At 7 in the morning of 2 August the pilgrims assembled and after breakfast at the Augustinian Recollect monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, they started the first stage: from San Millán to Nájera. In the next days they covered kilometers of this French Way passing through Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Belorado, San Juan de Ortegaandfinally, Burgos, the finish line of this year’s pilgrimage. These are perhaps the most representative stages of the whole Pilgrim Way of Saint James which, due to their far from Compostela, are ignored by many pilgrims.
On the whole, they walked for around 130 kilometers, amidst not a few hardships: sprains, cold, blisters, heat… But that is the true “essence” of the pilgrim: in being always open to novelty, to the unexpected, to difficulty, and to face and overcome all this.
That was precisely the orientation of the activity: reading the Pilgrim Way of Saint James as a parable of the Christian life. There is a beginning and a finish line, there are difficulties and helps, times of solitude and of community that accompanies. Each day, the celebration of the Eucharist became the central moment of the journey, finding in the Body and Blood of Christ the true food of the pilgrim. And the Sacrament of Reconciliation also became a renewal of life and a push to continue marching.
This experience of faith was also enriched by a convivence of more than a week among restless youth who shared more things in common than they suspected. The tourist visits, the dynamic activities, the many moments of shared enjoyment that came up in this pilgrimage made it unforgettable for everyone.