Regent's Now Magazine 2019 WEB

REGENT’S NOW FEATURES
“Each of these communities provided a different memory that stands
as a witness to the kindness shown to us along the Camino.”
Similarly, whilst crossing the barren
Spanish plains and seeing barely any form
of civilisation, it was precious to watch
a youth group descend on a local spring
and spend the afternoon playing in the
water. Likewise, the surprise at finding a
beautifully ornate church in a town without
so much as a supermarket was a joy.
Along the way, we met people from all over
the world. A South Korean mine hunter,
a self-proclaimed Russian oligarch, and
an American meditation instructor were
just a few of the ‘quirkier’ individuals we
met. Yet, the people who left the greatest
impression on us were the hospitaleros
(albergue volunteers), especially those
working at donativos (hostels funded solely
by pilgrims’ donations). The idea that we
could be welcomed into a hostel without
the expectation of payment is so contrary
to the culture in which we live; one lady
actually thanked us for giving her the
opportunity to volunteer. Each of these
communities provided a different memory
that stands as a witness to the kindness
shown to us along the Camino: nuns
inviting us into their Romanesque chapel,
high up on a hill; peeling vegetables with
Spanish grandmothers who doted upon us
young chaps; being waved off with a warm
embrace by a kindly Italian hospitalero who
was grateful for our efforts to wash the
dishes the night before.
As I am sure you can imagine, after twentyeight
days of walking we were pretty eager
to get to Santiago. So eager, in fact, that we
walked a whopping forty-three kilometres
on our last day. But, to be honest, arriving in
Santiago was somewhat anti-climactic. Yes,
we saw the burial site of St James and were
glad to have made it, but (save a personal
flypast and parade) no city could properly
encapsulate the roller coaster of emotions
we had experienced in the preceding month.
Nonetheless, as we watched the sun set over
the Atlantic coast on the final evening of
our trip, we were able to reflect on a job well
done. We had realised that you really don’t
need many belongings in life. Although now
grateful for our home comforts, it is also
reassuring to know that we could survive
with little more than a change of pants and
a bar of soap, if needs be. This quiet, selfassured
approach to life is cultivated by the
Camino as you achieve something immense
with barely any planning or preparation.
Considering the stage of our own lives,
soon to leave university, our Camino was
an exercise in learning to cross bridges;
following the metaphorical arrow of life and
sticking to what seems to be the right path,
hopefully one cannot go too far wrong. It’s
just a case of putting one foot in front of
the other.
Adam Large and Alex Priestley-Leach (pictured
here outside Santiago de Compostela cathedral)
are undergraduate students, reading for degrees
in Theology and Religion (2017) and History
(2017), respectively.
“This quiet, self-assured approach to
life is cultivated by the Camino as you
achieve something immense with barely
any planning or preparation.”
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