"Spain has a different meaning for me from any other country on this journey. It is not where the project officially began. The project started in Belgium, in August 2021, when the world slowly reopened after COVID. But Spain was the place where I waited before everything truly launched.
During the pandemic years, when borders were still closed and sport had almost disappeared everywhere, I found myself in Madrid. At the dojo in Mostoles, with Javi Delgado and his team, I kept training while waiting for the world to move again. Months passed there. I already knew what I wanted to do with my life but the timing was not right yet. Looking back now, Spain feels like the place where the idea stopped being a dream and became a certainty. Coming back here, 61 countries into the project, has felt deeply emotional.
My first stop was Castellón, at Koi Judo with Pere and his team. We trained twice that day, from competition athletes to the youngest children on the mat. Between sessions, one of the coaches prepared a homemade paella that captured the warmth of the whole experience perfectly. Before I left, Koi Judo joined the Judo Nomad project officially as a member club , something that meant a great deal to me.
From Castellón, I travelled north to Santander thanks to Felipe Sanchez, a friend who helped connect me with clubs throughout Spain. Felipe organised a joint training session bringing together four clubs: Judo Club Suances, Judo Astillero, Judo Club Muñiz and Judo Samperio. Bringing several clubs together for one common session says a lot about the spirit of judo in the region. The atmosphere on the tatami was intense, generous and alive.
A few days later, I arrived in Gijón, in the Asturias region, where I visited Judo Asalia Beya during the club’s 30th anniversary celebrations. We held two sessions in one day, first with the younger judoka and then with the adult competitors. When I left, they offered me gifts including a commemorative t-shirt, a mug and a patch. Honestly, I felt that simply being welcomed into that room was already more than enough.
The Atlantic then opened the way towards the Canary Islands. In Las Palmas I met Joyce, an English judoka who has dedicated years of her life to travelling and training around the world, just as I have. At Club Judo Lila, Alfonso and his team welcomed me with extraordinary kindness. Between sessions with children and adults, I discovered the unique atmosphere of the island, the ocean, the light and the feeling that judo truly exists everywhere.
The final stop was Tenerife, where Giovanni and Judo Halcon Tenerife welcomed me into both their dojo and their home. They had even prepared an apartment overlooking the island. The generosity I encountered there reflected everything this project has become.
Spain was never just another destination for me. It was a full circle moment. From Castellón to Tenerife, through Santander, Gijón and Las Palmas, I was reminded that this project is not really about kilometres or country numbers, it is about people; Felipe making calls, Pere cooking paella, Joyce crossing oceans for judo, Giovanni opening his home.
I had to leave slightly earlier than expected because of health and financial difficulties, which made leaving even harder but once again I realised that none of this journey would exist without the people supporting it from afar, through donations, messages or simply by following the adventure.
Portugal is next!”
