Surprise at the Obradoiro! Pilgrims Turn the Goal of the Camino into the Altar of Epic Love
Mark Almagro and Laura Colás, accompanied by their faithful dog Kiwi, completed their Camino Inglés in Santiago de Compostela with an unexpected proposal that moved friends and family from all over Spain.
Santiago de Compostela, Spain – It was four fifteen in the afternoon on Friday, July 11. Mark Almagro and Laura Colás, two more pilgrims among the almost two thousand who reached the Plaza del Obradoiro that day, were about to live the most unforgettable moment of their lives. What for Laura was the culmination of a physical challenge with her partner and their dog Kiwi, for Mark it was the perfect setting for a marriage commitment carefully orchestrated.
The love story of this Catalan and this Zaragoza, who have been dating for three years, could well be the beginning of a novel. «We met in Ávila, studying. My parents lived in Zaragoza and I used to go by AVE. A WhatsApp group was created to share a car and Laura said that she had a free car. I thought: I have four and a half hours of travel to win it,” says Mark, laughing. Laura confesses: "I didn't like him, but on the car trip I started to get to know him better and he seemed like a nice guy." The spark caught, and since then they have shared life in different autonomous communities, now settled in Madrid.
The English Way: A Witness of Canine Love and Resistance
The couple decided to take advantage of a week's vacation to tour the Camino Inglés from Ferrol, accompanied by their beloved dog Kiwi, a cross between a border collie and a corgi. "We love hiking and going to the mountains and we were excited to live this experience with the dog we adopted," explains Mark, 31 years old. Unknown to Laura, Mark had already bought the ring in Zaragoza and had mobilized almost thirty friends and family to witness the proposal at the Obradoiro.
Kiwi, the stalwart four-legged companion, “held on like a champ.” Mark recounts the extra effort in the heat wave: "With more than 30 degrees on the stage between Betanzos and Mesón do Vento, I carried him in my arms and the two backpacks so he wouldn't suffer so much."
The Obradoiro: A Scene of Surprise and Excitement
Arriving at Plaza del Obradoiro was a whirlwind of emotions for Laura. «I stayed a little in shock and it was difficult for me to react. We were tired, after all the walking, and I didn't understand what everyone was doing there," he remembers with a hoarse voice, between the emotional hangover and the brown liquor of the subsequent celebration. Relatives from Barcelona, Madrid, the Canary Islands, Castro-Urdiales and Zaragoza, along with Mark's friends from his time in the Compostela hospitality industry, were waiting for the big surprise.
Taking advantage of Laura's confusion, Fer, a friend of Mark, discreetly gave her the wedding ring that Mark had entrusted to him before starting the Camino. The ring was clipped to Kiwi's harness. When Laura turned around, the magical moment materialized: Mark was kneeling, with the imposing Cathedral of Santiago as a backdrop.
"In Zaragoza we are devotees of the Virgin of Pilar and it is said that she appeared to the Apostle, so it made sense that the request was in Santiago, a place to which I am also very rooted," Mark explained. "I know I'm going to get married and live in Zaragoza from now on, I told him, but I wanted this city to be part of our history."
After a "brief, but intense" weekend, the couple of pilgrims and engaged returns home with a pending task: "Now we have to set a date for the wedding and talk to each other about all the details of what it will be like." The Camino de Santiago has witnessed countless stories, but few as romantic and surprising as this one that unites the effort of the pilgrimage with the promise of a future together.
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