A new year usually means new plans and goals to achieve. Often, plans can be turned into real causes, experiences and successes. But just as often, ambitious intentions remain only a trace in our memory. We talked about how to translate concepts, ideas and dreams into projects that can change us and our surroundings – during the author’s meeting at Olivia Business Centre – with Marek Kamiński, a traveller, polar explorer and entrepreneur. The event took place on January 13 at the O4 Olivia Business Centre coworking space as part of the interdisciplinary project OBC, Olivia Cooltura.
The book “The Third Pole” and the film “The Pilgrim. Marek Kaminski’s Camino” directed by Jan Czarlewski are excellent sources of knowledge about the expedition, “a pilgrimage between the poles of faith and reason”, as Marek Kamiński calls the space between Kaliningrad and Santiago de Compostela. It is also an extraordinary story about the road, people, and contemporary Europe. The event took place in 2015. Marek Kamiński walked 4000 km in 100 days along the legendary Camino pilgrimage route, known as the Way of St. Paul. Jacob. Kamiński calls this journey “a journey into oneself” and “the most important journey in my life”.
A large audience of the meeting in O
BC (a record number of guests, over 130 people!) listened to Marek Kamiński’s colorful story about mental preparation for the expedition, which gave a traveler’s life a different, new dimension. In the beginning, when he started thinking about the route (and it was more than 13 years ago), he only had a goal in mind: “Go to Santiago”. Later, there was a strong need for personal development – during the journey and conversations with the people I met on the way.
In an interview with Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre, who hosted the meeting, Marek Kamiński talked about why being physically active and… Mentally, it’s our inner choice and it’s worth following our heart in life. He spoke, as always, in a colorful and interesting way, about his thoughts on the Camino. He revealed that the trip was not only a great adventure and an opportunity to meet amazing people, but also an unusual lesson in history, humility, patience and endurance. It turned out that the most important experience and the most important lesson that Marek Kamiński learned from the expedition was a spiritual lesson, the awareness that the journey brought him what he was looking for, gave him a sense of meaning and peace of mind. Finding new goals and new ways to go.
The route that Marek Kamiński had to take at the beginning seemed not too complicated, compared to the previous ones he had taken. It led through quite simple, lowland regions of Central and Western Europe, and in the finale it turned out to be as physically and emotionally exhausting for Marek Kamiński as his polar expeditions. Thanks to the fact that the pilgrimage was demanding, the traveler was able to experience his spiritual transformation to the fullest. And to find the meaning of a true pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
During the expedition, Kamiński met many interesting people: from students who provided him with accommodation support, regaled him with modest supplies, or supported him along the route, walking several kilometers together, through people associated with science and the church, to other enthusiasts, travelers and pilgrims. These meetings brought the wanderer a lot of good, selfless help and interesting and inspiring conversations.
Full photo report from the event
We cordially invite you
to the next meeting of the
Olivia Cooltura series, which will take place February 20 at 18.00 at Olivia Sky Club. Our guest will be
Maciej Kosycarz
, a photojournalist associated with Gdańsk and Pomerania.
Registration for events@oliviacentre.com
