The document discusses the spiritual and personal journey that is the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. It describes how pilgrims start without a clear purpose but discover themselves through daily walking, interacting with others, and experiencing nature. It says the Camino's meaning is found by doing it - walking step by step - and cannot be fully captured through words. It leaves pilgrims changed by receiving a part of Saint James's personality and feeling open to life, others, and possibly faith. While the Camino was once a solitary journey, it can still be one of silence, prayer, and personal reflection among companions. The path shapes the traveler as they walk.

1. “Santiago, buen camino”
All starts like a joke, wanting without being
able; sorry, not suits me. In the end you see
yourself wearing mountain shoes and
carrying a bag on your back walking to…
Santiago, and wondering what I missed
there? Everything and nothing. Much and
little. The begining and the end. A path in
life.
No matter where you start, all paths have something in common: never stop walking, one step
behind another with encouragement. The total number of kilometres walked only make us feel
more glad about our great feat made but they do not change the meaning of the Camino
because everyone has to find it out before or during the Camino. Although it is true that having
a why and a wherefore in every step reduce pain, fatigue and tiredness that surround the
Camino.
It is said that the pilgrims start walking aimless, without a premeditated guide; they only know
they go to Santiago and they will see what happens next. It is also said that when they arrive
and they are in front of the Apostle they find the meaning of every morning walking through
the Galician sun and rain, among known or unkown people and others from different countries
and cultures around the world. It is even said that the Camino has become a social event with
external effects, lot of noise and nothing else, where walkers do not honor the significant
name given to them: pilgrims, travelers who start a path for devotion to a sacred place.
It is said many things but they do not see anything. The Camino it is not what people said it is
what happens meanwhile you are doing it. It is more than others may think and even you do;
until you do not start walking you do not know anything, either who you are, what hurts or
does not hurt you, why are you in the middle of nowhere with strangers, what motivates you
or bother you. While walking you discover yourself, either in contact with Nature or getting
into a conversation with these strangers who in the end are like family. Because not everything
happens when you give the wanted hug to Santiago; miracles happen when you put a stone
behing another in the Camino building the day to day, step by step, to be far away from your
life lived and closer to the new one.
It is impossible to put into words such a experience, such a feelings, such a thoughts that can
only be explained withing the Camino; there you understand and misunderstand eveything.
Superficially the Camino is a walk with friends to Santiago, resort town. Even those who go in
that plan experience the mistery of the Camino and it can be seen. It is wonderful see that
every pilgrim receive a small portion of the personality of Apostle Santiago during their walk,
because the Camino leaves a mark. For ones it will be more or less big and deep. But Santiago
reminds on us, open us to life and, maybe, to Faith.
Formerly the Camino was walked alone, walking in silence, meditating the Passion of the Lord
and praying the Rosary. Nowadays too but it is less externalized. In a noisy society as we have
it is almost imposible to imitate the pilgrims of that time but this is no excuse and you can see
pilgrims with Rosaries or walking in silince enjoying the green of the landscapes praying and
thinking or praying thinking (and vice versa). They do not climb or descend the slopes with the

2. Passion book in their hands but they will have it on them once they arrive to the next town at
the end of the stage and go to the Pilgrim´s Mass that awaits them afterwards. Who wants it,
gets it.
It is true what Antonio Machado's poem said, “caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al
andar” ("traveller there is no path, you make the path as you go") and it is much better
with a friend, a person with whom you share, walk and suffer. Silence can be lived and
understood in many ways. There will be silence of mobiles and electronic devices that will
change negative impacts into silence with words echoes filling conversations and internal
reflections. Although as a mediated, digitized and therefore depersonalized world, it is
necessary that the Camino is filled with personal conversations, face to face, and take back
what we were one day: people open to life, to the world, to other people, to love, generosity,
to listening, forgiveness, respect, peace, mercy, joy, to Faith; open to encounter.
“Starting the Pilgrimage of Life
When you finish, leave the catedral through the southern door, La Puerta de las
Platerías. Focus on the facade. On the mullion between the arch of the two doors, there
is a Crismón, a monogram of Christ. But, the letters are backwards. The Alpha has
changed places with the Omega. The end is the beginning. The goal of el Camino has
now started another Camino, you have started a new life”. (Text from
www.catedraldesantiago.es)
[Dedicated to each and every one of the people I met during the Camino de Santiago: You are
a treasure to me!]