A report about my pilgrimage from Rome to Santiago de Compostela from the Swiss newspaper Blick by Helmut-Maria Glogger. A life changing experience.
For some, the Camino de Santiago is the pious walk of superlatives, the mobile form of a kind of spiritual tortoise hike – or what the German comedian Hape Kerkeling gave his hiking book as the title: «I’m off, then».
While Hape Kerkeling was in the midst of a life crisis, facing sudden hearing loss and gallbladder surgery, Christian Bauer came up with the idea of a pilgrimage on his own. While he was on a dream beach in Thailand, he heard an inner voice whisper to him: “You need to fly to Rome and walk to Santiago de Compostela.» That would mean walking 3000 kilometers through Italy, France and Spain.
I found a 2 euro coin between the cobblestones near the Vatican. I took it as a sign that money would not stop me.» Bauer said.
“So I bought a plane ticket from Bangkok to Rome. I gave away my belongings. What remained was: a daypack, two pants, two shirts, two pairs of underwear/socks, a pair of hiking boots, a cotton sleeping bag, towel, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, a diary, a pen. The essentials pared down to six kilograms.”
Pilgrimage from Rome to Santiago – 120 Days on Foot
But before salvation, the gods demanded not only hard work – but also a credit card. Exactly the one that failed in Rome when buying a winter jacket.
“Now I only had cash and travelers checks worth around 1,800 euros. The last of my money, and an estimated travel time of 120 days, gave me 15 euros per day for accommodation and food. Impossible. I was doomed.»
But God showed understanding. “I found a 2 euro coin between the cobblestones near the Vatican. I took it as a sign that my path would not fail because of the money.»
Start on the Via Francigena
On March 15, Bauer hitched on his backpack. From Rome, the path led to the old pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena. This long-distance route, also known as the «Frankenweg», specified the route taken by pilgrims from Franconia to Rome to the tomb of the apostles Peter and Paul.
Bauer took the opposite route – via Siena, Lucca, Piacenza and Turin across to France. He continued over the Maritime Alps through Provence to Arles, where the southern Way of St. James begins as the Via Tolosana. Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, it leads to Montpellier, the Airbus city of Toulouse and Lourdes, where in 1858 the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the young Bernadette Soubirous near the Massabielle grotto.
No One Knows Where the Camino de Santiago
After the stony Pyrenees, the Spanish Camino de Santiago begins. No one knows exactly where it begins – except for the Spanish proverb: «El Camino comienza en su casa» (The path begins in your house).
I gave away my belongings. What remained was: a daypack, two pants, two shirts, two pairs of underwear/socks, a pair of hiking boots, a cotton sleeping bag, towel, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, a diary, a pen. The bare essentials in six Kilograms.»
The way to Santiago de Compostela is the way to a new interiority. Because the end goal is not really tempting – it is the bones of the apostle James. The apostle James also lives in the cathedral as a seated stone figure, which the pilgrim hugs and kisses as a sign of homage.
In fact, James the Elder is said to have been one of Jesus› disciples. According to legend, he went on a missionary tour to what is now Spain immediately after Ascension Day. He returned unsuccessfully to Palestine, where he was beheaded by King Herod in 43.
Life as a Pilgrim
But there was still a long way to go before arriving in Santiago.
“I couldn’t afford hotels or guesthouses.” Bauer said. “Like a real pilgrim, I knocked on the door of parish priests, monasteries and mayors. The people’s willingness to help was touching. There was a bed everywhere, whether in the community hall, in the sports center, in the municipal used clothing store or in small, empty apartments reserved for pilgrims.”
Bauer was lucky. “I knocked on a monastery gate, ate with the monks, spent the night in a cell. Sometimes they even gave me money for dinner, otherwise I lived on sausage, cheese and sardines from the supermarket.»
Pilgrimage from Rome to Santiago – The Way to Happiness
With a light backpack, the last euros in your pocket – and suddenly you feel light, free, happy. A life without worry. Bauer discovered a new wealth: he had time, he was healthy, he was content – and happy. As trivial as it sounds, none of this can be bought. It’s not about the search for a divine authority as it used to be – it’s about something completely different: searching within yourself and finding your own ego.
And just like in Rome, a twist of fate awaited Bauer in Santiago. A priest spoke to him in front of the cathedral. «Do you recognize me?» he asked. «You spoke to me in Rome.» He paused. «Your eyes are happy.»
