gregdedman
Active Member
Hi there everyone,
I just wanted to share with you all a disturbing incident I witnessed yesterday on the Camino Frances between Rabanal Del Camino and Manjarin.
I was in the middle of a snow storm but had fought through to lay my momento down at the Cruz de Ferro, like thousands of other pilgrims before me and like I had done once before, in 2007. That time it was a shell, from the Scottish beach where my late mothers ashes were scattered that I had collected and walked from St Jean to the traditional resting place on the mountain.
I was saddened to see that my shell, plus the hundreds of trinkets, keyrings, messages and personal items left on the cross back then have also dissapeared.
I though at the time, maybe the government do this, clear the cross for other pilgrims to leave their memories or worries, but what I witnessed next forced me into action.
I watched through the snow, a Spanish couple, in their 60´s pull up in their car, jump out to take a photo by the cross, then as I turned to leave the lady began ´collecting´ stones and a keyring.
She collected 4, disrespectfully threw one she didnt like the look of and came down the mound to her waiting husband in their luxurious 4x4.
I walked over to her to ask her what she was doing, but she didnt understand, I asked her husband, who spoke English and I asked if they were taking these itmes, he said ´yes´.
Shocjes, I asked him if he knew why these trinkets were here, and he told me the story of every pilgrim bringing a rock or something personal from their home to lay on the mound. So once I was sure he understood, I bluntly told them not to steal and to replace the items.
The woman returned to the mound and returned all but one of the items, my friend later telling me that she had seen the woman pocket the keyring.
I may have missed something here.
Is it tradtion for Spanish people to take a pilgrim momento from this place on the Camino? Do the government clear the items as a matter of health and safety or is this all down to pure human disrespect. My shell was a memorial to my mother, but it is gone forever and the hundreds of other very special items appear to have vanished also.
All day today I have been troubled by this incident, wondering if nothing is sacred anymore, where has the repect for one another gone in the world? The Camino for sure has its good and bad points, but for me, yesterday was a very sad day.
Your thoughts and comments on this would be much apreciated for me to maybe further understand the deeper aspects of what appears to be happening on certain parts of the camino Frances.
Kind regards
Greg Dedman
I just wanted to share with you all a disturbing incident I witnessed yesterday on the Camino Frances between Rabanal Del Camino and Manjarin.
I was in the middle of a snow storm but had fought through to lay my momento down at the Cruz de Ferro, like thousands of other pilgrims before me and like I had done once before, in 2007. That time it was a shell, from the Scottish beach where my late mothers ashes were scattered that I had collected and walked from St Jean to the traditional resting place on the mountain.
I was saddened to see that my shell, plus the hundreds of trinkets, keyrings, messages and personal items left on the cross back then have also dissapeared.
I though at the time, maybe the government do this, clear the cross for other pilgrims to leave their memories or worries, but what I witnessed next forced me into action.
I watched through the snow, a Spanish couple, in their 60´s pull up in their car, jump out to take a photo by the cross, then as I turned to leave the lady began ´collecting´ stones and a keyring.
She collected 4, disrespectfully threw one she didnt like the look of and came down the mound to her waiting husband in their luxurious 4x4.
I walked over to her to ask her what she was doing, but she didnt understand, I asked her husband, who spoke English and I asked if they were taking these itmes, he said ´yes´.
Shocjes, I asked him if he knew why these trinkets were here, and he told me the story of every pilgrim bringing a rock or something personal from their home to lay on the mound. So once I was sure he understood, I bluntly told them not to steal and to replace the items.
The woman returned to the mound and returned all but one of the items, my friend later telling me that she had seen the woman pocket the keyring.
I may have missed something here.
Is it tradtion for Spanish people to take a pilgrim momento from this place on the Camino? Do the government clear the items as a matter of health and safety or is this all down to pure human disrespect. My shell was a memorial to my mother, but it is gone forever and the hundreds of other very special items appear to have vanished also.
All day today I have been troubled by this incident, wondering if nothing is sacred anymore, where has the repect for one another gone in the world? The Camino for sure has its good and bad points, but for me, yesterday was a very sad day.
Your thoughts and comments on this would be much apreciated for me to maybe further understand the deeper aspects of what appears to be happening on certain parts of the camino Frances.
Kind regards
Greg Dedman