Camino Connections

Posted on April 8, 2013 by susanmann2013

The Camino has brought me many memorable experiences and new special friendships. I am always excited to hear from people whom I met on the Camino and to hear how the experience has touched and transformed their lives and how like a ripple effect their transformations spread out touching others.

Was a very special day on the Camino my first experience with new friend and photographer German Limeres who had started just the month before his creative photography project documenting the pilgrims along the French Way in his families historic hometown of Vilei just next to Barbadelo 3 KM from his hometown growing up of Sarria. Rexistro 108 Vilei captures the faces and documents the pilgrims from around the world who are venturing Along THE WAY to Santiago de Compostela.

It is a day that transformed my experience of the camino and life that has led me to living in Spain and sharing in more of the God Guided Synchronicities that began for me many years ago. It was wonderful to meet Henk Heemskerk who was making his journey much farther than most pilgrims an amazing 3,000 km from his home town in the Holland to Santiago. German and I were fortunate to meet Henk and his companions Luca Fiori , from Italy, and Arno Hoitink from Holland who joined Henk later during his adventures, they later met up with Felice, from Milano Italy and arrived into Santiago de Compostela together to celebrate the completion of this Camino Journey. You can see from the smiles on their faces it was an incredible adventure!

It is very special for me to share Henk’s story in his own words expressing his feelings of his camino experience and how he is sharing is wonderful gifts and talents making a difference in the world. Thank you Henk!!!

Hello,

I am Henk Heemskerk 59 years old . My work is carpenter for 43 years.

The work is heavy and I decided to stop my work and start a walking school.

That was the reason to walk from home (Broek op Langedijk Holland) trough Santiago.

A walking trip from 3000 km.

After thinking I decided to walk for children in South –Africa with the HIV virus.

The foundation Nomphilo is working with these children.

So that was the start trough Santiago.

I walked the route Belgium, France and Spain in 81 days.

The most people I meet was in Spain. A lot of people from Italie , Sardegna became to be my

friends. The hospitality from the Spanish refuges was very warm.

The walk in Belgium and France was very heavy in bad weather. 2 months rain and storm makes

me strong. Coming in Spain the weather was very good. I remember the MESETA. Pilgrims are

resting beside hay barns for the sun heath. With my lorry behind me many pilgrims where

smiling. They never seen this before and a lot of them want to buy my lorry.

The most exciting was to make friends from all over the world . Now I have visit a lot of friends

from Sardegna and they are friends for life.

My mission to walk for the children was very nice to do. The final score was € 8145,00 to send

trough them. Everything I seen on the 81 days is in my mind. The route, weather, nature, people

etc. is become a big part of my life.

I Hope that you will go to Henk’s links and learn more of his wonderful projects that are helping so many people.

www.henkhelpt.nl

www.loopschooltogether.nl

Email: henk@loopschooltogether.nl

Facebook: Henk Heemskerk, Loopschool Together

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story – looking forward to staying in touch and keeping the Camino Connections Alive!!!

The Camino Calls Again!!!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by susanmann2013

I am always grateful and appreciative of the continued synchronicities that keep flowing in my life. I am always learning on a deeper level just how connected we all are and then the universe shows me another wonderful example of this connectivity.

I had been receiving more signs to experience a different aspect of the camino and I especially pay attention when things come to me “out of the blue” as we would say in America. When something happens through either new connections or from people we may not have met before. Just such an experience happened a couple of weeks ago when I traveled again at the last minute, another typical sign for me that I am back in some kind of good FLOW.

In meetings with a new friend and colleague I began to receive emails from someone I had not met and then during the meeting in the hotel they had a package delivered to me. All of it contained information on the English Way – The SLOW Way of the Camino. The English Way, was mostly used by pilgrims coming from Britain and Ireland and it was also an important trading route.

I had been thinking of experiencing this camino for more than a year to explore a different aspect of Galicia and the Camino. A dear spanish friend of mine, Marisa Granda, had walked this camino last year and I loved hearing her stories and seeing her pictures. It is a perfect camino opportunity that can be done in 4 – 7 days depending on your interests and speed of walking and is comfortably done in 5 -6 days enjoying the gastronomy, scenery, small villages, ocean – mountain views and time in nature.

During this same time in Santiago I was invited to be interviewed by the Hosteleria Santiago Magazine about my experiences of the past 10 years that led me to following the signs to the Camino, Santiago de Compostela, which now has me living in Galicia, northern Spain. I feel blessed and honored to begin to share this story and my experiences and hope that they will encourage and inspire people to share in their own Camino Experience. During the interview they shared more information on the English Way and I decided that I would walk during the Semana Santa – Easter Holiday time preparing to begin walking on tuesday March 26, 2013 and to finish Easter Weekend.

In preparing to share more of our travel adventures I set up http://www.gastrocamino.com and http://www.globalpilgrims.com and emailed some of my camino friends to request their kindness in sharing some of their thoughts and reflections of the camino and how it has touched their lives. Just one day later (last night), I received an email from a camino friend, Dora Ivani, that she would be arriving to Madrid Spain TODAY from Hungary walking the English Camino on MARCH 26. Remaining in Galicia until April 7th to experience more of the camino and this beautiful area of Galicia.

I again was thrilled and of course amazed how God and the universe had guided the “Right Timing” and connections for another unique and exciting camino experience with the opportunity to begin on the exact same day. This is the second time this has happened for me the other story I will share in another blog posting.

Thank you Dora for your kindness in sharing some special camino time together creating more incredible memories in Galicia!

Here is a picture of Dora and our other camino friends when I was fortunate to meet them and they included me in some very special times together in Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre (I will share more of their special story in another blog posting that I hope you will enjoy).

4 Days To Next Camino Experience – Have a very fun, blessed and interesting day looking for your signs and synchronistic connections!!!

Prayer Of La Faba

Posted on March 21, 2013 by susanmann2013

In O Cebreiro the historic and quaint mountain top village that is the famous entry point into Galicia is known for many things that we will share in different blog postings and one of them is the Prayer Of La Faba of the very small village situated just before arriving into O Cebreiro as you make your way on the camino trail up the mountain ridge.

It is the poem and prayer that Lisa Moore mentioned in my Camino & Friendship post yesterday and I would like to share it with you now. I remember how moved I was in first reading it and again each time its sentiment is powerful – I hope you enjoy!

Prayer Of La Faba

Although I may have traveled all the roads,
crossed mountains and valleys from East to West,
if I have not discovered the freedom to be myself,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have shared all of my possessions
with people of other languages and cultures;
made friends with Pilgrims of a thousand paths,
or shared albergues with saints and princes,
if I am not capable of forgiving my neighbor tomorrow,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have carried my pack from beginning to end
and waited for every Pilgrim in need of encouragement,
or given my bed to one who arrived later than I,
given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing;
if upon returning to my home and work,
I am not able to create brotherhood
or make happiness, peace and unity,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have had food and water each day,
and enjoyed a roof and shower every night;
or may have had my injuries well attended,
If I have not discovered in all that the love of God,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have seen all the monuments
and contemplated the best sunsets;
although I may have learned a greeting in every language
or tried the clean water from every fountain;
if I have not discovered who is the author
of so much free beauty and so much peace,
I have arrived nowhere.

If from today I do not continue walking on my path,
searching far and living according to what I have learned;
if from today I do not see in every person, friend or foe
a companion on the Camino;
if from today I cannot recognize God,
the God of Jesus of Nazareth
as the one God of my life,
I have arrived nowhere.

– Fraydino – La Faba – Translated by Deirdre – Connecticut, USA Oct 2007

Camino & Friendship

Posted on March 20, 2013 by susanmann2013

Dear Susan it was so nice to meet you today (October 1, 2011). Thank you for sharing your time and story with me. I thought about our time together and I should have also added in front of your camera that for me the process of the camino has been one of meeting with the divine. I am not religious but I have felt the divine and have been shown that I am loved and so looked after. And that in every one of us there is a flame that burns inside, some stronger than others. My job is to make sure that mine burns as clearly and as brilliantly as I can and to continue to see the flame in others. I am so grateful and humbled by this. I felt this strongly at O Cebreiro in the Church. When you go there do not miss the alcove to your left as you enter the Church. There is a poem and it really spoke to me. Thank you for today. I send you love and light and hope we can keep in touch. Lisa

___ It is a real pleasure and blessing for me to have met and to know Lisa – A very special gift of the Camino is the people you meet and the friendships that grows from our shared time together in such a unique and special place and powerful experience. Here’s to celebrating all of the friendships of our lives!!!

Camino Rexistros: German Limeres Photography Vilei/Barbadelo – Sarria (Galicia – The French Way)

Time To Start Blogging…

Posted on March 19, 2013 by susanmann2013

We still have some winter left in Lugo, Galicia (northern Spain) but the signs of spring are beginning to show themselves with flowers sharing their first blossoms, the bright green pastures and animals grazing are now greeting the first pilgrims of spring as they make their way on the camino.

It has been an interesting, almost 10 years, of synchronistic experiences that now has me living in Galicia experiencing the many wonders of this beautiful land.

I look forward to sharing some of my synchronistic experiences and stories from my fellow pilgrims of their experiences Along THE WAY! I hope that you will enjoy some of the thoughts and reflections and will be inspired to explore your own camino experience in Spain and in Life! As they say here “Buen Camino”!

The Global Pilgrims Project

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