Folow the ways of your heart (Koh 11,9 EU)
Starting point of the first Way of St. James in spring 2008 at Trier Cathedral to Barcelona via Constance.
Image: Own photo (approx. 2024)
Picture in the hostel near Carcassonne with the motif: „Delicious French salami! 😉 „
Own appreciation of the new Way of St. James (in five stages from 2021)
I started my new job at Deutsche Bahn in July 2020. & I love it! 🙂
I quickly realized at work that you need to be in good running condition outdoors (from 15 km / day of running). I quickly remembered my first Way of St. James from Trier to Barcelona in 2008 and thought to myself - this is going well! 😉
So I started running my laps again, this time at work, instead of hiking in my free time and doing what I subconsciously enjoyed the most. As the weeks and months went by, I came up with the idea of continuing and completing my old Way of St. James. My motto was: If I can walk up to 25 km a day at the train station, I can also complete the Way of St. James -> all the way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain! But I didn't know how I was going to get at least 7 weeks of vacation for the remaining 800 km? Then I remembered an idea and its words (present in my head) from my occupational therapist from the hospital in Heidelberg (around 2010): „Divide the Way of St. James into stages - then you can complete the route while you're on vacation at work in the future!“ So I split the route into stages and walked from Avignon to Lourdes as the first stage in new Meindl boots.
During this start stage I had to break in the excellent boots and got really big blisters on both heels, which forced me to take breaks and shorten the first stage (Avignon - Lourdes). Christian, my hostel father in France (Occitania), said to me clearly when he saw the bloody wounds on my legs: „This stage is finished for you - you have to travel the rest by train to Lourdes.“
I didn't overdo it as a whole, but I thought I would run the route in fewer stages (the plan was a maximum of four stages instead of the current five). I also received the golden tip from two French women in the second stage not to run in the Spanish summer heat from July to the end of August (from 40°C in the shade)! If everything works out, I will finish the last stage shortly before Pentecost 2026 and then reach my ultimate goal of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. By the way, thanks expressly to my school friend „Uwe-Torti“ 😉 from eh. Seligenstadt, who motivated me from Australia (new place of residence) via Facebook to finish the Camino when I easily weighed 190kg (Dzimbos Camino Trigger 😉 )!
The original motivation was to walk the Way of St. James again with the goal of my own recovery!
Target: „When I enter the cathedral, I want to be healthy / no longer afraid!“
I boarded the French TGV in Frankfurt / Main with the destination Avignon (2021), completely unaware, to continue an adventure from 2008 (first Way of St. James).
I thought to myself over and over again: ‚If only the fears can be reduced, also via techniques, then I have achieved success!‘
Everyone knows the reality: My fears are since June 2025, thanks to the latest drug switched off (been!)!
At the departure (2021) from Frankfurt, track 19 (the Francophone track at our main station in Frankfurt) this song came up on my iPhone via a random list:
Lyrics excerpt from the above song (1st verse)
„Trouble won't throw me
Won't break me
Won't scare me
No more
Fear must have thought I was faithless
When it came for my heart“
Which country was better?
If the first Way of St. James (2008) was Dzimi's ultimate adventure, the sequel (from 2021) is more of a solo action for the current thought, which thanks to the budget (currently in stage 5/5) is pretty normal compared to the generous and above all merciful gestures of my host fathers from 2008.
Anyone ask me which is better?
Spain or France (except CH & D) I am very divided, because both countries have their individual strengths. So there is an unforgettable memory of a student exchange in Alsace from around 1995 and, in contrast, an unforgettable vacation in Spain (2001) as a student with my fellow students whose, I hope for the reader, funny story now follows.
Who's afraid of the Toro? 😉
After completing my second semester of Business Informatics (2001) in Trier, I was invited by my roommate Richard (a lawyer) to his parents' finca in Spain.
At the beginning I was skeptical about Spain - as so often - because I had been on ‚vacation‘ at Ballermann a few years before, but then he quickly pushed me over to his side (just a lawyer 😉 ) & then it was time for Richard, Dzimi, Pallasch & Heinzelmann - VIVA ESPANIA!
The destination was the local vacation spot Peñiscola south of where ? -> Barcelona!
A wonderful place welcomed us with a great climate, beach and above all the much talked about finca with pool and sea view (Caramba)!
We quickly explored the beach and the old town. Richard mentioned something about a city festival - but I had no idea at the time what to expect, especially for me.
It was the town's patron saint festival for St. Virgen de Ermitana. We strolled through the old town of Peñiscola and saw people running around frantically.
We approached the scene and recognized: bulls - bulls on the loose so called in Spanish: Toros!
If we walk on, we see a traffic circle made of steel grids in the par Terre and a plain covered with wood as a bullring. Then I in particular (as a secret bullfighting admirer) thought we had to go there.
Standing on the second floor of the steel traffic circle, the majority of visitors (around 19:00) were locals. The first impression of the atmosphere among the visitors was outstandingly funny! There were 5l bottles of wine being passed around the stadium in a raffia basket - more were thrown to make the atmosphere even more fun! A short time later, the young bulls came into the center of the arena. In the center was a wooden pyramid, about 1.5m high, which was filled with people.
Then I thought to myself - and plucked up all my courage at the age of 21 and went into the arena, just like so many (swaggering Spaniards) and faced my bull (the Synonym of - fear - 😉 )!
I approached the bull at a distance of about 2 meters and took a handful of sand from the ground and threw it in the toro's face! The bull hissed and ran very quickly in my direction!
What did Dzimi do then? He also ran off, but in the direction of the stands, which were raised with a platform of approx. 1.5m. On the first floor there were vertical iron bars about 40cm apart.
I ran and ran and ran and saw only grinning faces in the stands as the first quiet murmur of laughter arose.
When I jumped onto the 1.5m plateau, saved myself to „safety“ and briefly composed myself, a very loud scream came as a compliment from the entire arena (approx. 2,000 people, including women):
TORERO!
The above video by Madonna is one of my favorites ever. Great depictions of the Spanish bullfight, great song and outstanding artist ever since.
There are still approx. 198km to run to Compostela. The finish date is spring 2026
Qui fidelis est in minimo et in majori fidelis est. Whoever is faithful in the least is also faithful in the greatest. (Luke 16:10 EU)