A Grandfather walks the Way of St. James     by H.

 

After I  retired, being with my 8 and 3 year old grandsons, was very important to me.

One day my daughter Simone gave me the book “I Am Going Then”. I was deeply impressed with its content. My desire to also be a pilgrim, had grown stronger, until I finally put it into practice in 2008.

In Monika and Jürgen from Leonberg I found two nice people, who, in May 2008 accompanied me on the "long Way" of nearly 500 kilometres to Santiago de Compostela (Camino de Santiago - Camino Francés). We had happiness in our eyes and pride in our hearts when, after 3 weeks of pilgrimage we stood in front of the Cathedral, where the bones of St. James lie. We had managed the whole Way.

Next year, in May 2009, I set off again to walk another 500 kilometres "long Way" (Via de la Plata) to Santiago de Compostela. I was both glad and happy to see the big incense burner swinging and to listen to the clear voice of the nun again, together with my pilgrim brothers Dieter and Axel. Unforgettable moments.

As I was on the move in May each time, I couldn’t take part in the birthday parties for my little grandson Finn. He asked his Grandmother “Where is Grandfather”?  She answered  "Your Grandfather is walking the Way of St. James." Each time on his birthday I had of course phoned little Finn  from Ventas de Naron and also from Ourense and congratulated him warmly. When I heard his voice some tears ran down my cheeks. That remains in my memory, too.  

One day my pilgrim brother Jürgen unexpectedly suggested to me that I should take up my rucksack once again and go on a pilgrimage with him and Monika. To me this sounded like music in my ears.

Then a news article made me stop and think, afterwards, time would flow more slowly when viewed subjectively, as more and more unexpected occurrences happened. There could be only one answer to the question "What can be done with this time, which is given to us?” One ought to fill it with good fortune. Special moments would suit that purpose admirably and the request of my ex-pilgrim friends Monika and Jürgen was such a moment to me.  

I accepted the offer with pleasure, but imposed the condition, that the pilgrimage was not to be planned for the coming May,  in order to make sure that I would not miss my grandson Finn's birthday again.

written by H., Germany / translated by M., Germany / corrected by A., England

Opa geht den Jakobsweg     von H.

 

Nach meinem Ausscheiden aus dem Berufsleben war mir das Zusammensein mit meinen beiden 8 und 3jährigen Enkelsöhnen sehr wichtig.

Meine Tochter Simone schenkte mir eines Tages das Buch „Ich bin dann mal weg“, dessen Inhalt mich nachhaltig beeindruckte. Mein Wunsch, auch zu pilgern, wurde immer stärker, bis ich ihn im Jahre 2008 in die Tat umsetzte.

In Monika und Jürgen aus Leonberg fand ich zwei liebe Menschen, die mich im Mai 2008 auf dem fast 500 Kilometer langen Jakobsweg (Camino Francés – Französischer Weg) nach Santiago de Compostela  begleiteten. Mit Freude in den Augen und Stolz in der Brust standen wir dann nach über 3 Wochen Pilgerung vor der Kathedrale, in der die Gebeine des Heiligen Jakobus ruhen. Wir hatten es geschafft.

Im nächsten Jahr machte ich mich erneut auf einen 500 Kilometer langen Weg nach Santiago de Compostela (Via de la Plata - Silberweg) und war froh und glücklich, mit den Pilgerbrüdern Dieter und Axel erneut den Weihrauchkessel schwenken zu sehen und die klare Stimme der Nonne singen zu hören. Unvergessliche Momente.

Da ich jeweils im Mai unterwegs war, konnte ich nicht an den beiden Geburtstagsfeiern des kleineren Enkels Finn teilnehmen. Dieser fragte dann die Oma: „Wo ist denn der Opa?“ Diese antwortete dann: „Unser Opa geht den Jakobsweg.“ Ich rief natürlich an den Geburtstagen aus Ventas de Naron und aus Ourense den kleinen Finn an und gratulierte herzlich. Als ich seine Stimme hörte, liefen mir doch einige Tränen über die Wangen. Auch das bleibt mir unvergesslich.

Mein Pilgerbruder Jürgen bot mir dann eines Tages unverhofft an, doch noch mal meinen Rucksack zu schnüren und mit ihm und Monika zu pilgern. Für mich klang das alles wie Musik in meinen Ohren.

Und dann machte mich ein Zeitungsartikel stutzig. Danach würde  die Zeit  subjektiv gesehen langsamer vergehen, umso mehr Unerwartetes passiere. Es bliebe nur die Frage, was man mit dieser Zeit machen könnte, die uns gegeben ist? Man sollte sie mit Glück füllen. Dazu seien die besonderen Augenblicke geeignet. Die Anfrage meiner ehemaligen Pilgerfreunde Monika und Jürgen war ein solcher Augenblick.

Ich nahm das Angebot gerne an, machte aber zur Bedingung, dass wir die Pilgerung nicht wieder in den Mai legen, um nicht erneut einen Geburtstag meines Enkels Finn zu versäumen.

geschreiben von H.

A very special brief encounter    by S.

It was in the summer of 1977 when I went on holiday to Afghanistan, together with a group of young people. We hired a bus for six weeks and as we were self sufficient, we often bought food at local markets and cooked in the open in front of the bus. At nights we unrolled a kind of tarp on which we laid out our air mattresses and sleeping bags and night by night we enjoyed falling asleep under a starlit sky. The local people were very kind and quite often we were offered to set up our camp for the night in a meadow next to a house.

One day we stopped in a town to stay there for some hours. It was a weekend and when we were strolling along the streets we were fascinated by a lot of local people having picnics on the small green areas between lanes and pavements, despite all the traffic. We slowed down a bit to watch a family unpack their stuff and sit down in two groups, divided by gender.

Suddenly some of the people waved at us, inviting us to sit down beside them. They pointed out to the young men of my group to join the group of men and to the young girls to join the women and children. A woman offered us some ‘chai’ and the young men were invited to smoke a water pipe. One of the local women was holding a sleeping baby in her arms. She must have noticed my emotions while I was watching her and when she “asked” me if I wanted to hold her baby, she didn’t say a word, we were just having eye contact and she was holding her baby out to me. I enjoyed rocking the sweet little baby in my arms for some time and one of my friends was allowed to take a photo. Being unable to speak a single word of each other’s language our communication was just non-verbal. Until then I had not known how much we can express using just body language.

1977 – 2012………. a long time has passed since then. Sometimes I think of the baby, an adult now, 35 years of age, much older than I was back in the 1970s and I wonder what he might have gone through, growing up in a former beautiful country, now destroyed by endless war and terrorism and I still remember the peaceful scenery at the roadside. Isn’t it what is meant for all of us, for all people around the globe, to live together in peace? Learning about other people’s countries and cultures and learning foreign languages is an important step towards more mutual understanding.

written by S., Austria

A Brief Encounter Of A Different Kind    by A.

When I was about 18 or 19 years old I went to watch a Live Stage of the RAC Rally. I was a very keen fan of Rallying (car racing over rough roads and terrain). The Stage I went to see was being held in a zoological park called "Flamingo Park Zoo" (I think it has now changed its name). I was so excited, I had never watched a Live Stage before.

When I arrived at the Park the snow was thick on the ground and everyone was chattering loudly, asking each other "who do you think will win today's Stage?" All the Stewards were out in force (there were a lot of them) and the starting point where the drivers would "clock in" and "clock out" (their arrival and departure times were accurately measured and noted) was organised and waiting for the first drivers to arrive.

The atmosphere was electric with excitement, we all knew the best and most famous drivers would arrive first and were watching avidly to see who would be in the lead. We stood there stamping our feet in the snow trying to keep them warm but despite the cold there was a party atmosphere.

As the drivers were not due to arrive for about 10 minutes one of the zoo keepers had decided to bring his baby animal down for a walk and to see the Rally himself. .....He was a lion keeper !!! The lion cub was on a long chain and although he was still very young he was the size of an Alsatian dog (German Shepherd dog). The lion was very sweet and cuddly looking and posed no risk to anyone, in fact he was very friendly and we were allowed to pat him on the head.

About 2 minutes before the cars were due the lion cub decided that walking on snow was too tiring, so, ....he sat down .....in the middle of the road !!  The lion keeper tried to move the cub but he was too strong for him and stayed were he was ....unmoved and unmoving!  Finally, some of the men in the crowd, plus some of the stewards and the lion keeper managed to move the cub out of the way .....justin time .....the first car reached us about 30 seconds later !!

After the lion cub, the Rally drivers and their cars were an anti climax but in the entertainment industry they do say "never work with children or animals!"

Although this happened so many years ago I have never forgotten my day at the Rally and the brief encounter with a lion cub.

written by A., England

Eine andere Art von kurzer Begegnung   von A.

Als ich ungefähr 18 oder 19 Jahre alt war, ging ich zu einer Live RAC Rallye. Ich war ein begeisterter Fan  von Auto Rallyes. Die Veranstaltung,  die ich sehen wollte, fand im Zoo, der "Flamingo Park Zoo" hieß, statt. (Ich denke er hat mittlerweile seinen Namen geändert.) Ich war sehr aufgeregt, da ich vorher noch nie eine Live Rallye gesehen hatte.

Als ich im Park ankam, war der Boden mit einer dicken Schneeschicht bedeckt, und  alle haben sich laut unterhalten, fragten sich: "Was glaubst du, wer wird wohl heute das Rennen gewinnen?" Alle Stewards waren vertreten (es gab viele von ihnen) und am Startpunkt, wo die Fahrer abfahren und wieder ankommen würden, (ihre An- und Abfahrtzeiten wurden sorgfältig gemessen und notiert) war alles bereit für den 1. ankommenden Fahrer.

Die Atmosphäre war elektrisch geladen. Wir wussten, dass die besten und bekanntesten Fahrer als 1. das Ziel erreichen würden und waren begierig zu erfahren, wer der Sieger sein wird. Wir standen herum, traten im Schnee  von einem auf den anderen Fuß, um sie warm zu halten. Trotz der Kälte war es eine Party-Atmosphäre.

Die Fahrer wurden erst in 10 Minuten erwartet. Einer der Zoowärter, der mit einem Tierbaby spazieren ging, wollte auch die Rallye sehen. Er war der Löwenwärter!! Das Löwenbaby war an einer langen Kette, und obwohl es noch sehr jung war, hatte es die Größe eines Deutschen Schäferhundes. Der Löwe sah sehr süß und knuddelig aus und stellte keine Gefahr für irgendjemanden dar. Eigentlich war er sehr freundlich und jeder durfte ihn am Kopf streicheln.

Ungefähr 2 Minuten bevor die Autos erwartet wurden, entschied sich das Löwenbaby, dass es zu langweilig war, durch den Schnee zu laufen, es setzte sich hin... in der Mitte der Straße!! Der Löwenwärter versuchte das Baby zu bewegen, aber es war zu stark für ihn und blieb, wo es war ....still und nicht fortzubewegen. Schließlich schafften es Leute aus der Menge, einige der Stewards und der Löwenwärter, das Löwenbaby wegzubewegen ....gerade noch zur rechten Zeit ....das 1. Auto erreichte uns 30 Sekunden später!!

Nach dem Löwenbaby, waren die Rallyefahrer und ihre Autos eine Enttäuschung. Der Kommentar der Unterhaltungsbranche: "Arbeite nie mit Kindern oder Tieren!"

Obwohl dies vor langer Zeit geschah, habe ich meinen Tag bei der Rallye und die kurze Begegnung mit dem Löwenbaby nie vergessen.

written by A., England / translated by V., Germany

A 'Brief Encounter' in France  by M.T.

 

A few months ago, I opened a lodging in a small town in the east of France. I placed an advertisement on the web page "Gîtes de France" which is a site for reservations.

After 2 months there were no customers, I thought no more about it. Suddenly at the beginning of March, what a surprise!..... I received an email. A reservation! for one week in June, I was full of surprise. They were Japanese. It was the first time that Japanese visitors had booked in our region.

Often between March and June, I asked myself: why? a business appointment perhaps, a visit to see relatives perhaps. One in three visitors to the area did so as a hobby. It was necessary to wait for their arrival to see if this was the case.

This person told us about his trips. He writes books which are even sold on "amazon". Unfortunately these stories aren't translated. They are only published in Japanese. Then 3 days before their arrival, I received a phone call. It was difficult to understand broken English which is pronounced by a Japanese man, and a Frenchwoman who speaks only a little English.

Then after a lot of hesitancy I understood the hour, the date, the day and replied "I will be in the foyer of the railway station at 2:28 p.m. under an open umbrella.” On that early afternoon, I wasn't sad under my umbrella. My son had warned me "People will think you are a mad woman."

I don't think that it applied in this case, but the passengers looked at me with surprise and suddenly the Japanese visitors saw me, they had understood.

written by M.T. / corrected by G.

 

Une ‘Rencontre Brève‘ en France  par M.T.

 

Depuis quelques mois, j'ai ouvert un gîte dans une petite ville de l'est de la France. Je fais partie des "Gîtes de France" à ce titre, j'ai une page sur leur site de réservations.

Pendant 2 mois aucun client, je n'y croyais plus. Soudain début mars, quelle surprise......je reçois un courrier. Une réservation! pour une semaine en juin, comble de la surprise, des japonais. C'était la première fois qu'il y avait des japonais qui réservaient dans notre région. Souvent entre mars et juin, je me suis posé des questions : pourquoi ? un rendez-vous d'affaires peut-être, de la famille à visiter, mais il a fallu attendre leur arrivée pour apprendre le motif "hobby" d'une des trois personnes.

Cette personne raconte ses voyages, écrit des livres qui sont vendus même sur "amazon" mais hélas ces récits ne sont pas traduits ils sont édités seulement en japonais. Donc 3 jours avant leur arrivée, je reçois un appel téléphonique, que c'était difficile de comprendre un anglais hésitant prononcé par un japonais à une française dont l'anglais est restreint.
Alors après bien des hésitations j'ai compris l'heure, la date, le jour et ai répondu :

"Je serai dans le hall de la gare à 2 h 28, début d'après midi sous mon parapluie ouvert." Je n'étais pas triste sous mon parapluie. Mon fils m'avait mis en garde: "Tu seras prise pour une folle."

Non je ne pense pas que ce fut le cas, mais les voyageurs me regardaient surpris et soudain les japonais m'ont vue, ils avaient compris.

écrit par M.T. 

written by M.T., France

Eine kurze Begegnung in Frankreich   von M.T.

 

Vor einigen Monaten öffnete ich eine Unterkunft in einer kleinen Stadt im Osten Frankreichs. Ich nehme an der Webseite "Gîtes deFrance" teil, und setzte eine Werbung auf die Seite für Reservierungen.

Nach 2 Monaten hatte ich noch keine Kunden, ich glaubte nicht mehr daran. Plötzlich Anfang März, welche Überraschung...... Ich erhalte eine Mail. Eine Reservierung! für eine Woche im Juni. Ich war sehr überrascht, es waren Japaner. Es war das erste Mal, dass Japaner in unserer Region vorbestellt hatten.

Zwischen März und Juni stellte ich mir häufig die Fragen: „warum? vielleicht ein Besprechungstermin, vielleicht ein Besuch bei Verwandten, aber es war notwendig, auf die Ankunft zu warten, um zu erfahren, dass bei einer von drei Personen das Motiv ein "Hobby" war.

Dieser Mann erzählte uns über seine Reisen, er schreibt Bücher, die sogar bei "amazon" verkauft werden, aber leider werden diese Geschichten nicht übersetzt. Sie werden nur auf Japanisch aufgelegt. Dann 3 Tage vor ihrer Ankunft erhalte ich einen Anruf. Es war schwierig, gebrochenes Englisch zu verstehen, das von einem Japaner ausgesprochen wird, und einer Französin, deren Englisch nur verhalten ist.

Dann nach viel Unschlüssigkeit hatte ich die Stunde, das Datum und den Tag verstanden und geantwortet: "Ich werde in der Eingangshalle der Bahnstation um 2:28 Uhr unter meinem geöffneten Regenschirm stehen." Ich war nicht traurig unter meinem Regenschirm an diesem frühen Nachmittag. Mein Sohn hatte mich gewarnt: "Man wird dich für eine Verrückte halten."

Ich denke nicht, dass das in diesem Fall zutraf, aber die Passagiere sahen mich überrascht an und plötzlich sahen mich die Japaner, sie hatten verstanden.

written by M.T., France  / translated by M., Germany

My best brief encounters on the Way of St. James    by M.

 

We were a committed community of pilgrims, my husband and I and H. We met each other through the Internet in the online forum of pilgrims. We three had the same goal, Santiago de Compostela. H. had told us that some people in his town would have grave doubts regarding his ability to manage the long Way. We were sure that we would manage to make the trip. We wanted to receive the absolution, known as Compostela.

We had walked for 14 days before we came to the village Melide in Galicia and asked for bedrooms in a small country hotel ‘Buenas tardes! Quisiera una habitatión doble y una habitatión individual para una noche, por favor.’ – ‘Hello! Could I have a double room and a single room for one night, please.’

Usually there are only a few Spanish people who speak German in this area, but at this place the landlady answered in broken German. She told us, they had had German workers as guests for years.

We carried our rucksacks into very cold bedrooms. The heating didn’t work and this seemed to be normal for the hosts at about 10 degrees.

When we went downstairs we ordered ‘Tres cerveza grande, por favor.’ – ‘Three big beers, please’. We got our beer and the obligatory snacks – 'tapas' in addition. At the end of our daily walk we enjoyed this situation very much. Afterwards we would normally have a shower, but at this cold place we didn't want to take one.

We went out for a sightseeing walk and bought some water, bananas and biscuits - 'agua, plátanos y galletas', for the next day. We didn’t want to buy too much, because we would have to carry a heavily laden rucksuck. We knew, in every small village we would find a bar, where we could have sandwiches - 'los bocadillos'.

Back in our accommodation we ordered the three-course pilgrim menu for dinner ‘Tres peregrino menú y una botella de vino, por favor.’ –  ‘Three pilgrim menus and a bottle of wine, please.’ The pilgrim  menu always tasted good and It was cheap, the bottle of wine is included in the price. Sometimes we ordered, ‘Una otra botella, por favor.’ – ‘Another bottle of wine, please.’ Often we got the second bottle free.

After dinner we sat in the cold coffee room, drinking a glass of beer, with the landlord and his wife. It was very genial watching a live football match with them and making comments about it. I was dressed with my warmest chlothes and the landlady only wore a T-shirt, a skirt and sandals without stockings. Despite the fact that we spoke little of each other’s languages, we had a funny conversation.

The landlady, a jolly person, invited me to help her in the kitchen for 8 weeks. She meant, that afterwards I would be well-prepared by her to speak Spanish very well.

In the meantime the landlord went out to the butcher’s and came back with a pig’s head, which he showed us. He told us that he would need it for the meal the next day.

The landlady provided me her home-made liqueur, which she said was good for the stomach and to help us sleep well. I couldn’t distinguish what flavour it was. Its colour was a sort of orange-brown. In any case, it tasted like a healthy drink.

When we were tired enough to sleep, we gave thanks to them ‘Muchas gracias! Buenas noches!’  – ’Thank you very much. Good night.’

The next morning we greeted them ‘Buenos días!’ – ‘Good morning!’ We had breakfast and small talk in a friendly spirit again. Then we had to continue on our Way. ‘Adiós’ – ‘Good bye’, we said.  They wished us ‘Buen Camino!’ the pilgrim’s salutation.

The landlady intimated, I should come again to learn Spanish. We never forgot this brief encounter with its cheerful atmosphere.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Four days later we arrived at Santiago de Compostela, after we had walked for 18 days. We managed the whole Way! We had archieved our goal! What a wonderful feeling!

One of the best brief encounters was to have met our pilgrim friend H. from Castrop-Rauxel. We complemented each other very well and we were together from the first day until the last day of our Way.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

We met some pilgrims, who had really bad health problems. A pilgrim from Gerlingen, near to our home, had extensive inflammation of his shin bone. The doctor advised him to interrupt his Way for a few days. He wasn’t sure, if he could continue his Way further. We had a cup of coffee and cake in the restaurant of the parador in León with him. He left and when we left he had already paid the bill for us. Another pilgrim from Cologne, who had recovered from a stroke, had immense problems, because of his weakened state on the Way. I offered help and gave advice and encouragement, as pilgrims do amongst themselves.

Two nice women from Hannover carried too heavy rucksacks, but they were amusing and full of hope anyway. We met them a few times along the Way.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

I got help when we met 'Fifi' Pissecker, a cabaret star from Austria. We had some drinks on a terrace in Sahagún at 'Fifi’s' table. I was talking to my husband about problems with my upper leg muscles. 'Fifi' gave me the helpful advice to take Voltaren tablets and salve immediately. He gave me some tablets and H. contributed the salve for me. In the evening we had dinner and together we had a lot of fun. In the course of this, 'Fifi’ revealed one’s identity. Certainly we were remembered our German cabaret star Hape Kerkeling, who wrote the book “Ich bin dann mal weg” - "I am away then" about his trip on the Way of St. James. H. gave 'Fifi' his email address. Some months later, 'Fifi' wrote to H. and forwarded his newest show on a CD, about the Way of St. James, and let him know, when his show would be ‘on air’.

On the Way of St. James you always get help and enjoy popularity at the right time.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

When we entered the Cathedral of Santiago d.C. we listened to the nun’s wonderful chanting. The Bishop of Santiago preached and the Bishop Fürst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart also preached in German. A big group of about 400 pilgrims from our region were there. What a surpise!

I had my own „Compostela“, which I got from the Pilgrims' office, after they had checked Pilgrim Passport and I had answered a few of questions.

The pilgrims who gained the Compostela were read and blessed, including me. The parish sang from the bottom of one’s heart. The big incense burner – 'butofumeiro' was pulled up and elevated. It swung high back and forth, above the benches, which were filled with pilgrims. The church interior was filled with the smell of incense. An emotional scene, which only took place on special days! I partook of the Lord’s Supper.

There were some moments when I was overwhelmed and became teary-eyed.

I have met and kissed the St. James and I have received forgiveness of my sins.

To have encountered St. James was my most overwhelming brief encounter of my Way.

Postscript: In May 2008, I walked the Way of St James, the "Camino Francés", from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela (500 kilometres), in the north of Spain. My husband and a pilgrim from Castrop-Rauxel went along with me. At the end of my working life I wanted to walk the Way, because of the good life that I had had. I wanted to say thank you for the health of my whole family. My husband and I were able to work until we retired, without problems, and afterwards. My daughters have finished their studies without interruption and they now have good jobs. Someone was looking out for us.

I wanted to walk the Way of St. James for my dad (born on 12 June 1924), too. After a bad stroke he was dependent on care. Over the decades we had several conversations with him about the Way. I was sure, he would have walked the Way, because he always liked hiking very much. A short time later, after my pilgrimage, he died on the 4th of July 2008. I have dedicated my Compostela to his memory.

written by M., Germany / corrected by G., England

Video:
The Way of Saint James, more than just a journey

Meine besten Begegnungen auf dem Jakobsweg    by M.

 

Wir waren eine engagierte Pilgergemeinschaft, mein Mann und ich und H. Wir trafen uns im Internet in einem online Pilgerforum.  Wir drei hatten dasselbe Ziel, Santiago de Compostela. H. hatte uns erzählt, dass einige Leute in seiner Stadt große Zweifel hatten, ob er den langen Weg schaffen würde.  Wir waren uns sicher, dass wir ihn schaffen würden. Wir wollten den Sündenerlass erhalten, die Compostela.

Wir waren schon 14 Tage unterwegs, als wir in die kleine Stadt Melide in Galicien kamen und nach einem Bett in einem kleinen Landhotel fragten: „Buenas tardes! Quisiera una habitatión doble y una habitatión individual para una noche, por favor.“ – „Guten Tag! Könnte ich ein Doppelzimmer und ein Einzelzimmer für eine Nacht bekommen, bitte?“

Gewöhnlich gibt es in dieser Region nur wenige Spanier, die Deutsch sprechen, aber hier antwortete die Wirtin in gebrochenem Deutsch. Sie erzählte uns, sie hätten schon seit Jahren deutsche Arbeiter als Gäste.

Wir trugen unsere Rucksäcke in sehr kalte Schlafzimmer nach oben. Die Heizung war nicht angeschalten, obwohl es nur ungefähr 10°C hatte, und das schien für die Wirtsleute normal zu sein.

Als wir wieder nach unten kamen, bestellten wir: „Tres cerveza grande, por favor.“ – „Drei große Bier bitte.“ Wir bekamen unser Bier und die in Spanien üblichen Tapas dazu. Am Ende eines jeden Wandertages hatten wir diese Situation sehr genossen. Danach nahmen wir normalerweise eine Dusche, aber an diesem kalten Ort wollten wir das nicht.

Wir machten eine kleine Stadtbesichtigung und kauften Wasser, Bananen und Kekse – 'agua, plátanos y galletas' für den nächsten Tag. Wir wollten nicht zuviel einkaufen, weil wir sonst einen zu schweren Rucksack zu tragen hätten. Wir wussten aber, dass wir in jedem kleinen Dorf eine Bar finden würden, wo wir belegte Brötchen – 'los bocadillos' bekommen konnten.

Zurück in unserer Unterkunft bestellten wir das Drei-Gang-Pilgermenu zum Abendessen: „Tres peregrino menú y una botella de vino, por favor.“ –  „Drei Pilgermenu und eine Flasche Wein, bitte.“ Das Pilgermenu hat uns immer gut geschmeckt und es war günstig. Die Flasche Wein war im Preis enthalten.  Manchmal bestellten wir: „Una otra botella, por favor.” – “Eine weitere Flasche Wein, bitte.” Oft bekamen wir die zweite Flasche kostenlos.

Nach dem Abendessen setzten wir uns in die Gaststube und tranken ein Glas Bier mit dem Wirt und seiner Frau. Es war gesellig mit ihnen, ein Fußballspiel live anzuschauen und Kommentare dazu abzugeben. Ich war mit meinen wärmsten Kleidern bekleidet und die Wirtin trug nur ein T-Shirt, einen Rock und Sandalen ohne Strümpfe. Obwohl wir nur ein wenig die Sprache des anderen sprechen konnten, hatten wir eine spaßige Unterhaltung.

Die Wirtin, eine lustige Peron, lud mich ein, ihr in der Küche 8 Wochen lang zu helfen. Sie meinte, dass ich danach durch sie gut präpariert wäre, die spanische Sprache gut zu sprechen.

In der Zwischenzeit ging der Wirt zum Metzger und kam mit einem Schweinekopf zurück, welchen er uns zeigte. Er erzählte uns, dass er ihn für das Essen am nächsten Tag brauchen würde.

Die Wirtin bot mir ihren selbstgemachten Likör an, welcher, wie sie sagte, gut sei für den Magen und helfen würde, gut zu schlafen. Der Geschmack des Likörs war mir nicht bekannt. Seine Farbe war orange-braun. Auf jeden Fall schmeckte er wie ein gesunder Trunk.

Als wir müde genug waren, bedankten wir uns und sagten: „Muchas gracias! Buenas noches!” – “Vielen Dank. Gute Nacht!“

Am nächsten Morgen grüßten wir sie: “Buenos días!“ – „Guten Morgen!“ Wir frühstückten und hatten wieder eine nette freundliche Unterhaltung. Dann mussten wir unseren Weg fortsetzen: „Adiós!” – “Auf Wiedersehen!” Sie verabschiedeten uns mit dem Pilgergruß: “Buen Camino!”

Die Wirtin sagte mir nochmals, dass ich wieder kommen sollte, um Spanisch zu lernen. Wir vergaßen diese nette Begegnung in solch heiterer Atmosphäre nie.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Vier Tage später kamen wir in Santiago de Compostela an, nachdem wir 18 Tage gewandert waren. Wir hatten den ganzen Weg geschafft! Wir hatten unser Ziel erreicht! Was für ein wunderbares Gefühl.

Eine der besten Begegnungen war vor allem, dass wir unseren Pilgerbruder H. aus Castrop-Rauxel getroffen hatten. Wir ergänzten uns gegenseitig sehr gut und waren vom ersten bis zum letzten Tag unseres Weges zusammen.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Wir trafen einige Pilger, die wirklich große gesundheitliche Probleme hatten. Ein Pilger aus Gerlingen, einer Stadt in der Nähe unserer Heimat, hatte eine extreme Entzündung an seinem Schienbein. Der Arzt riet ihm, den Weg für ein paar Tage zu unterbrechen. Er war nicht sicher, ob er seinen Weg fortführen konnte. Wir hatten eine Tasse Kaffee und Kuchen mit ihm zusammen im Restaurant des Paradors in León genossen. Er verließ uns und als wir gingen hatte er schon die Rechnung für uns bezahlt. Ein anderer Pilger aus Köln, der sich erst kurz vorher von einem Schlaganfall erholt hatte, hatte aufgrund seines geschwächten Zustands, große Probleme. Ich bot meine Hilfe an und gab Rat und Zuversicht, so gut ich konnte, so wie Pilger das untereinander pflegen.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Ich bekam Hilfe, als wir 'Fifi' Pissecker trafen, ein Star-Kabarettist aus Österreich. Wir hatten ein Erfrischungsgetränk auf einer Terrasse in Sahagún an 'Fifis' Tisch getrunken. Ich erzählte meinem Mann von meinem Problem mit meinem Oberschenkelmuskel. 'Fifi' gab mir den hilfreichen Rat, sofort Voltaren Tabletten einzunehmen und Voltaren Schmerzgel anzuwenden. Er gab mir von seinen Tabletten und H. gab mir sein Gel. Abends trafen wir uns zum Abendessen und hatten viel Spaß zusammen. Dabei gab sich 'Fifi' uns gegenüber zu erkennen. Natürlich dachten wir gleich an unseren deutschen Kabarettisten Hape Kerkeling, der das Buch "Ich bin dann mal weg" über seine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg schrieb. H. gab 'Fifi' noch seine Emailadresse. Einige Monate später schrieb 'Fifi' und schickte eine CD an H. mit seiner neuesten Show über den Jakobsweg und ließ ihn wissen, wann sie im Fernsehen gesendet wird.

Auf dem Jakobsweg bekommt man immer zur rechten Zeit Hilfe und kann sich großen Zuspruchs erfreuen.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Als wir die Kathedrale von Santiago de Compostela betraten, hörten wir den wunderbaren Gesang der Nonne. Der Bischof von Santiago hielt die Predigt auf Spanisch und Bischof Fürst von der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart hielt die Predigt auf Deutsch. Eine große Gruppe von ungefähr 400 Wallfahrern waren zusammen mit dem Bischof aus unserer Region angereist. Was für eine große Überraschung!

Die Pilger, die sich die Compostela verdient hatten, wurden vorgelesen und gesegnet, einschließlich mir. Ich hatte meine eigene „Compostela“ im Pilgerbüro erhalten, nachdem mein Pilgerpass überprüft worden war und ich einige Fragen beantwortet hatte.

Die Gemeinde sang aus vollem Herzen. Der große Weihrauchkessel – 'butofumeiro' wurde an dicken Seilen hochgezogen und hochgeschwenkt. Er pendelte sehr hoch und zurück, nahe an den Bänken entlang, die mit Pilgern gefüllt waren. Der Kirchenraum war vom Geruch des Weihrauchs geschwängert. Eine bewegende Szenerie, die nur an besonderen Tagen stattfand. Ich nahm am Abendmahl teil.

Es gab einige Momente, an denen ich überwältigt war und tränengefüllte Augen bekam.

Ich habe den St. Jokobus getroffen und geküsst und Vergebung meiner Sünden erhalten.

St. Jokobus zu begegnen, das war die überwältigendste Begegnung auf meinem Weg.

--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

Nachwort: Ich bin im Mai 2008 auf dem Jakobsweg gepilgert, dem “Camino Francés”, von Burgos bis Santiago de Compostela (500 Kilometer), im Norden Spaniens. Mein Mann und ein Pilger aus Castrop-Rauxel gingen mit mir. Am Ende unseres Arbeitslebens wollte ich diese Pilgerreise machen, zum Dank dafür, dass ich ein gutes Leben hatte, auch dafür, dass meine ganze Familie gesund war. Mein Mann und ich konnten bis zu unserem Ruhestand und noch darüber hinaus ohne Probleme arbeiten. Meine Töchter haben ihre Studien ohne Unterbrechung beendet und jetzt haben sie gute Jobs. Da muss jemand gewesen sein, der nach uns schaute.

Ich wollte den Weg auch für meinen Papa (geboren am 12. Juni 1924) pilgern. Nach einem schweren Schlaganfall war er zum Pflegefall geworden. Wir hatten über Jahrzehnte hinweg einige Unterhaltungen mit ihm über den Weg. Ich war mir sicher, dass er auch mitgekommen wäre, weil er immer sehr gern wanderte. Kurz nachdem ich von meiner Pilgerreise zurück war, starb er am 4. Juli 2008. Zur Erinnung an ihn, habe ich ihm meine Compostela gewidmet.

written by M., Germany

Video:
Pilgern - Die Seele geht lieber zu Fuß

My brief encounter   by My.

I used to be a good student in the painting class at my school when I was ten years old. I remember how important painting was for me and maybe more important than that, was our young and beautiful teacher. Actually, I liked her so much and every word she said about those childish painting has remained in my memory for a long time. I do not know why, but maybe I used to consider her as being someone who had an exceptional artistic ability :))

One day I entered the class with a painting and I was confident that my painting would impress our teacher a lot.  I and all other students were waiting for the teacher to come to the class when I found my painting was in the hand of another student (her name was Bita). I tried to get it back but it got untidy ….. I got angry and I tore Bita's book and she started to cry. It was her book….

When our teacher came to the class, Bita was still crying. Our teacher asked her to explain what had happened and I was just thinking about what she would think of me if she understood what I had done. My classmate started to talk and I was trembling with fear but she did not tell our teacher about what I had done and I could breathe again. She said " I DON’T KNOW WHO TORE MY BOOK .." but I still remember how I felt embarrassed about what I had done because of her attitude towards me.  

I'd like to know whether there are still such small concerns in my life (such as impressing a teacher) or not.

written by My., Iran - with help of A., England

Meine Begegnung   von My.

Gewöhnlich war ich eine gute Schülerin in der Malstunde an meiner Schule, als ich zehn Jahre alt war. Ich erinnere mich, wie wichtig malen für mich war und vielleicht war es sogar wichtiger für mich als für unsere junge und schöne Lehrerin. Ich mochte sie so sehr und jedes Wort, das sie über jene kindliche Malerei sagte, war mir sogar für lange Zeit in Erinnerung geblieben. Ich weiß nicht warum, aber vielleicht betrachtete ich sie früher als jemanden, der eine außergewöhnliche künstlerische Fähigkeit besaß. J

Eines Tages betrat ich die Klasse mit meinem Bild und ich war überzeugt, dass mein Bild meine Lehrerin sehr beeindrucken würde. Ich und alle anderen Schüler warteten darauf, dass unsere Lehrerin in die Klasse kam, als ich sah, dass mein Bild in der Hand einer anderen Schülerin (ihr Name war Bita) war. Ich versuchte, es wieder zurückzubekommen, aber es war unordentlich geworden… Ich wurde ärgerlich und zerriss Bitas Buch und sie begann zu weinen. Es war ihr Buch….

Als unsere Lehrerin in die Klasse kam, weinte Bita immer noch. Unsere Lehrerin bat sie, zu erklären, was geschehen war, Ich überlegte mir, was sie von mir denken würde, wenn sie hörte, was ich getan hatte. Meine Klassenkameradin begann zu erzählen und ich zitterte vor Furcht, aber sie erzählte unserer Lehrerin nicht, was ich getan hatte und ich konnte wieder atmen. Sie sagte, „ICH WEISS NICHT, WER MEIN BUCH ZERRISSEN HAT..“, aber ich erinnere mich immer noch, wie ich darüber beschämt war, was ich getan hatte, aufgrund ihres Verhaltens gegen mich.

Ich würde gerne wissen, ob es noch solch kleine Sorgen in meinem Leben gibt (solche, wie eine Lehrerin beeindrucken zu wollen) oder nicht.

written by My., Iran - with help of A., England / translated by M., Germany

The Consequence Was .......

A story in several voices by : M., C., G., A., V., E. and W.

A:
I was sitting on a bus one day when I felt the woman behind me tap me on the shoulder, I turned round and said

" who are you and why did you tap my shoulder " 

The woman said   " I thought I recognised you, you look just like someone I knew years ago, when I worked in a florist's shop. "

.... " I haven't been in a flower shop for years "  I said,  " what made you think I was the same person? "

" Well, "  she replied  " The woman who came into the florist's, had the same kind face that you have and she helped me when I was in trouble "

I was intrigued by her story and asked  " what kind of trouble "

" I was accused of stealing from the shop but I didn't do it and the kind lady helped me "

" but how could she help? "  I asked

" She told the owner that she had seen the real thief "

and the consequence was ......

The woman who had seen the thief explained what she had seen.

E:

" The thief was smaller than I am and had red hair. My hair is brown. You know, many people cannot remember things exactly, when they are contacted by the police "  said the lady.

The police caught the thief and he had to go to jail.

The policeman went home after work. At home his wife and five children were waiting for him.

His wife asked:  " What was it like at work today? " 

 " The thief that I caught has been imprisoned "   The man told them.

Then Davie, the smallest child, said :  " Dad, did he steal some flowers  ?".

The father smiled: " He hasn't taken any flowers " 

The mother set the table and said: " Come for dinner and eat, then you can discuss your news." 

and the consequence was ......

W:

Hearing about the description of the witness the police decided to arrest the thief and interrogate him. 

" Do you know, why we arrested you? You have stolen 120 red roses.  that's a very serious crime and you may have to go to jail for a long time. Why did you do it? "

" I had a very bad argument with my wife and would like to buy her these roses for the reconciliation but when I was in the shop I saw that there was no money in my pockets. So I stole the roses because my wife had begun to pack her bags and I had to hurry up to hold her back from leaving. I would have paid for the roses later ".

" Why didn't you pay for the roses later ? "

" I was afraid I would get into trouble because they wouldn't believe my story... but now I've got the money here and want to pay. Can't you forget my mistake? My wife does not know about it. "

" Sorry, Sir, I can't do that. Also your wife is waiting outside to see you, and I can tell you: she isn't amused to be married to a common thief. She looks so angry, I'm glad, that she isn't my wife... We'll take her to you now. Perhaps I think it is punishment enough for you to talk to her but the last word will be spoken by the judge..."

The wife came in and was not amused to see her husband at the police station. She began to shout about the no-good character of her husband. The policemen went out of the room and smiled about this shrew.

...and the consequence was ......

A:

The policemen were so busy laughing about the wife that they forgot to keep their voices down.

The first policeman said

" Did you see his face when he knew his wife was outside, he was as white as a sheet! "

" Yes,"  said the second policeman,  " if she's such a harriden, I'm surprised he was prepared to risk jail to make her change her mind about leaving "

" I'd have preferred jail to living with a shrew like that "  said the first one

" Well, if he does go to jail, at least he'll be used to doing as he's told "  said the second one

" WHAT ! Are you saying, I'm a shrew!! "  screamed a voice from the doorway

 " Ahhh!! "  said both policemen at the same time, becoming very red faced 

" Well ! ... I'm waiting for an answer "  said the wife (because of course, she was the voice in the doorway)

" It's just you seemed so angry with him, that we thought it was funny that he had stolen roses and risked jail to make you stay and now you're going to leave him any way!"

 said the second policeman (who was obviously a bit braver than his colleague)

"Are you saying that he stole the roses because he loved me ? "  she asked

" Oh, yes, that's what he told us, the roses were to persuade you to stay but he had forgotten his money in all the upset of the argument "  

replied the first policeman (who had recovered his nerve by now)

and the consequence was ......

Events took a most unexpected turn.

G:

The wife looked the policeman in the eye and said.

'' I don't love him. I never did.  I only married him for his money. He lied to you.  He wasn't buying the roses for me ''

" 'What do you mean? "   asked the first policeman, wishing he had stayed  in bed and not gone to work that day. 

" He knows I don't like roses ''  she replied .

'' Do you think he intended to pay for them? ''    the policeman asked quizzically.

'' No. Put him in jail and throw away the key ''   said the wife  and left the police station.

The policeman decided to investigate further and returned to the florist's to see if the shop  had closed circuit television.  (CCTV- security cameras) 

and the consequence was ....... 

M:

 Next day the policeman came into the jail to see the thief and to ask questions.

" I am so sorry for you,” he said, “ but your wife is furious with you. In the jail you're safe and no one will annoy you,” he continued.

“ It is absurd telling me that,” the thief answered. "I don't want to stay here any longer. Let me out! "

“ You know you have been very stupid stealing roses for a wicked wife,” the policeman said.

“ Well, I admit that ,” said the thief, “ but my wife was not very nice, you know and she knows nothing about cookery.”

“ We're going to re-examine your case. You're a poor fellow," the policeman said.

and the consequence was ......  

V:

The man who had stolen the roses had to spend three days in jail.

 On his release from prison, a prison attendant asked 

" What are you going to do now ? "

" I thought about buying some flowers for my wife to calm her down "

It was hard for her not to burst out in a hearty laugh

" Wouldn't it be better ........."

and the consequence was ......

The man was released from prison.

C:

The prison attendant said to the man when he was released

" You, would do better to go with your wife to a restaurant and spend your money on a good meal " 

The man who had stolen the roses said,

" I  love flowers so much, therefore I wanted to buy flowers for my wife and hoped, she would love the flowers also " 

" This was not a good idea " said the Prison attendant.

" Yes" said the rose thief  " I know that now, I will go to a restaurant, that is a good idea. My wife can eat from a good menu, can enjoy good food and I hope she will learn to cook. I will say this to her ! "

and the consequence was ......

A:

The man was lucky, he was not prosecuted for the theft of the roses but given an "Official Caution".

He was so relieved that he decided to follow the prison officer's advice and a few days later he took his wife to a very expensive restaurant.

As they walked through the door the Head Waiter approached (came towards) them and said

" Good evening Sir and Madam. Do you have a reservation ? "

" Oh no ! " said the man " I'm afraid I forgot to make one, do you have a table for two free please ? "

The Head Waiter looked dubious (in doubt) and replied  

" We are rather busy tonight Sir but I will see what I can do "

He walked away and consulted a large book which was resting on a lectern (a stand for holding books, often seen in restaurants or churches etc). He returned saying sympathetically

" We appear to be fully booked tonight, I'm sorry I have nothing available. "

The man was desperate, he could see his wife was becoming angry with him again, so he said 

" Is there nothing available at all, I know I was foolish not to book in advance but it is a special occasion "

" Oh yes!, " said his wife sarcastically  " It's a special occasion alright, if I don't get my restaurant meal as promised, I'm definitely leaving. "

" Leaving ? " replied the Head Waiter quizzically " but as we have no tables free, that's what I would expect " 

" Not leaving the resataurant " replied the wife " leaving him " and pointed at her husband.

" Madam " said the Head Waiter " I cannot have that on my conscience, I will see if I can fit you in somehow "

 and left to consult his book again, returning a few minutes later smiling broadly

" Good news! " He announced " Whilst we were talking, someone phoned to cancel their reservation. I  have got a table for you after all. If you would care to follow me "

 and he walked ahead of them to a table in the corner.

" Well, I hope you are enjoying your meal but I wanted you to know how much you meant to me. There was no mistress you know but because I was upset I'd forgotten you didn't like roses " said the man

" Yes, I am enjoying the meal " said his wife  " and I'm sorry, I've been so angry recently but it has all been a great shock. "

" I'm sorry, about everything that happened too "  He said  " Perhaps we can forget the past and start again. "

" Yes, let's do that " she said.  

At that moment the Head Waiter reappeared with something behind his back 

" As you are celebrating a special occasion, these are for you Madam, with the compliments of the management "   He said, proudly producing  ...... an ENORMOUS bouquet of red roses !!!

The husband and wife looked at each other for a few moments and then they both burst out laughing. The poor Head Waiter looked completely nonplussed (Totally confused).

" But whatever are you laughing about ? " he asked 

They both turned to him, tears of laughter running down their faces and replied in unison (together).

" Our special occasion is to celebrate the end of an affair which began with roses and now it seems, it ends with them too. We have been very rude but we couldn't help laughing .... Thank you very much for the roses they're beautiful. " 

Then still laughing they left the restaurant arm in arm .......

and the consequence was ......

They lived happily ever after..........

Many thanks to M., C., G., A., V., E. and W. for their contributions
corrected by A., England