I can’t deny that the Camino is art, gastronomy, mystify, religion and friendship. It’s not only an endless shade of feelings and perceptions but much more. We can find as much shades as pilgrims walk it. However all the Caminos have something in common, the effort, the sacrifice and the finding of yourself. Nobody who had walked the Camino can deny that at some point they had experience a way back to themselves and even for a short period of time they had also felt that all the obligations and daily life attachments shifts to the background.
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| Santiago's Cathedral keeps the apostle remains |
It’s been tough days full of suffering, loneliness, introspection, meditation and fear but also full of happiness. I can confirm without any doubt that the Camino is something special. All pilgrims say so. Doing it during the wintertime made it more special, much more special but also much more harder. I have met all sorts of people, amazing ones, remarkable, discreet, the formal type and the jolly type. All of them were different but all of them with a point of craziness that makes them such a marvellous people. In our daily life they are difficult to find but it seems that the Camino is full of them. Each of them has shaped my Camino turning it into an unforgettable one, a gift for life. It’s difficult to find the words to describe them without bringing tears to my eyes.
Some of them used to say that the magic of the Camino lays on the loneliness moments you enjoy every now and then. Because it’s in these moments when we found ourselves. It’s that mix of sensations and feelings what shows you the real Camino, which doesn’t lead you to Santiago but to yourself, to the deepest of your self-being. This Camino remains us how little we are but at the same time how potentially big we can be. It also remains us that maybe the success in our lives is not to find our own success but to help others to find it out. To dedicate our effort to those we love is a great gift but to feel and know that at the same time we are helping other people, anonymous ones, and making a difference in their lives is a bless.
We should live a life and not let the life live trough us. We don´t choose a live, we live it! We normally just go through life leaving behind us a story, just another simple story of someone who dedicate most of his or her life to complain without noticing that life is slipping through their fingers and not being aware that this times would never come back and that they are doing no more that wallowing in their grief. But at the same time, that same life is continuously offering us lots of opportunities that as Luismari said, are like breaking dawns. The Camino is one of those opportunities life offers us. We can take it or leave it but it’s there. I know this is just one more opportunity that life has offered me but this time I have decided to take it.
During my Camino I suffered during the day and went to bed sore and wounded every night. Everyday I felt the loneliness, the silence and the fear. Everyday I felt the happiness of arriving to my destination point, the happiness of giving something without getting nothing in return and the happiness of counting the minutes for starting my next stage. I also felt the curiosity for learning, discovering and feeling something new. I felt the urge for sharing, for giving and for learning in depth about myself.
The Camino de Santiago is just another stage in our live, just a stage, but a special one. Now I feel happy and proud for having done this Camino that it’s no more than another stage in the life I still have in front of me.
During the Camino, came to my mind all those things that really matter, normally little things that pass unnoticed day after day. Tito said that pilgrims learn during the Camino how little is needed to happily live. Now I don’t feel the need to have but the need to be. The same way I feel the need to give but not to receive or get anything in return. During eight days all my life was in two small panniers and on top of my pedals. Nothing compared to what we have in our everyday life however I have learned from the Camino and its people that the less you have the more you share. The Camino is also an example of solidarity, the sort of solidarity we are in need for.
It’s true I have missed the company of other pilgrims or having more time to spend on the Camino enjoying it or even sharing my concerns and experiences at the end of each stage with someone but this was my Camino, this is what I chose.
A Camino of solidarity, homage, introspection, search, sacrifice, dedication and disinterested. I won’t change a bit of it. Not of this Camino, but I have to come back. Next time it will be without a route, without deadlines and without stages. Only with time enough to discover the Camino again, its landscapes, its people, its secrets and its experiences.
In life every path we take always starts with a small step, a small one but one we need to take. No matter where you are going, always a first step needs to be taken and that’s the way, step by step how we enjoy the little things life offers to us. I hope to have been able to put into words all this experience and at least arouse your curiosity.
I can’t and I don’t want to finish this chronicle without mention my wife Loreto and my sons Nacho, Fernando and Juan. They turned my crazy idea into reality. They believed in me and in this project and unconditionally gave me all their support. They have somehow done their own Camino. They had suffered with me and because of me but especially Loreto. I have stolen her sleep, what it’s priceless and gave her lot of reasons to worry about. She has also been a pilgrim. This is her blog because it’s thanks to her effort that this has been possible. Everyday she has patiently waited for my chronicles, translated them and update the blog so all of you could follow my adventure. I would not be honest if I did not include Fernando who has helped her in a daily basis. He’s become her favourite English teacher! They all have been my comfort and a continuous support. My sons are good aid, each on their way, but the three of them. They have also been pilgrims in my Camino.
Some of them used to say that the magic of the Camino lays on the loneliness moments you enjoy every now and then. Because it’s in these moments when we found ourselves. It’s that mix of sensations and feelings what shows you the real Camino, which doesn’t lead you to Santiago but to yourself, to the deepest of your self-being. This Camino remains us how little we are but at the same time how potentially big we can be. It also remains us that maybe the success in our lives is not to find our own success but to help others to find it out. To dedicate our effort to those we love is a great gift but to feel and know that at the same time we are helping other people, anonymous ones, and making a difference in their lives is a bless.
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| Interior of the Cathedral |
During my Camino I suffered during the day and went to bed sore and wounded every night. Everyday I felt the loneliness, the silence and the fear. Everyday I felt the happiness of arriving to my destination point, the happiness of giving something without getting nothing in return and the happiness of counting the minutes for starting my next stage. I also felt the curiosity for learning, discovering and feeling something new. I felt the urge for sharing, for giving and for learning in depth about myself.
The Camino de Santiago is just another stage in our live, just a stage, but a special one. Now I feel happy and proud for having done this Camino that it’s no more than another stage in the life I still have in front of me.
During the Camino, came to my mind all those things that really matter, normally little things that pass unnoticed day after day. Tito said that pilgrims learn during the Camino how little is needed to happily live. Now I don’t feel the need to have but the need to be. The same way I feel the need to give but not to receive or get anything in return. During eight days all my life was in two small panniers and on top of my pedals. Nothing compared to what we have in our everyday life however I have learned from the Camino and its people that the less you have the more you share. The Camino is also an example of solidarity, the sort of solidarity we are in need for.
It’s true I have missed the company of other pilgrims or having more time to spend on the Camino enjoying it or even sharing my concerns and experiences at the end of each stage with someone but this was my Camino, this is what I chose.
A Camino of solidarity, homage, introspection, search, sacrifice, dedication and disinterested. I won’t change a bit of it. Not of this Camino, but I have to come back. Next time it will be without a route, without deadlines and without stages. Only with time enough to discover the Camino again, its landscapes, its people, its secrets and its experiences.
In life every path we take always starts with a small step, a small one but one we need to take. No matter where you are going, always a first step needs to be taken and that’s the way, step by step how we enjoy the little things life offers to us. I hope to have been able to put into words all this experience and at least arouse your curiosity.
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| Santiago de Compostela |
I can’t and I don’t want to finish this chronicle without mention my wife Loreto and my sons Nacho, Fernando and Juan. They turned my crazy idea into reality. They believed in me and in this project and unconditionally gave me all their support. They have somehow done their own Camino. They had suffered with me and because of me but especially Loreto. I have stolen her sleep, what it’s priceless and gave her lot of reasons to worry about. She has also been a pilgrim. This is her blog because it’s thanks to her effort that this has been possible. Everyday she has patiently waited for my chronicles, translated them and update the blog so all of you could follow my adventure. I would not be honest if I did not include Fernando who has helped her in a daily basis. He’s become her favourite English teacher! They all have been my comfort and a continuous support. My sons are good aid, each on their way, but the three of them. They have also been pilgrims in my Camino.
There is still a stage pending, from Santiago to Finisterre. I’ll do it. The motive behind it it’s a promise. So this blog is not finished yet. This is just the next to last entry. In the meantime, my Justgiving page will remain open so you can still make a donation for the cause I decided to support with my challenge. We can’t wait to others to solve a problem that affects all of us and that sadly will affect one out of three along our lives.
Once again I just want to say a big thank you to those who have been following me and cycling the Camino as my fellow pilgrims. God bless you and may St. James protect you.
Buen Camino!
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Once again I just want to say a big thank you to those who have been following me and cycling the Camino as my fellow pilgrims. God bless you and may St. James protect you.
Buen Camino!
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| Flying the "Botafumeiro" during the Pilgrim's mass |
Ya han pasado
unos días desde que llegué a Santiago tras un largo camino en distancia pero
corto en tiempo. Un Camino especial. Es momento de hacer balance. En caliente y
con los sentimientos todavía a flor de piel.
Estos días
atrás he querido reflejar y compartir con todos vosotros este viaje tan
especial consciente de la dificultad de transmitir todas estas vivencias y
emociones, únicas e íntimas.
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| El Camino es un sin fin de matices |
Es cierto que
el Camino es arte, es gastronomía, es espiritualidad, religión, amistad, y todo
un sin fin de matices diferentes. Pero el Camino es también mucho más. Podemos
encontrar tantos matices como peregrinos lo recorren. No obstante todos los
Caminos tienen en común el esfuerzo, el sacrificio y la búsqueda de las propias
raíces. Nadie que haya recorrido el Camino podrá negar el reencuentro con sus
propias esencias durante un periodo en el que las obligaciones, los
condicionantes y las ataduras derivadas de nuestros quehaceres diarios quedan
relegados a un segundo plano.
El motivo por
el que he hecho este Camino ya lo conocéis todos. Es un homenaje a una persona
muy especial. No sólo a ella, sino a toda su familia, a la mía, a la nuestra. Además
he pretendido en este breve paréntesis dedicar mi esfuerzo y dedicación de
forma altruista a los demás, y he de confesaros que ha sido la experiencia más
gratificante de mi vida.
Han sido unos
días de extrema dureza, de silencio, de sufrimiento, de reflexión, de
recogimiento y también de miedo, pero todos ellos de mucha alegría. No hay duda
que el Camino es especial. Todos los peregrinos lo confirman. Hacerlo en
invierno lo hace aun si cabe más especial, muy especial y mucho más duro. He
podido conocer gente admirable, gente reservada, gente seria, gente abierta y
gente alegre. Todos diferentes y con ese puntito de locura que les hacen
maravillosos. Es difícil encontrase personas así en nuestra vida cotidiana y
sin embargo el Camino está lleno de ellas. Todas ellas, todas y cada una de
ellas, han hecho de esta experiencia una experiencia inolvidable. Un regalo que
me acompañará toda la vida. Ha sido especial, tanto que no puedo escribir sin
emocionarme.
Muchos de
ellos me decían que lo bonito, lo maravilloso del Camino y su magia, residen en
esos momentos de soledad que se disfrutan. Porque es en esos momentos cuando nos
encontramos a nosotros mismos, con nosotros mismos. Es la mezcla de todas y
cada una de las sensaciones y sentimientos que te acompañan la que te enseña el
verdadero Camino, que no va a Santiago sino a tu interior. A lo más hondo de
cada uno de nosotros y que nos recuerda lo poco que somos pero también nuestro
potencial. Nos recuerda que quizá el éxito de nuestras vidas no está en lograr
el nuestro propio sino en ayudar a que otros lo logren. Dedicar nuestro
esfuerzo a quienes queremos es un gran regalo. Ver, sentir y saber que además
ayudamos a otros muchos que no conocemos es sin duda una bendición.
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| Interior de la Catedral de Santiago |
Pasamos por
la vida y no la vida por nosotros. Pasamos por la vida dejando una historia
más, dando tumbos y quejándonos mientras vemos como esa vida se nos escurre
entre los dedos sin ser concientes de que no volverá, y lo que es peor, sin
hacer nada más que autocompadecernos. Y a la vez esa vida nos da continuamente
oportunidades, que como decía Luismari, son como los amaneceres. El Camino es
una de esas oportunidades que nos brinda la vida. Podemos cogerla o no, pero
ahí está. Es una oportunidad más, otra oportunidad, una oportunidad que yo no
he querido dejar pasar.
Cada día
durante mi Camino he sufrido. Cada día me he acostado dolorido y herido. Cada
día he sentido la soledad, el silencio y el miedo. Cada día la alegría al
llegar al final de una etapa. La alegría de haber dado sin esperar nada a
cambio y la alegría de esperar con anhelo la siguiente etapa. La curiosidad por
saber, por descubrir y por sentir. El deseo de compartir, de dar y de seguir
profundizando en mi propio yo.
El Camino de
Santiago no es el único, pero es una etapa más del camino de la vida. Una etapa
eso sí, muy, muy especial. Ahora siento orgullo y alegría por haber finalizado
este Camino que no es sino una etapa más del resto del Camino que me queda por
recorrer.
Durante el
Camino recordamos las cosas que verdaderamente importan, esas pequeñas cosas
que pasan desapercibidas día a día. Decía Tito que se aprende durante el Camino
lo poco que el peregrino necesita para vivir y ser feliz. Ahora tengo muy pocas
ganas de tener y sin embargo muchas de ser; también de dar y no de recibir.
Durante 8 días toda mi vida ha ido en dos pequeñas alforjas y sobre unos
pedales. Nada en comparación con lo que tenemos en nuestras vidas cotidianas, y
sin embargo, el Camino y sus gentes me han enseñado que cuanto menos se tiene
más se comparte. El Camino es un ejemplo de solidaridad, esa solidaridad que
tanto nos falta.
Es cierto que
en ocasiones he echado de menos la compañía de otros peregrinos y el haber
realizado el Camino en más tiempo, también he echado de menos compartir mis etapas
y experiencias; pero éste ha sido mi Camino y así lo elegí.
Un Camino
solidario, de homenaje, introspección, búsqueda, sacrificio, dedicación y
entrega desinteresada. Han pasado ya unos días desde que llegué a Santiago y no
lo cambiaría por nada; no éste. No obstante he de volver. Sin ruta, sin tiempo,
sin etapas, para simplemente descubrir de nuevo el Camino, sus gentes, paisajes,
secretos y vivencias. En la vida cualquier
camino empieza con un sencillo y pequeño paso; pero hay que darlo. No importa
dónde vayas, siempre hay que dar un paso, y es así, paso a paso como se
disfruta de las pequeñas cosas que nos ofrece la vida. Yo espero haber podido
transmitiros al menos parte de la esencia del Camino de Santiago. Haber podido
compartir con vosotros esta experiencia y haber despertado al menos la
curiosidad.
No puedo y no
quiero terminar sin rendir otro homenaje a mi mujer Loreto y a mis hijos Nacho,
Fernando y Juan. Ellos han hecho posible que mi locura se haya hecho realidad.
Creyeron en mí y en este proyecto, e incondicionalmente me apoyaron como
siempre han hecho. Durante mi Camino ellos han hecho otro, quizá más duro. Cada
día han sufrido conmigo, especialmente Loreto. No sólo le he robado horas de
sueño sino que le he dado más que motivos para preocuparse y sufrir. También
ella ha sido peregrina. Este es su Blog porque con su esfuerzo lo ha hecho
posible. Cada día a la espera de mis crónicas, las han traducido e incluído
para que todos pudieseis seguir este reto en directo. No sería justo si no incluyera a Fernando que pacientemente ha sido su "asesor" y profesor "favorito" de inglés. Todos ellos han sido consuelo
en la distancia y un apoyo continuo. Mis hijos unos buenos ayudantes, cada uno
a su manera, los tres. Todos ellos también peregrinos en mi Camino. Este ha
sido nuestro Camino, pero también el vuestro.
Aun me queda
una etapa, la etapa Santiago a Finisterre. Queda pendiente, pero la haré. El
motivo una promesa. De esta forma este Blog queda inconcluso. Podemos decir que
esta ha sido su penúltima entrega. Mientras tanto también queda abierta la
posibilidad de contribuir económicamente con la causa que decidí esponsorizar
con mi esfuerzo. No podemos esperar a que otros pongan solución a un problema
que nos afecta a todos y que lo hará directamente a uno de cada tres de
nosotros a lo largo de nuestras vidas.
A vosotros
que me habéis seguido, que también habéis sido peregrinos conmigo, muchas
gracias de nuevo. Que Dios os bendiga y el apóstol Santiago os proteja.
¡Buen Camino!
