I was talked by, yesterday seen Emilio Estevez feature film „The Way” (2010) (don’t mix with „The Road” 2009, which in Latvian language is translated as „Road”), in which base is story about a man, which has lost his son and in his place gets in pilgrimage on Santiago road from France to Spain NW city Santiago de compostela, where rest St. Jacob dust. Santiago road is longer than 800 km (for compare, as from Riga to Moscow 920 km, from Riga to Berlin 980 km), is gone by feet, and it is for every person individual exploring or forgiving, or dedication road.
It’s strange that, for the first time about this road I got known, reading PauloCoelho's"The Sorcerer's comments", where the protagonist went this road, but like something deep sense full feeling just now.
“Saint Jacob road is just on from four roads. It is Pike road, it can give strength, but it’s not enough. [..] First is Jerusalem road, which is called as Heart road or saint Grail road, it can give chance to do surprises; second is Rome road, which is called as club road too, it teaches to communicate with other worlds. [..] Diamond road [...] it’s a secret road. If you choose to walk on it, there won’t be anybody, who could help you. Just you.” (58 page)
For preparing process and going on Santiago road, nowadays are many helpers – information in web from goers or pilgrims (it’s Santiago road goer name, keyword too, if you’re looking for lodging); Camino de Santiago forum in Facebook; Android mobile application, route tracks, photo albums from station places in road length (road is tagged with statuettes, road marks, which are designed with seashell symbol – pilgrim know sign) etc.
It turns out that, from Middle Ages, pilgrims have special passports, in which are pressed stamps in every stop place. Besides in film is shown, that in finish can even get something like certificate, that proves, that you have gone the Santiago road with that and that purpose (a little bit commercialize, but as it was).
One from benefits, going in Santiago road, is in that met strangers, every with its purpose, life story, experience and aspect, world order. As in this film the main actor Tom (doctor from America) meets and gets three constant road friends, appearance personalities – Netherlander Just, which in this trip time, hopes to get a little bit thinner because of his wife and other people, but who can’t not just for moment get free from weed, for Spain characteristic dried meat, aromatic cheese and refreshing red vine, Irish writer Jack, which purpose is to get a list with met pilgrims and their trip purposes and in result to write a book; Sarah, which has lost her baby, and goes her pain road.
Tom gets on with this road, in every stop leaving a hand full of his son ashes. The protagonist stimulated by Spain gipsy goes just few km further, to ocean, to scatter to the four winds the last ashes in free waves, not to leave in saint church. In my opinion, it’s the logical road finish, because real is that pilgrim, which goes not because of religious, but for personal motives.
Looking on old pictures from Spain trip and Basque land, I found out, that even if we didn’t know that, in 2008 year we have been in on of Santiago road stop places in Burgos. In film were few shots from La Catedralde Santa María de Burgos.
As it was, Santiago road is for every personality gone, through strange country, without safety about place to sleep and what to eat, when every night place or table comes like God gift, whit deep intimates, personal motives, which you can’t sometimes even tell your closest people, but then comes a moment and you can share them with accidentally met stranger.
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