Narciso Jurado

Guide

Undoubtedly, Narciso Jurado Bernal is the most unusual pilgrim walking the Route to Santiago de Compostela. Always with his dog, “Grillo” (cricket) and his donkeys “Moreno” and “Pastora”, started his pilgrimage ten years ago: “I wanted to walk from Chipiona, in the southern coast of Spain, to Rome, and I decided to bring with me one of my donkeys. I crossed three countries and walked 3 000 kilometers for 100 days, but everything was worth while as thanks to my adventure I could meet Pope John Paul II. I gave him my donkey as a present and, as I have been told, he is still living in Castel Gandolfo”.

From then on, he has not stopped. Year after year, by April, he gets his animals ready and embarks on the route. “I like walking the Route because I meet a lot of people, I make friends and it allows me to spend plenty of time surrounded by nature together with my donkeys and my dog, which also enjoy the walk, without them, I would not go”.

“Moreno” is ten years old and since he is two, he has been walking with Narciso. “Pastora” is twenty, so “sometimes she stays at home, resting”. “Grillo” has never missed a journey and “he will always come with me, even if I have to carry him in my arms” states Narciso, aged 68, and full of energy to live the Route.