Walk. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

The routine on the Camino has given me a lot of time for reflection, which I think is something that I don’t do enough of in my ‘regular life’. Even though I am not doing the Camino for a religious purpose, the environment, art, and sculptures definitely make my spirit sing. In today’s post I am including photos of many of the artsy things that have caught my eye along The Way.

This pilgrim is covered in the stamps that we receive at each alburgue along the way. This ‘Pilgrim Passport’ is the way to prove that a pilgrim has actually walked.

This poem is written in both German and Spanish. The English translation is:

“Dust, mud, sun and rain,
is the Way of Saint James;
thousands of pilgrims and more than a thousand years.
Pilgrim, who calls you? What dark force brings you here?
It’s not the Way of the Stars, nor the grand cathedrals.
Neither is it the courage of Navarra,
or the wine of the people of La Rioja.
It’s not the seafood of Galicia;
it’s not the countryside of Castilla.
Pilgrim, who calls you?
What mysterious force attracts you?
It is not the people of the way or their rural customs.
Nor is it their history and culture.
It isn’t the cockerel of la Calzada,
Gaudi’s palace,
nor the castle in Ponferrada.
Everything you see in passing is a joy;
and the voice which calls me,
makes me feel much deeper.
The force which pulls me, attracts me,
I cannot explain it.
Only he above knows why.”
-Eugenio Gariibay