These Holy Bones: Vol. 2-Episode 6: The Boys from Belgium

This episode of These Holy Bones is a conversation with two young men from Belgium, Yelle and Laurens, who are childhood friends. I met them in a crowded restaurant the night before this interview. They graciously invited me to sit with them for dinner. In the spirit of the Camino, we shared food, conversation and laughter. Although this interview is relatively short, it conveys the heart of the Camino--a simple walk of faith and friendship.

Transcript

These Holy Bones: Vol 2 Episode 6: The Boys from Belgium

Host: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to another episode of These Holy Bones. A podcast about the ancient pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago, where the bones of St. James are interred beneath the high altar. I'm your host, Robert Nie. This episode is being sponsored by Ocean Magic Surf and Skateboard Superstore in Jupiter, Florida.

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Tonight I am interviewing two young men from Belgium, Yelle and Laurens, and, uh, we met last night, is that correct? 

Laurens: Correct. 

Host: They have a very interesting story. They've agreed to tell us their story. So, um, um, Yelle, maybe you can introduce yourself and then pass the mic and then I'll ask you a few questions. 

Yelle: Hello guys. Uh, I am Yelle. I'm from Belgium. I live in the city Dis in Belgium we say Huda Avan. And, uh, it's translated in English.

Laurens: Hello everybody. Uh, my name is Laurens. I'm 27 years old and I'm from the city of Nan in Belgium. 

Host: Very good. Okay, so now, Yelle, this is your second Camino. 

Yelle: Yes, 

Host: So how long ago did you do your first Camino? 

Yelle: It was eight years ago. 

Host: And how old were you?

Yelle: Uh, 19. 

Host: What provoked you to, to go on the Camino at 19? 

Yelle: At that point I was in the military in Belgium, and, um, we had like the terrorist attacks and, um, I had mental issues after it. And then I went to the Camino to seek answers. 

Host: That's excellent. Did someone tell you maybe you should make the walk?

Yelle: No, it was like I looked it up and I saw it and it was spontaneous. Yeah. 

Host: Oh, that's beautiful. And now you guys are friends. Now tell me about that  relationship. 

Yelle: Uh, yeah, we met, uh, like. Now, 12 to 13 years ago. And, uh, we were two cyclists back then. And, um, we went to the same school. We went to the same, cycling team. And after that we became very close friends.

Host: Oh, that's awesome. Laurens, this is your second full day, right? Yes. And so, uh, you've encountered the Meseta, right? It starts in Burgos and they say it ends in Astorga, but we'll say Leon. And so what do you think about the Meseta?

Laurens: Oh, a lot of people say it's quite boring, but it has its charm. So after a while you have some ups and downs, but you learn to appreciate the loneliness and the simpleness of the road ahead. There is something beautiful about it. 

Host: I like that. There's an aloneness, but there's a simplicity, also. Now, are you traveling to Santiago?

Laurens: Yes. 

Host: And maybe to the ocean or no? 

Laurens: Uh, probably not. 

Host: You don't have the time for that?

Laurens: Yeah, if we had the time, we would absolutely try to do it. 

Host: So what do you hope to get from the Camino?

Laurens: That's a hard question. Some answers--some mental calmness. Meeting a lot of different people from different parts of the world and sharing your stories. The the brother or sisterhood may I call it. That's probably the big reason. Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Faith of course, has a reason to it. 

Host: Yes. Now, everyone wouldn't say that faith is a part of their journey. I've been on Camino and people have asked me what's my reason--that's a common question, and I always say religious. Many people think it an unusual answer. . 

Laurens: Um, yeah, so I was raised Catholic, of course. Like a lot of people in Belgium, but there were, yeah, when I grew up, when I was like eight, nine years old, there were a lot of scandals with the Catholic church, unfortunately.

My dad disregarded the religion and it, it's not like he pushed us, but I looked up to my dad, so I copied it, copied him in a lot of ways. I also abandoned the religion, but the last few months while preparing for the Camino the idea of religion grew on me. And now I think I'm really finding my faith again. 

Host: That's awesome. That really is. I'll say a prayer for you. 

Laurens: Thank you. 

Host: Yelle, is this a faith journey for you or is it just a, a long walk? 

Yelle: No, it's a faith journey. I'm glad to have met the priests today because I always find answers in a lot of people. And today I had a lot of answers, and it gave a boost to my faith today. Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. It really did. 

Host: Well, that's awesome. I ask a lot of people this. So what are the top three items in your pack? 

Yelle: The book of Compostela. Uh, in my book we can see every village where we go. My shoes, that's the most important thing. I, uh, I think, and, uh, water. 

Host: Okay. Very good. Laurens, what do you think? 

Laurens: Obviously water because yeah, it would be very hard without water. I won't say shoes because they're not in my bag. Um, no. I would say probably these socks. Okay. Socks. I have a lot of pairs because I changed a lot of socks because that's good though. I have very bad feet with blisters. [00:09:00] Old wood, it's not really bad at the moment. Um, and all my feet care. So, um, tape, creams for the feet, stuff like that--that's the most important for me. 

Host: Okay, so it's been two days for you, but this is your second Camino. Um, you're back in Belgium. You're, you're at a local tavern drinking your favorite Belgian beer. And a friend comes in and he says to you, I heard you made this Camino. Should I make it? Yelle, what advice would you give your friend?

Yelle: The same thing I said to my friend here--to do it. You meet so many people, and the experience here is amazing. It's tough. You will suffer a lot, but, in suffering, you can find answers and insights. So, I would advise everyone to do it.

Host: Alright, that's really deep. Okay. In suffering, you find answers and you find insight. Alright, so there is a meaning behind suffering. So suffering's not absurd. It's actually something very meaningful. That's beautiful. I love that. All right guys, thank you so much. And of course, Buen Camino.

Yelle and Laurens: Buen Camino!