walking back

[Rosina Lila]

The year 2000 was a Roman Holy Year; in the summer I walked from Roncesvalles
to Santiago. It was my second Camino. In Burgos there was a group of young
American college students, about twenty, who were singing American songs from
the Kiosk on the paseo across the bridge from the Cid's statue. They were
accompanied by two young priests, one of whom was wearing his clerical collar and a
baseball cap backwards. They attracted a lot of attention from the people
walking by who liked them a lot and applauded them warmly, more so when they said
that they had just come from Santiago and were waking to Rome for the Youth
meeting. At the Cruz de Ferro I met a group of young Mexicans who had walked to
Santiago from Lisbon and were on their way to Rome.  They had carried a rather
large stone, with a moving verse carved on it, to leave at the Cruz de Ferro.
 The stone, about 12" by 10" by 4", green in color, is still there.
You may remember that the 2000 Youth meeting in Rome attracted almost two
million young people from all over the world.  Apparently a great many of them
took advantage of the opportunity to combine two pilgrimages.
I am not given easily to tears, but the young Americans in Burgos made me cry
with pride and happiness. And the verse carved by the young Mexicans, and
their act of carrying such a heavy stone all the way from Lisbon, also brought
tears to my eyes.
Of the several pilgrims I've met "walking back", those two groups are most
memorable.
Rosina
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