Last year Andrea Guzzoletti walked 1000 kms across Spain last summer following the path known as the Camino de Santiago, also known by the English names, Way of St. James, St. James’s Way, St. James’s Path, St. James’s Trail, Route of Santiago de Compostela, and Road to Santiago, the name of any of the pilgrimage routes (most commonly the Camino Francés or French route) to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwesternSpain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried.
This what he said at the end of his walk:
I discovered a humanity I thought no longer existed and this made me feel good.
The more time passes, the less there is a need to talk about certain things because it all becomes obvious, just a quick glance and we understand immediately, it all comes down to the essential things that really have value, you get used to having a lot of close and affectionate relationships with everyone.
When you get to a city you realize just how different people can be, they have grey faces, dull skin, few smiles apart for some small child, individuals separate from one another, distant, no one even touches you, no one salutes, everyone in a hurry, angry, aggressive, some with a desperate look, wary. At that point you cannot wait to leave and stop in some small town where there is more beauty and humanity, because you are in dire need of beauty and humanity , because you cannot understand the reason why man should build ugly things, you cannot accept that something cannot be functional and beautiful at the same time, and you do not understand why no one greets you as you pass, each lost in who knows what kind of trouble.
What’s surprising is that all of your travelling companions see things the same way, people who come from all over the world , they see and perceive things in the same way. And we all wonder how we could create such an absurd society. Weeks go by and you are touched emotionally by almost everything, people attain illumination in the street, you can see it in their eyes, and when they share it with you, you feel good .
Sometimes you’re so lonely that your thoughts become deafening but there is always someone ahead or behind you and that is comforting, no one is ever really alone, we are made to live in a community, on our own we really do not amount to anything . Then you reach your destination and you’re confused, meeting once more people who you have not seen for a few days or even weeks, and the emotions well-up, theirs as well, some of them you may not see ever again, but you’ll never forget them, and you feel human, sensitive and grateful.
His complete summing up of his Camino di Santiago can be read in full here
We followed him every km of the way with daily images and text as he described and shared his images with us on this site, (they can be seen here)
A year has passed, Andrea has left Barga and is on the road once again with his destination, just like last year – Santiago de Compostela and then on to the coast at Finisterre but this time he is taking a different route – The Vía de La Plata (Silver Way) or Ruta de la Plata (Silver Route) which is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that crosses the west of Spain from Sevile in the South.
This time his route will be 1200 kms long and once again we will be following his progress daily
Siviglia
Il viaggio è iniziato…ad accogliermi un bellissimo tramonto, Siviglia per quel poco che ho potuto vedere è bellissima, fortissima l’influenza del mondo arabo.
Stasera ho assistito ad un bellissimo spettacolo di Flamenco.
Domani mi fermo qua per visitare meglio la città.
Buen Camino.
#andreaguzzolettisantiago #viadelaplata