History is written in short steps. Or long, too: it all depends on each person’s momentum. In a straight line or curve. Hopping or zig-zagging. History, in uppercase, is the sum of many stories that make this world incredibly unique. So, what could be better than celebrating UIC Barcelona’s 25 years in a land, one at the heart of all stories? With this idea in mind, a few groups from our university went, taking advantage of this year’s long Immaculate Conception Holiday.

The pilgrim is, according to Wikipedia, “one who travels to a holy place for their religion as a sign of faith or to fulfil a promise.” Going to the land where Jesus himself walked some 200 years ago turned this trip into a real pilgrimage. The protagonists, a group of people representing UIC Barcelona.

The Basilica of the Annunciation, the Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Zion, Capernaum, Qumran… From Tiberias to Tabor, from the Jordan to the Dead Sea, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem… Of course, we couldn’t skip the most sacred places, in which the important moments of Jesus’ public life took place: the Room of the Last Supper, the Mount of Olives, the Via Dolorosa or the Holy Sepulchre.

These were emotional visits that made it very easy go back 2000 years ago, to the time in which Christ lived and to remember, for example, the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle, at the request of his mother: converting water into wine. In this town, couples were able to renew their vows, in a ceremony for this purpose.

Emotional and significant, as that of the Basilica of Nativity, Bethlehem, one of the oldest Christian temples. According to tradition, the basilica is actually a combination of two churches built in the place where Jesus was born. It is managed by the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, although today it is a sacred place for both Christians and Muslims alike. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012. It is especially known for its entrance: a very small door. The only way to enter is by bending down, as if it were an act of humility. And as God, who humbled himself by becoming a man.

As a child, he changed the Story, in uppercase. History made of many small stories. Stories of the group from UIC Barcelona who travelled to the Holy Land. Stories of each person from the University and around the world.