The Camino and Its People

5/02-5/19: Castilla y León

Our guide from Navarra believed that the Camino offers something more profound than one might encounter in their everyday lives, something that calls for a certain spiritual maturity. He referred specifically to the myth about the Meseta - the section between Burgos and León where the lush, ever-changing landscape gives way to a flat blanket of endless green and wheat-colored plains. Some people say they come up against their own shadows and inner demons there, others go a little insane with the monotony, and some claim that only such a lack of external stimulus can allow for truly deep introspection. But the general consensus is that the Meseta offers itself as a time of transition, and plays a role in the shedding of old ideas, expectations or emotional weight, and opens the pilgrim to fully experiencing themselves and the Camino de Santiago.

The validity of such myths aside, both crews felt a distinct shift in our dynamic, which seemed directly linked to the changes in our members. Just as we crossed from La Rioja into the Meseta of Castilla y León, we were joined by our two new Producers - Athenea Harrington from Barcelona (B Crew), and Roque Martinez Sanchez from Granada (A Crew). Immediately upon their arrival in Hontanas, their competence shined as they brought their respective crews their get-it-organized and get-it-done attitudes. After an initial period of adjustment - complete with bouts of miscommunication - our pattern of shooting which before had seemed so irregular, began settling into a comfortable and fluid pace.

We passed quickly through Burgos, stopping only to interview two Germans named Hans and Ushi, and one Danish man named Roar along the Rio Arlanzón. In the charming loft of the Albergue San Rafael in Agés, the crew tasted once again the magnificent convergence of disparate people speaking the same musical language. Andres brought out his guitar again and our Canadian pilgrim, Jack, took his harmonica from his pocket, and together, inspired by their individual experiences on the Camino, they fused their own styles and instruments into one gorgeous night of song. For the musicians and our crew, it has been truly miraculous to watch and participate in what could possibly be the formation of the score for The Camino and Its People.

Having crossed the halfway point of this collective journey, our A Crew decided to hold their second round of crew interviews to document their experiences and sentiments thus far. It was the first for Roque and KC, who had arrived after the first set of interviews, and the second time for Lydia, Andres and Pedro. A few tears were shed, but in much more abundance were smiles of appreciation for the beautiful landscape, companionship and fortune that surround us. After staying several nights at the wonderful Amanecer en Campos in Población, the A Crew finally bid farewell to the lovely Hospitaleras, Inmaculada and Carmen who took us in, fed us, and treated us like family. It is the generosity of such people that continues to support the making of this film and keeps each of us in awe.

Our venture into and out of the Meseta brought us fortunate encounters with both familiar and new pilgrims. Continuing on through the flatlands, we stopped to witness the ceremonial washing of pilgrims’ feet at San Nicolas and got to know two more pilgrims in Boadilla del Camino - Kim and Jenny, two young girls from the United States and Canada. We enjoyed our second day off, during which our crew members took delight in simply walking with one another - no schedule, no equipment, at our own pace, with time to have great conversations or to enjoy one another’s company in silence. Fernando “flew solo” with a camera to follow Guglielmo and the French family along the Camino and into their Albergues. We traveled with Tonio through a café in Relegios, where we were each invited to add a few words about life to the walls, which were already covered in layers of drawings and writings from pilgrims over the years. We met a new pilgrim named Martha, from Korea, who we interviewed in the middle of a thunderstorm in Carrión de Los Condes and followed into the Cathedral of León. We met yet another woman named Sam, from Brazil, who had been walking with Tomás and Chris (a kilt-wearing Scottsman) to Astorga, and felt fated to become a part of our documentary. In Villafranca del Bierzo, we stayed many nights in the beautiful Albergue de La Piedra - a private Albergue with the very rock face of the mountain for walls. In the same village, we shared a communal dinner and Quemada - a ritual in which a cauldron of alcohol is set ablaze and shared among the pilgrims - at Ave Fenix with the very last addition to our assembly of pilgrims, Jill, from the United States.

In Astorga, the A Crew experienced once again the truly serendipitous nature of the Camino. Upon arriving to interview our newest pilgrim, Jill, we were informed that a procession of banderas and the Virgin, which takes place only once every seven years would be starting in a matter of hours. Our crew and four of our pilgrims who happened to be sleeping in Astorga the very same night – Jack, Wayne, Martha and Jill – found themselves amidst a river of ribboned castanets, men carrying and climbing 30-foot-tall flags of every color, jubilant music and hundreds of parading feet. Engulfed by the festivities, each of us felt that magic ability of the Camino to unite individuals from the most distinct of paths in the buzzing excitement of one irreproducible and ultimately indescribable moment.

Our crew’s stay in the magnificent Parador San Marcos in León coincided perfectly with the celebration of Nacho’s birthday. Luckily the readers of this entry do not have to endure our numerous renditions of Feliz Cumpleaños. On the last morning of our stay in León, the entire crew sat down in the breathtaking quarters of the Parador for a highly productive and much needed meeting. After the many changes that had been taking place within the teams over the previous weeks, each person finally left with a hint of convalescence, and an assurance that, indeed, we were all working towards making the same amazing film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original copy by KC Englander.