El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is one of the most formative influences in my appreciation of the depth of the Spanish culture. I have mentioned before that my first experience with Spain was when I stepped ashore in Valencia from a Navy Destroyer back in 1965 and immediately felt at home.
El Greco, "View of Toledo"
The rest of the story was that the doctor on board and I caught a Talgo train to Madrid as soon as we could and headed for the Prado Museum. There I was overwhelmed by rooms full of El Greco paintings, some of which I had first seen as a child in an art book at home. I asked the guard where I could see more El Greco paintings and he directed my doctor friend and me to Toledo – Holy Toledo.
Toledo was another blockbuster experience for me as a young chaplain. But a random occurrence was to change and deepen my focus on Spain. I noticed an illustrated tourist folder on the Camino. I turned page after page and became more and more absorbed with the story of the pilgrimage route and the profoundly beautiful Romanesque structures along the way across Spain from France.
Ruth and I have traveled the Camino perhaps a dozen times since 1966 – all by car I will admit. We climbed around the mountain top town of El Cebrero before the steady stream of modern day pilgrims discovered it. There was even an open grave with scattered bones to the left of the windswept chapel in which some claimed was the Holy Grail.
Our son Jonathan walked the Camino for two months in the early 1990’s, and returned with his bride on their honeymoon. Ruth and I met Jonathan at the conclusion of his pilgrimage walk during that holy year.
Over the years we have formed bonds with pilgrims from all over the USA. Especially since the College of William & Mary and others in Williamsburg were some of the early movers to establish a gathering and format for fellow pilgrims whose hearts were draw to Santiago and the Camino for reasons best know to themselves.
This kind of bonding has grown with regular gatherings. The next one is 16-23 March at Winter Park Florida. You might find it a remarkably renewing experience. Check out www.americanpilgrims.com.
