Camino de Santiago

Inspired by a film and a book of photographs, two non-Christians set out on the Camino de Santiago—not only to test themselves physically, but to break from routine, understand faith, and discover new ways of seeing life.

On the first day’s walk from Sarria to Portomarín, mist, clear skies, and yellow arrows accompany a gradual lesson: amid uncertain weather, terrain, and inner anxieties, focus on the step you can take now.

Illness, wind, rain, and the long road forced me to confront the possibility of giving up. Yet once I let go of my insistence that I “had to finish,” body and mind found the strength to carry on.

Between shortening the day’s walk, choosing at each fork, and stopping in Melide, every decision brings both a cost and a freedom—the Camino becomes a mirror for reflecting on life’s choices and the direction of one’s faith.

Days of rain, an injured foot, and mounting exhaustion make this the hardest day yet, but strangers calling out “Buen Camino” and the ancient water sources along the way transform grim endurance into a shared faith in carrying on.

After trudging through mud to the final town before Santiago, I reflect on what nature, fellow pilgrims, solitude, and faith have given me. This journey made on foot has also been a practice in returning to nature and cherishing the present.