Today we had one of our meetings in the office as part of "Spanish Corner" and we touched a little bit the topic of Camino de Santiago. We immediately remembered our project in El Bierzo that happened in July and realized that we had not shared about it on the blog until now! We believe it's better late than never đ¤Ş
So, this Erasmus+ project took place in the beginning of July 2024 in Spain, in the regions of El Bierzo and Valdeorras, where we came together with participants from four countries to walk and discover together the Winter Way, the route of the Camino de Santiago that crosses this specific region.
The countries were Estonia, Spain, Romania and Greece, and we not only hiked, but also addressed the issues of mental health, the benefits of the pilgrimage and the relationship of young people with nature.
The project was wonderful! We started from the town of Ponferrada where we spent the first few days getting to know each other, building a team and preparing for the hike. We were even lucky enough to attend a Templar night, which is a very special local tradition.
And so the hiking itself began. In total we had three full days of hiking (except Andreas who walked three times more than us đ):
1. Ponferrada - Villavieja
2. Villavieja - Canedo
3. Las Medulas
The first day of hiking from Ponferrada to Villavieja was just 17 km, but the hardest part was the elevation 532 m. But we managed! And the destination was definitely worth it. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking! We also got to visit the Cornatel Castle, look at the stars at night together, and the next morning Ioana from Romania organized a small meditation for us.
In general, what was special about this project was that we really had space for the participants so that they could try their hand at conducting various activities themselves. So, Ioana conducted not one, but several meditations for us. Urban also tried himself in this for the first time. Gedi conducted yoga for us, and Astrid improvisational dances. It was very interesting, because we could really support each other in this process and participate in each other's initiatives.
I must say that our group was very proactive, and it even seemed to us that we could make a much longer hike with them. Next time then! And probably of all the groups that came to our projects, this one was the most interested in a healthy lifestyle. I mean, as a group. This really motivated each other to move forward and instill only healthy habits in terms of connecting with nature, healthy eating and being on the move. We even had a 24-hour challenge without a phone, and several people decided to stay without a phone for several days, giving their phones to the project facilitator. And many, many more insights like this!
This project has not only motivated us to take our health, both physical and mental, more seriously, but also given us new international and local friendships and initiatives. For example, participants from Spain, Estonia and Romania got together and wrote their youth exchange for a new deadline (hopefully approved!) on the topic of sports and its importance for young people. And at the local level, Gedi will now hold yoga once a month for local youth in our organization, and Astrid and Aleksandra, together with several other people from Tallinn, wrote a local project on deepening their understanding of the Spanish language and culture. More to come!
Thank you, Valdeorras Vive, and every single participant of "Mindful Steps" project!
Text: Aleksandra Galkina
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