based there. It is about midway during the pilgrimage. One of the more interesting markers was the village of Carrion de Los Condes, which is to the west of Leon. I stayed that night in a convent, which was part of the Iglesia de Santa Maria and is run by the Augustinian sisters, whose mission is to offer comfort to the Pilgrims. There were five young nuns who invited the pilgrims to Vespers.
We returned to the lobby of the convent and had a sing-along. There were about 20 of us, and we sang songs in Spanish, French, English, and Italian. It was one of the best evenings of my walk. I left before dawn the next morning, while locals decorated the streets for a festival. The streets are painted and then covered with flowers.
The Camino had clear km markers, but I reached a fork in the road. As Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I did and eventually came to the remote village of Samos, whose main claim to fame is the largest Christian monastery in the world. It is presently the home of seven monks. In its prime, it had 70 and many students. I spent the night in the monastery and met Judy. Judy is a nun from Chicago and was walking the Camino. We spent the afternoon touring the monastery and walking around the village.
The next leg was to Ponferrada where the Templar castle looms over the town. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Knights Templar’s mission was to protect pilgrims on the three Christian pilgrimages to Santiago, to Rome, and to Jerusalem.
From Ponferrada, you climb into the Cantabrian Mountains into Galicia, which is in the Northwest region of Spain (North of Portugal). The typical food is octopus. For many, the journey ends there in Santiago, but I decided to walk on to Finisterre, which the Romans considered the end of the world, up the Costa de Morte to Muxia, and then back to Santiago.
I met many memorable people during the trip, but one that stands out is Daniel Salyer. He taught me you can’t judge a book by its cover. I met him three days into the walk, and I immediately knew that I didn’t like him. He came into the albergue and took the bunk above me. He was from Cleveland, Tennessee, but I didn’t believe him.
I was wrong. Several days later, I found myself across from Daniel at dinner. He told me his story of leaving California at the age of 17, living in his car, becoming a hobo who rode trains across the US, and finally living in a tent behind a truck stop in Cleveland, TN. He thought the owner would run him off, but instead, the man asked if he had enough to eat and offered him a job at the truck stop, which Daniel accepted. He saved his money and journeyed to Israel in 2023, then to Morocco, then took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar and found out about the Camino, then made his way to St. Jean Pied de Port, France.
Daniel was a person I met who exhibited kindness and pleasant behavior. He only had the clothes on his back but seemed very content. Material things are not very important.
On the return to Santiago, Daniel told me there was a pilgrimage in Japan. He bought a plane ticket from Madrid to Tokyo for $400, and while I was still in Spain, I received a video from Daniel showing him climbing Mt. Fuji.
Human beings are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
Returning to Santiago, I got a bed at the albergue next to the train station. I had an afternoon to kill and was sitting on a couch in the lobby reading the magazines there when an elderly Asian gentleman sat next to me. He initiated a conversation in an unfamiliar language that I did not understand. Although he did not speak English or Spanish, we communicated effectively throughout the afternoon using sign language.
The next morning, I was in the station awaiting my train to Pamplona when the Asian walked in with a group of men. He was talking to them and pointing toward me. He walked over, I stood up, he gave me a big hug, and we shook hands.
We are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
I went to Pamplona to Las Fiestas de San Fermin and spent two more months in Spain. I ended up the last two weeks in Bill Alexander’s condo on the Costa del Sol. This was my second stay at the location, and although I had never met Bill before, I now feel a strong camaraderie with him.
As human beings, we are connected in ways we cannot imagine.
The Camino brought me closer to many people that I would not have otherwise met. It was such a life-changing experience that I have plans to make another journey soon.
The Pilgrim’s Credential
As pilgrims traverse the Camino, they carry a passport known as the “credencial,” which is stamped at various points along the route. This document not only serves as proof of the journey but also holds symbolic significance. It is a physical representation of the pilgrim’s commitment and progress, a tangible reminder of the miles walked and the experiences gathered. Upon reaching Santiago de Compostela, the completed credencial entitles the pilgrim to receive the “Compostela,” a certificate of accomplishment.
Stories of Transformation
Countless stories of transformation and healing emerge from the Camino. Pilgrims speak of newfound friendships, unexpected acts of kindness, and encounters that seem guided by faith. The shared experience of walking the Camino fosters a unique sense of community, where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together with a common goal. The journey often catalyzes personal growth, helping pilgrims grow their faith, confront their fears, rediscover their strengths, and embrace new paths in life.
The Legacy of the Camino
The legacy of the Camino de Santiago extends beyond the individual pilgrim. It is a living testament to the power of faith, the enduring human spirit, and the bonds that unite us all. The routes are dotted with albergues (hostels), churches, and monuments that bear witness to centuries of pilgrimage. The Camino has inspired art, literature, and music, enriching the cultural heritage of the regions it traverses. It stands as a reminder that, in a world often divided by differences, the journey of the Camino brings people together in a shared pursuit of meaning and connection.
Read the full issue below.
