Camino Photo of the Day: Matthias

On that first day, we also met a young German named Matthias. While it was our first day walking, it wasn’t his: he started his Camino by walking out his front door in Köln, Germany more than a month before he met us. Most of his pilgrimage had been through France so far, and there are few pilgrim hostels (called “gites”) in France. He camped, or else stayed at monasteries along the route.

Date: 30 March 2016
Place: Arneguy (Navarra, Spain)

Matthias was full of stories, including a very funny one he loved to tell about the first time he set up his tent. It was pouring rain, and he was trying to follow the instructions but they were so wet that he eventually gave up and crawled into the half-constructed tent.

A seasoned pilgrim, Matthias walked a great deal faster than us, and after a few days we lost him entirely. We would meet him again but once.

I sincerely hope that he took a train or airplane home rather than walking back from Santiago!