A walk strengthens the legs. A Pilgrimage Strengthens the Soul – Report of Two Pilgrims
Pilgrims Elvira and Philippe from Ghent (pilgrims 4133 and 4134) regularly travel to Santiago. Every year they ‘walk’ about two thousand kilometres. This year they wanted to try out a new route: the Walk of Wisdom. Elvira shares her experiences:
Apart from the beautiful WoW package , we hadn’t made many preparations before we traveled to Nijmegen. After all, we are not ‘spreadsheet’ pilgrims, we don’t know how far we will walk every day. When we walked to the Stevenskerk through the busy shopping street of Nijmegen, we were approached by a woman from Nijmegen. Were we pilgrims? Yes she had seen that right, my yellow arrow on my backpack had of course immediately spotted this pilgrim, just a week back from Santiago. She was still suffering from the Camino blues, I had advised her that it was best for her to plan a pilgrimage again.
Walking clockwise
We picked up our first bird ring in the Stevenskerk and were warmly welcomed. The intention is to collect a bird ring in each municipality along the path. This can be in an inn or simply in a jam jar at a mini-golf course.
We have really chosen the best week of the year to go on a pilgrimage in the Netherlands. It was sunny and yet not too hot. We were soon out of the city and walked a bit along the Waal where we could soon enjoy the peace and the beautiful landscape. We walk clockwise around Nijmegen, the city is always nearby, very different from the Camino where you get closer and closer to Santiago and are further from your starting point. It takes some getting used to.
Various hiking trails
The first day we flirt with the border between the Netherlands and Germany, and the second day we really walk in Germany. We also briefly come into contact with two other well-known pilgrimage routes. In the beautiful Reichswald, the Walk of Walk of Wisdom runs parallel to the Way of St. James. We are both avid Santiago pilgrims, so the well-known yellow shells give us a warm feeling of recognition. A little further, on Dutch soil, we also follow that other well-known local pilgrimage route for a few kilometers: the Pieterpad. That was the first acquaintance for us, and we decide to put the Pieterpad on our hiking list as well.
About halfway along the route, after three days of walking, we stop in a real monastery. The Emmaus Monastery is the oldest Capuchin monastery in the country. There is a beautiful garden, where a few volunteers also help. In the evening, we sit down with the residents, the volunteers and the other guests at one long table for a pilgrim’s meal. In this monastery in the tradition of St. Francis of Assisi, three moments of silence are held every day. Elvira took part in one, and found it very special to be present in the chapel in the morning. Our hostess Miek had been looking for a nice quote about pilgrimage. There was also singing.
But pilgrims only stay one night in the same place and we walked on past many sleeping villages. Along the way we stay in small places with a very nice host/hostess and who do their best to spoil us with a delicious breakfast.
In the village of Wijchen we visit a friendly ceramist, Ine van Terrazul. She welcomes us warmly in her studio and shows us a place for silence at the back of her garden with a beautiful ceramic fireball. This is where elements of fire, earth, water and air come together in a beautiful way. We sit there for a while and enjoy a moment of peace.
What a contrast with how things would go in Nijmegen a few weeks later. Then there are masses of people on their feet to walk the Four Days Marches. Give us the silence and the peace. We end our pilgrimage, very appropriately in Café de Pelgrim and enjoy a local beer (we remain Belgian) in the sun.
Elvira organizes walking tours on various James Routes. For anyone who wants to take the time to slow down and get used to a life of 4 kilometers per hour. Want to know more? Check out her website: go Camino .
