As France was being taken over by Nazi germany, Jews who lived in France began searching for options to leave the country. However, due to the difficulty of getting a travel visa approved as a Jew, most had to flee the country illegally. One of the methods was to travel along the transatlantic passage through the Pyrenees. This trail started in France and would end in Portbou, Spain. They would begin the hike at the beginning of dusk in hopes of finishing the hike before dawn so that the French police would not be able to catch them. This hike was symbolic of all European Jews during this time period.
When I first signed up for the hike, I did not know about the story of the Jews who had escaped Nazi France using this route. Even after we had discussed this tragic journey in class, I did not fully grasp the severity and grim reality of the situation. Initially, I thought to myself that this transatlantic route must have been easy and simple solution to escape the Nazis. As someone with a past of hiking, I was not intimidated by the 8 miles of trail or the 1,300 meters of altitude that was ahead of me. I began the hike with a sense of confidence to conquer the trail.
Shortly into the hike, the sign pictured above offered context for the hike, and also helped remind me the grim reality of this trail. My sense of confidence was replace with a deep grief. My initial purpose to conquer the trail was replaced by a new purpose to try and experience the hike in the context of Walter Benjamin and the many Jews who had traveled before me. Every new step taken felt heavier than before, and I began to notice my fatigue. It seemed that by focusing on the serious reality of the hike, it had become increasingly more difficult. I could not even begin to imagine the weight of sorrow that every Jew was burdened by when traveling along this trail.
When I had reached the top, I was exhausted, sunburnt, thirsty, and wanting to give up. Although I was begging for downhill terrain during the first half of the hike, I would soon learn that the downhill stretch would be much more challenging. Once the hike was over, I was covered in scrapes and dirt and my entire body ached. I could not even imagine how tremendously difficult it would have been to complete in utter darkness coupled with the fear of being caught.
Looking back on the hike, I see the challenging trail to be symbolic of the journey that every European Jew faced during this time period. This hike encapsulates not only the physical rigor but also the immense psychological burden held by those trying to escape the Nazis. It reflects the uncertainty and the ultimate tragedy that many Jews faced, as they were forced to flee without valuable belongings or tokens of their past, and while confronting the real possibility of failure at the borders that promised safety.
Revolutionary Cities 