Bauschreiden Mayor wants to switch off on the Jakobsweg
« Yesterday it was still a drunk, but now the weather is really good, » says Jeff Gangler. When the Luxembourg word reaches the mayor of the municipality of Bauschreiden by phone, it has just arrived at a Portuguese rest area and takes a short break. Because: Gangler has been on the Jakobsweg since June 9th.
Most of the time he laced his hiking shoes at five in the morning. At home in Luxembourg, the local politician is actually not an early riser, but on the way he enjoys having nature for himself in the morning. « I love the sunrises, » he enthuses.
Not yet over the mountain
Gangler got up a little later today because it will be a long day. Although the mayor already went to Vala from Ponte de Lima, there is still a long way to go after the Reststätten-break: Then it goes “across the mountain” to Tui, onto the Spanish side of the Jakobsweg.
Gangler actually knows this well, because in 2019 he hiked the pilgrimage for the first time in the neighboring country. « I went to Muxía and Finisterre’s Camino Francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, then via Santiago, » he recalls. That was 922 kilometers, it took five weeks. This time the father of two does not have this time: at his wife’s request, he only took two and a half weeks for the Portuguese part of the way.
But Gangler takes it calmly: he goes around 30 kilometers a day and, according to his own prediction, will probably even make it easy to move on after his arrival in Santiago de Compostela, back to Finisterre and Muxía. « If you arrive in Santiago, the body wants to go on, » Jeff Gangler still knows from experience. After 250 kilometers, it is not just over.
On the other hand, this always depends on the condition of the feet. So far it is going well. Gangler has divided his days: For the majority of the daily route, it usually needs from five in the morning to the afternoon, then takes a shower and eats and drink something before he looks a bit in the respective place of arrival, runs sightseeing. « Everyone finds their rhythm. »
The father of two started his journey in Portuguese Porto. Photo: private
He can leave his work as a mayor well behind, he emphasizes. When he assumed his office – which he referred to as a « challenge » in 2021, he said that it always had to work without him. « I clarified and organized everything with the lay judges so that I could go away with a clear conscience, » he says.
For emergencies, of course, it is always available, and also by email – and for his family, with whom he calls in the morning and in the evening, of course. In addition, Gangler diligently posts on his Facebook account in the morning, which he uses as a travel diary, so to speak. Apart from that, the cell phone stays in the pocket-the 38-year-old actually came to reflection.
« I want to switch off and take the time to think, » he explains. He just doesn’t have this in everyday life, even if he goes hiking at noon after working in the Grand Duchy. « But you can’t get out of that, » he says in relation to the mentality. « You have to be gone at least two weeks to switch off somewhere and reorganize your priorities. »
Jeff Gangler is also honest: in some cases Portuguese cuisine has led him to the other side of the Jakobsweg. He loves Portuguese eating culture and the specialties of the country, especially Bacalhau à Brás, Chorizo Assado and the Vino Verde. Let’s see how he likes it in Spain, because the two cultures are very different.
In general, the mayor, for whom his pilgrimage is an experience for life, pleads positively, to get involved with people and the respective culture. That is why Gangler would never complain about the rain the previous day, but would rather think positively.
In Ponte de Lima, he also met the mayor Armindo Dias Fernandes – but the men did not talk about their work. Photo: private
Even if he is theoretically alone, you are never alone on the Jakobsweg. Jeff Gangler not only saw people who met on the last trip in 2019, but also found new friends. In addition to some Germans and New Zealanders, this also includes the mayor of Ponte de Lima. He happened to have a relative who is a European MP.
And then there would be a young girl who hikes with her father and studied with a Luxembourgian. « You just have to ask, and then you can see that all of this is networked. » He did not talk to the Portuguese colleague about work – Jeff Gangler is finally there to switch off.
