Four local guys, average age 69, decide to go on a 20-day walk of 300 miles across Spain.
Buen Camino
The Way
A distinctive scalloped symbol marks the way along the El Camino de Santiago.
Four local guys, average age 69, decide to go on a 20-day walk of 300 miles across Spain.
By Larry J. Mickartz Photography By Manolo Diaz
It
sounds like a story line for a book or movie but it is true! It starts with four friends, Manolo Diaz, Ed Mitchell, Emilio DeSousa and Larry Marques, meeting at First Street Coffee after their morning walks. Their average age is 69 and, yes, they walked from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Google maps says the drive is 338 miles! The El Camino de Santiago is the location for a 2011 movie The Way starring Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez. Ed Mitchel saw the movie over a year ago and eventually convinced the morning coffee friends to make the trek. Other locals flirted with joining but only Manolo’ s brother, Jose Carlos Diaz, in Spain joined them.
Our Gilroy Amigos started in Burgos where about 2 % of the other“ pilgrims” start. The Camino is well marked with distinctive scalloped symbols. The Gilroy Amigos traveled the Camino Francés, one of the four major caminos to Santiago de Compostela. One of the great traditions of El Camino is the stamping of the Camino passport at the albergues and finally getting a certificate, printed in Latin, at Santiago de Compostela.
The Gilroy Amigos began their journey on April 2. A few days before leaving, there was some high anxiety and anticipation. They had completed their shopping for clothing, boots and packs and had taken day hikes to test equipment and stamina— packs weighed 15-20 pounds. Motivation
LEFT: The Four Gilroy Amigo( l-r): Manolo Diaz, Ed Mitchell, Larry Marques, and Emilio De Sousa with Manolo’ s brother, Jose Carlos Diaz at the base of the Catedral in Santiago de Compostela. ABOVE: On the road to Camino de Santiago.
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