In Palas de Rei

OK, I did a 28k day today. I didn´t intend to but it happened. First of all two German women got up at 5 a.m. this morning and bustled around rustling bags and flashing their flashlights until the whole room was awake. I finally got up at 6, ate my yogurt and banana, and got under way around 6:30 a.m. in the dark and with mist that was almost rain. I wasn´t especially happy about this but it is Camino. It is not a pleasant thing to sit in a room when you can´t really sit up (because the bunk above you prevents such a luxury) and there are lots of smelly boots made even more so by the humidity of Galicia. Luckily the pathway today was pretty good underfoot. Soft with needles and clear dirt. Not too many big rocks. It doesn´t begin to get light until 8 a.m. so you have to be pretty alert watching for arrows and direction changes. Luckily there was one person far ahead so I had it a bit easier. I arrived at my intended destination around 10:45 a.m. and then several people I know came along and convinced me to walk with them to Palas de Rei. They wanted to walk slowly so it worked out alright. And the walk was very pleasant.

Arrived here around 1 p.m., found the albergue quickly, took a shower, did laundry and took a brief nap--interupted by the two women who woke everyone up this morning!!! They got here two and half hours after I did. What in the world took them so long? And now I have a preview of tomorrow morning as well since they are in the beds next to mine. One lesson of Camino is that you have to let go of a lot of your irritations at people and with people. You live in such close community--sharing intimacy in ways you don´t even share with your own family--that you simply cannot indulge yourself in petty frustration. Otherwise you´d never have enough energy and enthusiam to get up the next day and do it again. I continue to be surprized by the men who think nothing of walking around in their briefs (and these are NOT boxers) for extended periods of time. Today I saw men walking without shirts--how do they avoid pack burn??

So much for slowing down......I could actually be in Santiago two days from now. And then the question becomes do I attempt to walk to Finisterre. It is supposed to rain hard for the next two to three days so we will see how things look ¨from under the poncho¨! It is hard to believe Santiago is so near. I keep watching the distance bollards counting down the kilometers. Some of us were talking today how it seems as though the time has gone by so quickly and yet in some ways, it feels like we´ve been here doing this for a very long time. Or maybe I should spend a little hotel time in Santiago and begin to get over sleeping with 10 to 100 of my Camino friends! I am beginning to get excited to see Santiago, experience arriving on the square in front of the Cathedral, going to the pilgrim mass, and then coming home! Thank you for all your prayers and support. I have been vigilant in my prayers for you (and especially those who wrote out their slips with particular concerns) and for St. James´ and our future together.

May God bring you sunshine and grace.

In Portomarin

A short day today. Got up at the late hour of almost 8 a.m. and left around 8:30 after coffee and toast. A delightful misty day in Galicia. Again was surrounded by cows and sheep this morning. It is amazing how much this area looks like Ireland--from the slate slab fences to the layout of the farms and the terrain. Huge trees--how many pilgrims have touched them? Walked the morning with a woman from--guess? Canada!! A nice conversation and then she and her walking companion were off. At the albergue last night, met a woman who is a relative of the French Canadian couple I was walking with the first few weeks. This is indeed a very small Camino world! Met a woman outside the supermercado who is suffering from bed bug bites big time. She got the bites in a small albergue in Burgos. She has had an allergic reaction and is covered, and I mean covered, with pustules as big as your thumb. She was waiting for her doctor appointment. She is the third person I have met with bed bug bites.

Not much time today as internet access is VERY expensive here and slow. I am trying very hard to slow down to around 12 to 16k per day. I may still arrive in Santiago a little early. There are some positives to that--I just might catch up with some of the people I have met along the way and lost track of. Surprising though how people pop back in.

The walk this morning in the mist was restful. What a wonderful world we live in. May God bless you this day and always with grace and eyes to see what is spread out before you.

In the middle of nowhere close to Portomarin

I walked from Fonfria yesterday (a wonderful albergue by the way, with GREAT homemade food: homemade vegetable beef soup, chorizo sausage and pasta, followed by Santiago almond cake) to Samos. My leg made the decision between the two routes--the longer one to Samos or the shorter one to Tricastela. Samos is the location of the oldest existing monestary in the western world. It is a beautiful little town in the midst of the mountains. Went to mass last night and heard the Gregorian Chant in a beautiful space. Really made me miss the Eucharist. As a non-Roman Catholic I have been respecting their unwillingness to extend an invitation to the table to us. I did not stay in the monestary albergue. While I was waiting for them to open, I realised that the bar across the street offered bunk space for 8 euro (and only 10 bunks in the room which becomes a real luxury on the Camino!) with a clean bathroom with a real tub. I looked in the monestary albergue--metal bunks very close together and 3¨mattresses. Sorry, after a long hard climb and many ups and downs, this old body needs a better bed than that. Turns out only four of us stayed in the room--including a Canadian couple I had met early on. Small world, the Camino!

Left Samos this morning around 7:30 a.m. Dawn is now coming close to 8 a.m. I did not see another pilgrim until I arrived in Sarria about 11 a.m.! Not a one! It was a cool, misty morning with lots of fog around. At one point I was concerned that I was not in the right place because though I was following arrows, there were no other pilgrims. I asked an old woman sweeping her step if it was the Camino. She nodded yes. I thanked her profusely and she gave me an apple to ¨restore my spirit.¨ I am still amazed that there was absolutely no one! It was both nice and worrisome at the same time. This afternoon was completely different. Upon leaving Sarria, there were lots of people. Sarria is the last place where you can begin walking to Santiago and still receive a Compostela. I´m glad it wasn´t a weekend because it would have been much worse. You can tell the long distance pilgrims from the newbies almost in a heartbeat.

Today was one of some asphalt walking (which absolutely destroys my legs) and some really wonderful and beautiful trails in woodlands and country roads. The mist continues into the afternoon, though the sun is shining. So it is difficult to see very far. I followed several herds of cows being led in for milking (no, I didn´t go THAT far) and was surrounded at one point with a herd of sheep. The amount of manure on the roads and trails is incredible. At some points, it is as though the farmer took a hose and cleaned out the barns right onto the street. You have to step carefully or you will carry the ¨fragrance o´barn¨with you for many miles.

I am staying tonight in a room above another bar in Morgade. The 99k marker to Santiago is right outside. So far three women in the room with 8 beds--and none of the beds are bunks! It was a 24+k day today. Though the legs are sore, as long as I stop regularly and stretch and drink lots of water, I can coax them into going a little farther.

Less than two weeks to go! It hardly seems possible that I have been doing this for a month. I am still grieving the loss of my camera and the memories it contains, but I have also been making a point of savoring the moments as they come along. The Camino is an incredible experience. From meeting people from around the world to the difficulties of the day to day routine and challenges that you share with one another.......I don´t know that you can find this anywhere else in the world. I did meet a couple today from Florida. Only the sixth and seventh Americans I have met.

In Fonfria

Well I have decided to slow down. My Canadian friends were off to a 28k day. Not for me. My legs are in pain--so much so it was difficult to sleep last night. So I ended today around noon with a little down time to write and just converse with others. Tomorrow I may go only to Tricastela--we´ll see how I feel in the morning. This is a tiny, tiny town. Four houses, some cows and chickens and us pilgrims. The albergue is very nice and very few of us are here. Such a delight! The climb over O´Cebrerio this mornign was lovely but oh, the ups and downs today! And after the mountain climb yesterday.......well, this is the end of mountains. Santiago is coming closer and closer and Galacia is beautiful. It is very cool and autumn has definitely arrived. Lots of turning leaves and the air is bright and fresh. Blessings upon you all.

Villafranca de Bierzo

Today was another long one on pavement. I continue to be surprised by the amount of walking on the Camino involves walking on concrete and other hard surfaces. My legs are killing me. But we took the alternate route through the vineyards and watched the grape harvest. They also plant apple and pear trees in the vineyards so several men were picking fruit. With the bedbug scare in the municiple alberque, we are staying in a private one on the other side of the bridge. Very nice and quiet. <

Now in Ponferrada--only 202km from Santiago

We have decided to slow down. Now no more than 22k per day. Those 30+ days are too hard on the body and soul. Besides the heat has returned in the afternoons. We are still leaving around 6:30 to 7 a.m. but dawn is now after 7:30 a.m. One of my learnings from the lost camera is that I have to take time to take the images into my mind and heart--which involves slowing down to notice. Yesterday´s sunrise was one of the most beautiful of all. I purchased a new camera in Astorga (did I already mention this?) because I want you to be able to see some of the wonderful people and vistas I am enjoying. The man at the camera shop was very compassionate. Though he did not speak much English and I am challenged to some extent in Spanish, he did everything he could to explain and check things out. He set the date, time, and language for me (English instructions are on CD which obviously I could not use!) and gave me an extra set of batteries and a camera case at no charge. The instructions came in French, German and of course, Spanish, so now my French companions have been helping me. I now have this camera clipped to my pack so it cannot get away!

We climbed the highest elevation on the Camino yesterday from Rabanal. Going up is fine for me. And up we certainly did go. Placed my rock at the Iron Cross yesterday (a pilgrim tradition to leave your rock as a symbol of letting go of your burdens) amid the crowds. Many people had arrived by taxi so it was a bit disconcerting to wait in a line one more time. I did discover on the way down from the Iron Cross that leaving your rock is only a transition, not a completion. Letting go is much more difficult than a single act. But when I placed my rock, it instantly slipped away and out of sight among the many rocks so there was no way to ¨take it back.¨ Guess that commits me to doing the work involved in letting go. I spent the long, rocky descent thinking and contemplating--though the rocks on the descent took a great deal of concentration and focus. One mistep and you are toast. Guess that is the way of rocks! One false move and they get you! But when you give one away, it slips away from your grasp. Letting go of what burdens our souls and minds is not easy. The first step is identifying the burdens and the second is the reality that sometimes we would rather hang on to them for a variety of reasons. After all, if we let them go, we might have little to complain about!

We stayed in Reigo last night--oh my, what a terrible climb down from the mountain. Rocky and steep. My feet and knee were killing me. But still no blisters. We had stopped for a while to take off boots and drink water in Acebo but nothing was open there except the bar. The Reigo alberque is nice. Each bunk is in its own little room with sliding doors for privacy. And there is room for only 24 people so no crowd scenes. A refreshing change. It is operated by the owner of the bar--hence no other facilities to buy food in the town. Reigo must be a retirement or vacation town as many of the houses were very beautifully restored and plentiful plantings. Expensive cars parked out front. The church there is lovely and surrounded by olive trees and views of the mountains that can´t be beat. I ate dinner last night at the Ënglish¨table. A couple from South Africa, a French woman, and a German woman from East Germany--since we all spoke English, I could understand everything for a change. We had a wonderful conversation about the state of church and how we come to believe what we believe. The Camino is an incredible mixture of culture and religious experience. It is fascinating to learn about others´ experiences and questions. In many ways, we are so very similar and the questions that drive us are the same. And yet our cultural situation shapes what we expect from the church. Some expect nothing and others expect everything.

Took a short day today to land in a city with stores because nothing is open on Sunday (they still practice Sabbath and the tradition of the long Sunday walk). We arrived with absolutely no food in our packs. We have been unable to purchase additional food for the past two days--had to make do with whatever we had and eat dinner in bars. So tonight we will cook! Ponferrada is a beautiful city. We toured the Templar Castle and walked through the various town squares. I ended up purchasing a camera in Astorga so I took Grace´s picture in front of the Castle. The basillica here is probably the most peaceful of those we have been able to enter (most churches continue to be locked). There is an organ concert tonight but it is too late for us pilgrims to attend. The town refugio is lovely and manned by volunteers. You can take showers and do your laundry when you arrive as check in for rooms is not until 2 p.m. This is a very nicely thought out refugio. Bunks are in rooms of 4. There is a refugio cat who is very friendly. And there are grapes growing on the trellis which are cut each day, washed and offered to pilgrims. I took a picture of the line-up of packs. Many, many are here. Some familiar faces in the crowd. The line at 4 p.m. was as long as the line at opening. I think there will be many headed for Villafranca tomorrow. We went to the grocery. Dinner tonight will be veal with mushrooms and green peppers, boiled potatoes, green salad with carrots, cucumber and white asparagus, and for dessert--apple cake. And of course, wine and bread. A bottle of good Rioja wine is about 2 euros. You just can´t beat that!

Blessings upon you all. May the Holy Spirit find an opening in your heart for the peace and understanding you seek.

In Astorga

After a long night of tossing and turning and remembering all the photos I now I have lost, I am coming to terms with it. This morning during my prayer time, I heard the messsage: the treasure is in your heart not in a box. And within minutes, there was a tiny sacred heart image painted on one of the Camino bollards. I began to cry and to think and remember all those people and images I really do treasure and indeed, they/you are carried in my heart. I am still very sad about the loss but there is nothing we can do when things happen other than learn from them what there is to discover. Grief is such a confounding thing. It comes and goes like the wind--and yet as we contemplate what we have lost, we discover the beauty and lessons of what we had and yet continue to have. I will check with the albergues here in Astorga to see if by chance anyone turned in the camera but I have no hope that it will be found.

Santiago is getting closer. One picture I took in Leon said there was only 330k to Santiago. It is hard to believe that this time is drawing closer and closer. Today is a beautiful, clear fall day. I give thanks to God for good weather, good companions and for those who love and care about me. Blessings be with you.