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It’s sometimes said that life is a journey. For Karla and Jason
De Los Reyes, preparing for their new life together involved a literal journey
— traveling 74 miles on foot along the Camino de Santiago in the days leading
up to their wedding in Spain.
The couple, who are parishioners of the Cathedral of St. Matthew
in Washington, had both hiked the Camino individually — Karla in 2015, Jason in
2018. As they thought about where to get married, they considered El Salvador,
where Karla is from originally, and Texas, where Jason is from. But nothing struck
a chord quite like “the way” pilgrims have traveled to the final resting place
of the apostle St. James the Greater since the 10th century.
“We referred to our wedding planning as a camino,” said Karla, a
kindergarten teacher at the Basilica School of St. Mary in Alexandria.
Armed with a 25-page spreadsheet, the couple zigzagged through Spanish
bureaucracy, sans wedding planner, to line everything up for a Catholic wedding
Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, at a former monastery, the Pazo de
San Lorenzo in Santiago.
“We had a lot of support from our families,” said Jason. “We
packed everything for the wedding and left it with her parents to bring to
Spain.” Friends also joined in on long training walks.
Once they arrived at Sarria, the couple spent three and a half
days walking 74 miles out of more than 900 designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“There were moments of bliss when we could see the sun rise, or
when we would see birds flying side by side, we’d say, ‘That’s like us,’ ” said
Karla.
The journey also included things that didn’t go according to plan.
On the second day, they only ate once because all the cafes where they had
expected to rest were closed for the low season. On the third day, they arrived
at a café at 10:30 a.m. — only to find the proprietor wouldn’t make anything
except coffee until the afternoon. They filled their empty stomachs with lattes
until a larger, more persuasive, group arrived.
It was all a part of the experience, they said.
“Under less than ideal conditions, we were able to make the best
of it,” said Jason.
“I learned that he is very patient,” Karla added. “I learned that
we could be very trusting toward each other and toward God. I learned that we
could see the fun in our own misery.”
They would recommend the experience to anyone, single or married.
“You have to have a really solid foundation for your
relationship, and you have to realize anything can happen,” said Karla.
“I think whatever you have
going on in your relationship will be amplified by the Camino,” Jason added.
“If there’s something that annoys you about your partner, that will come out.
But if you have a strong foundation, that will be amplified.”
The couple said they walked away from the experience with much
more than stamps in their Camino passports and a certificate of completion.
“I think if we can do the Camino together, we can get through
life together,” said Jason. “It just felt like this was God’s plan for us.”