“Have you walked the Camino yourself?”
“No, when I was young, I was too busy. Now that I’m old, I’m too tired.”
We watched the excellent movie, The Way (IMDb), starring Martin Sheen, while preparing for the Camino de Santiago. The movie was based on the book by Jack Hitt, Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain (Amazon), which tells the story of his Camino.
The scene shows up in both the book, Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain, and the movie, The Way. This exact scene convinced me that this was the year that I was to walk the Camino. I was too busy before, having a career and family. Now, I need to walk the Camino before I get too old.
The Movie
I really enjoyed both but in different ways. The movie told a stirring story about a man who had lost touch with his son (played by Sheen’s real-life son, Emilio Estevez). When he learned of his son’s death in France while attempting the Camino, he decides to complete the pilgrimage that his son started. Along the way, he meets his Camino “family”, the strangers who become walking companions and then friends. Also, along the way, he gains an understanding of his son’s approach to life.
The movie was based on the book Off the Road, by Jack Hitt, who is also a character encountered in the movie. The book is based on Jack’s real-life Camino walk in the 1980s, where he meets and befriends many fellow pilgrims.
The Book
In the book, Jack tells the story of his Camino, while interspersing tangents about various topics from his experiences. In that perspective, it reminds me of Moby Dick, which intermixed a story narrative and biology of whales lessons. But, unlike Moby Dick, I didn’t skip the history lessons. These tangents range from sainthood, to miracles, to the Templars.
Both the movie and book provide some inspiration on what to expect from the Camino.
We will be walking the Camino de Santiago and would love to pray for you during our journey.
