My Photo scholarship 2011 entry
Worldwide | Thursday, August 25, 2011 | 5 photos
Last November, my brother David and I walked over three hundred and fifty kilometres through northern Spain on "El Camino de Santiago" (the road to Santiago) - an ancient Christian pilgrimage. We had shared a great sense of fun e.g., every day, we would do a" point and shoot pic" of us starting on the trail when we set off. This was the day after a gruelling climb in freezing rain with no shelter.
He was much taller than me and so we met up at the end of the day as I sauntered into the motel lobby after eight to eleven hours walking. I had never been on an "active" holiday. I adored walking by myself and exploring through the old villages made from stone, even marvelling at the logs so neatly stacked and the thoughtful placement of the two old chairs!
The best part of the day was taking off my boots, having that bath, draping my clean clothes if there was a good breeze and elevating my poor blistered feet. In Pamploma, home of the running bulls, there was nowhere else I'd rather be than on those crisp cotton sheets!
We presumed the locals might be sick of tourists. After dawn, I spotted this lady who was watching the pilgrims making their way through her town. She was very pleased to be asked, despite my rudimentary Spanish. She proudly nodded to the peppers she and her neighbours dried in the Zubiri sun.
We reached our destination in Santiago at dusk. Under this Cathedral de Compostella lay the bones of St. James - who walked this road - just like I did. I managed to get the last ticket on the tour to the rooftop. I couldn't believe we were allowed up there in this day and age. Heaven!
I aim to communicate the joy of travel by documenting everyday events. Thinking about unique perspectives on a well documented subject challenges me.
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