By Ali Muldoon
In the beginning of June, Reverend Marek Zabriskie and 19 parishioners from Christ Church Greenwich embarked on a pilgrimage of the Camino in Spain. The Camino de Santiago, also known as “The French Way,” is a set of trails leading to The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Santiago, Spain. The pilgrimage route totals 490 miles, and the parishioners walked parts of it while embracing Spanish culture through the music, food and people.
Zabriskie has walked parts of the Camino nine times, and when talking about the stops, he explained “I’ve been through all these places, so for me it was really about introducing others from my church to them.” Joanna Wivell at Corazon Travel was the organizer of the trip, and she designed it for the group to stop at the locations that she believes hold the most history and beauty. Zabriskie recorded the details of every day of the trip in his blog “Bible in my Backpack.”
The group began their journey in Madrid at the Westin Palace Hotel. In this beautiful setting at the core of Madrid, they met author, historian, speaker and journalist Giles Tremlett who gave them an overview of Spanish history.
On the second day of their travels, the parishioners were immersed in the culture of Spain. They took a tour of the Prado Museum, famous for its rich collection of Spanish paintings. Later, they were invited into the Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain for a special service by Bishop Don Carlos. In his blog, Reverend Marek explained that at the service the Bishop, “blessed scallop shells – an ancient symbol of the Camino – for us to wear on our pilgrimage.”
That wasn’t the end of the magic. Later in the day, the pilgrims ate at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. The establishment serves traditional Madrid cuisine, so the group was able to truly embrace the culture. They finished off the day by watching a demonstration of Flamenco, a Spanish dance form.
The next day they traveled from Madrid to León, another city in Spain. Here they saw The Casa Botines and León Cathedral, which the travelers found to be extraordinarily beautiful. They had dinner at a former monastery-turned hotel.
On day four the group hit the trail starting in Astorga, a town in North Spain. Marek described the trail as very freeing because “the noise and busyness of ordinary living is let go,” freeing them to “give [themselves] to walking with God.”
In the blog, Zabriskie explained that each day the participants would get a card with a biblical quote on it including some questions to help them reflect on their journey. He said “we carry these with us to focus our minds on God and the things that really matter most in life as we walk and spend the day.”
After their walk, the parishioners strayed from the trail and toured Antonio Gaudí’s Episcopal Palace, the Roman Museum, and The Cathedral of Astorga.
The next day they returned to the trail for another day of hiking. This time they journeyed through Bierzo in Asturias. The participants were able to walk as little as one point seven miles or as many as eight depending on their skill level, as the group members ranged from 60 to 80 years old. They stayed in Cacabelos at the Prada winery, a crowd favorite.
After a night spent overlooking the vineyard, the pilgrims continued to walk seven miles with a terminus of O’Cebreiro – a Celtic village atop the mountains. They celebrated the Eucharist in the local village Church and listened to the gaita, the Spanish version of bagpipes, during dinner.
After a week of traveling, the group made it to their final destination. On their last day together, the group celebrated their pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela. Here they worshiped in the cathedral and explored the city. They attended the Pilgrims Mass and took a private tour of the cathedral and city before meeting the Episcopal priest. The blog explains that they ended the trip with a banquet dinner in the private dining room of the parador with a balcony overlooking the cathedral.
It is clear that the trip was a great experience for everybody involved. Marek explained that he would love to visit the Caminos again because, “they’re just so enchanting.” There is so much history involved, and the trail can offer lots of clarity in such a fast-moving world.
While every stop was special, the reverend would most recommend Camino Frances, which takes hikers through the rolling hills of Spain, and Camino Del Norte, which is along the coast. He found that walking through the countryside is most desirable because “walking by the roadside is not as interesting or attractive.”
The group concluded their pilgrimage feeling very bonded both to their faith and to their fellow congregants.
More information on Reverend Marek Zabriskie and the parishioners’ travels can be found on the Christ Church Greenwich website under the column “learn” and “Marek’s Blog.”
