Sep
8
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Mystical trees, medieval bridges, international fellowship and adventure – that is how Wyomissing native Natalie (Scibilia) Domeisen described the weeklong trip she took in June. She walked more than 70 miles in six days in Galicia, Spain, in order to complete the last leg of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James). The ancient pilgrimage has modern appeal.
The Camino is a walking and biking path that has been used for centuries. Pilgrims hike from one town to another, carrying their belongings and provisions in backpacks and sleeping in hostels. There are various routes, but the Camino Francés is the most popular. Pilgrims need to register and carry a “credencial,” which is like a passport, allowing them to stay at specific hostels and collect stamps from all the places they have visited. When they arrive at Santiago, after walking a minimum of approximately 62 miles, they receive a “Compostela,” which is a certificate confirming, in Latin, that they have completed the pilgrimage.
Domeisen did not walk alone; she traveled with a group of Italians. Domeisen, whose grandfather was from Sicily, speaks multiple languages, lives in Ferney-Voltaire, France, and works for the United Nations in Geneva. After graduating from the former Holy Name High School (now Berks Catholic after merging with Central Catholic) in 1977, Domeisen attended the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore (now called Notre Dame University), where she met Giusi Mandarino. Mandarino, who is a native of Rome and currently lives there, initiated the trip and asked four of her friends to join Domeisen and herself.
“It was something that she had wanted to do all of her life,” Domeisen said of Mandarino.
The women, all in their 50s, communicated with each other in Italian and occasionally used Spanish and English when speaking to other pilgrims.
“We were a fellowship of travelers.” Domeisen said. “I had never felt that feeling until we went on this walk.”
Strenuous yet refreshing
While Domeisen frequently walks in the Alps, she was challenged by Camino.
“It was the first time I had taken a vacation that was completely focused on something that involved a lot of exercise,” she said.
At the beginning of the trip, many of the travelers were concerned about their endurance.
“I was afraid that I was going to slow down everyone else,” Domeisen said. “I had never walked 20 kilometers (12 miles) before, and I thought I’d be doing it with my backpack.”
The group decided to use a transport service instead of carrying their packs. Each morning they would leave their packs at a drop-off point and then choose a spot, like a local cafe or bar, to retrieve them at the end of the day.
“You still had to carry your pack for a few kilometers,” she said. “You don’t know where you’re going to start or how far you’re going to walk in a day.”
The women began walking at 8:30 a.m. and finished around 5 p.m. They set a gentle pace of 2 to 3 mph, which allowed them to enjoy their surroundings.
“It’s a refreshing walk,” Domeisen said. “You can see the Romanesque churches, smell the roses, stop for coffee, and you can really savor the landscape around you.”
The group walked through rain, mist and wind.
“Apparently it was exceptionally cold and rainy that week,” she said. “Of course you feel quite tired, particularly at the beginning. Sometimes you’re cold and wet, however it wasn’t hard to look past that uncomfortable feeling.”
The Camino was also emotionally cathartic.
“You meet people who are going on these walks, people who look like you and I,” she said. “But anyone could be carrying any kind of thing that they picked up in life. These emotions come very close to you: joy, sorrow, laughter everything.”
Domeisen also found the spirit of community and the sensation of defying all odds invigorating.
“We caught a stomach virus and had to walk through it,” she said. “You give and you pull from what’s around you, and that regenerates.”
Domeisen describes the Camino as therapeutic and cutting edge and highly recommends it.
“Forget the spa, just walk for a week!” she said.
Mystic, spiritual and romantic
The walk also has a spiritual facet. Centuries-old churches and crosses line the path to Santiago and captivated the women, who are all Roman Catholic. One started her day by reciting the rosary.
“Romanesque churches are absolute gems, dotted in the countryside” Domeisen said.
She also observed how the churches connected the old and new.
“I would assume that the feelings that they inspired then are like the feelings that they inspire today, something mystic,” she said.
In additional to the churches, the medieval bridges and trails intrigued the group.
“There’s something romantic about these paths, romantic and of another time,” Domeisen said.
Walking back in time
As the women walked, they often sang. The experience took Domeisen back to the days of her adolescence. She rediscovered the song “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” by Seals Crofts during the Camino.
“I had not thought about that song since the 1970s,” Domeisen said. “It just came back to me because each step that I was taking, I was really living every moment in the nature around me. I felt the same way as a teenager. One needs to make the most of life, but sometimes as an adult, you forget.”
Domeisen feels that the pilgrimage helped her recall the essence of life.
“It’s the small things that you live and how you live them,” she said. “You meet all these people, hear all these stories, and you’re inspired.”
As the pilgrims of the Camino say, “It’s not the destination, but the journey.”
Contact: Laura L. Flippin at lflippin@readingeagle.com.
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