A bit like Parsifal

In the Parsifal legend, his quest is constantly put to the test by temptation. One of the temptations, in my recollection of the story, is comfort.  Today we have walked a shorter distance – 12 km – and are in a most comfortable Albergue. And tomorrow, most of the Canadian contingent is going to be taking the bus to Burgos for a two night stay in the hotel on the Cathedral Square. Private rooms. Bathtubs. Lots of hot water. Museums. I only hope I can get past the comfort and into the routine of the walking again.

I have discovered that I can walk 12 km without foot issues, but the interesting thing about the Camino is that it trades one pain for another. Today it is hip flexors. If I move my leg just little bit too much one way or the other I get this very curious pain. A little bit of an afternoon nap in the comfortable Albergue (Will I ever break the tradition of Siesta?) seems to have been very remedial!

And this Albergue is dedicated to St Antonio Abad, a desert hermit of Egypt from the third century who is the patron of domestic animals and pets. Perhaps this explains the very friendly 'gatto' that waned to share lunch.

Somebody asked me why I posted so many pictures of shadows.  There are two reasons: first, it reminds me of the pilgrim statues at Sierra del Perdon, which are just silhouettes; second, there is something quite ethereal and unreal about this experience and the shadows just seem to make it clearer in my imagination. 

Today began with a celebration of Eucharist at the Albergue for the Feast of St Michael and All Angels (the 30th anniversary of my ordination as a transitional deacon).  About fifteen people were present, and it felt very intimate and holy.  If I couldn't be with my own community, this was as good.

Today's Music:  Christ the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels (tune:  Coelitis Plaudant)

Today's Paces:  21,879

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  Gerald McAvoy (I'm walking with his brother Dan)

Little things

Such a small thing is the toe.  I've gotten used to lacing my boots loosely, resting where possible, treating the 'hot spots' promptly and changing socks daily.  But the tip of my left middle toe seems bruised and tender, and commands a lot of attention when walking and takes a lot joy out of the moment. 

Nevertheless, the camino gives more than it takes...the parochial Albergue is staffed by a pair of Swiss multilingual volunteers who offered tea as we arrived, spoke lovingly of the building and its heritage as "under the protection" of the church because of its parish association, and informed us of the pilgrim mass at 7:00.  Here's what a 13th century Romanesque parish church looks like:

An international group have made a lovely smelling soup and casserole, although we will be eating after the mass at a local establishment!

Today's Music:  Phil Ochs - When I'm Gone

Today's paces: 32,975

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  30 years ago, on the Feast of St Michael and All Angels, I was ordained a (transitional) Deacon, together with Linda MacDonald, Margaret (Young) Sagar, Carson Baxter, John Smith, and Michael Collier.

The elastic kilometre

I have discovered that along to Camino, there's a highly elastic quality to the kilometer. I believe I have walked the last 30 klics 4 times judging from the mileage posts.  I think it is fair to say that we completed a quarter of the journey andthis before 10 days is over, which is a good thing. Today the ultimate irony was that we walked by a golf course. At least we know the measurement was correct. It was quite depressing, actually because the village surrounding the golf course was a ghost literally most buildings were empty and for sale, there were very few cars in driveways, no children at the playground, and not even that many golfers.

Today's walk is taking us out of the grape harvesting region into more crop based agriculture. Most fields had been harvested and plowed under, we saw one large potato packing plant, and a lot of market garden vegetables and tomatoes still growing.

I'm finding the walking easier, as each day goes by. The hills don't feel quite as desperate, the long flat stages are a blessing, and even the down hills on gravel aren't as bad as they used to be.

Unfortunately, because we did not stay for mass this morning, it seems that we have missed it through the day. We're staying at in ancient Cistercian Abby with the cloistered order of nuns who will sing vespers at 6:45 with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at seven. I guess it will have to do.

Below you will find some pictures from the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a13th century romanesque edifice with great lines although a very modern (post Vatican II sanctuary, and some gold alter screens (reredos in the side chapels).

Today's Music:  Vivaldi l'Estro Armonica d minor, second movement

Today's paces:  34,478

Tomorrow's intercessions:  requested for ailing friends of friends of mine for difficult medical situations - Rick and Ted...may they know clarity, comfort and grace.

Louie Louie

Today was what seemed like a pretty easy walk between Navarrete and Najera. It was about twenty km including a side trip of about 2 k to Ventosa for coffee and (yet another) locked church.

Dan and I were walking by ourselves as knee issues sent Heather and Bernice ahead by cab. 

For the first time we saw some real poverty with some local women doing laundry in an irrigation ditch.  But we also saw grape harvesting at its peak, with huge clumps of grapes hanging from vines. 

At the top of the rather minor ascent (150 metres), I heard the plaintiff wail of a harmonica and as I got closer a guitar and voice.  A busker from Galecia was there singing mostly his own songs but some blues at Dans request.  We shared a beer, and as we left he started Louie Louie...worst ear worm ever but great walking song.

Najera is a pretty little town along a river where after trying to sleep in the afternoon (too many trucks and motorcycles and an open window) gave way to a nice evening and early bedtime.

Today's music:  Louie Louie

Today's paces:  29,014

Tomorrow's prayer intentions:  the parish of Lantz and all who share the work and identity of Christ

Viana to Navarrete

You may be one of the five or six people reading this blog, who think that for somebody with two degrees and several years of postgrad I am remarkably incoherent with bad grammar. You need to know the most of the time I'm doing this with speech to text, and while I try and do a rough edit by the end of the day, some of the days just don't allow for this.

For me this was the most enjoyable walking day so far. The views were not as gorgeous as they were up in the Pyrenees,  but the roads were easy, the hills gentle, the stops restful and most of the walk through a cultivated green space between Logroño and Navarrete.  The other thing that I noticed they were coming increasingly friendly wishing us buenas Dias or Buen Camino many many times through the day. It was very encouraging and warmed my heart (especially as we were leaving Logroño, where the Camino route was not terribly well marked).

This morning we watched workers setting up for the wine festival of the Rioja region in Logroño, and by this afternoon noticed the harvesters in the fields. My compatriots engaged the harvesters in some conversation, and ended up walking away with about 2 pounds of grapes plus some photographs. All I got was a picture!  But they brought me some grapes to the place where I was resting, and an afternoon snack of half a pound of grapes right from the vine is unbelievably wonderful.

We are also in one of the nicest albergues we have encountered to date. We are in an essentially private room with six bunks (although we have some questions that the other two will be occupied), two complete restrooms, a kitchen with washing facilities, and this for nine euros per person for the night. The Pilgrim's meal across the way comes well recommended we are going to dine at about 730 or so, depending on when the Pilgrims mass might be.

I Think I've hit my stride for walking. 22 or 23 kilometres day is not brutal, I'm able  to do these much smaller hills without dying, and the rest at the end of the afternoon is wonderful.  I have become quite enamored of San Miguel or Estella beer!

But at supper, it is Vino Tinto, preferably a Rioja.  Our young actor friend Emily, quoting a show she had been in recently said "a man who drinks Rioja is a bull in bed."  Ole!

Today's music:  Come we that love the Lord (v 4 "we're marching through Emmamuel's ground to greater realms on high.") ... And Wayne Dirksen's tune!

Today's paces:  35,006

Tomorrow's prayer intentions:  Beth Marcoux....friend of my travelling companions whose funeral is at 10..."may she rest in peace and rise in glory!"  And with the circle of life, some thoughts of joy for Courtney and Deanna as they are married!

If there is a hill, I will climb it… Time after time

 

This has been the longest although not the least pleasant walk of the day. The intangible quality of the kilometer, where it takes me 20 minutes to walk a kilometre and a half first thing in the morning, and takes 50 minutes at the end of the afternoon.

Not one of the churches that we passed were open, which was a disappointment. The medieval practice was to build a church on a hill, presumably because it is closer to God. Unfortunately even though we would make the ascend the church would be locked.  And while there seems to be something quite romantic about walking on a Roman Road, a 2000-year-old road, it still needs some maintenance!

We got to Estella at 4 o'clock or so. We cleaned up and went out for supper and between some Tylenol and a cerveza grande, I have limped into the evening. The group picture that you will see on the bridge is me and my Canadian companions (Bernice, Dan and Heather from Saskatoon); we have adopted one another and each seems to have a specific gifts and tasks. I am the logistics manager. Easier than carrying some of the rest of the load.

Today's music: Time after time (Cyndi Lauper) - it was playing in the café or we had breakfast. See my paraphrase in the title of this post.

Today's paces: 47,788

Tomorrow's Prayer intentions: The University of Kings College Chapel, my other spiritual home.

A choice

Today our little "team Canada" made a choice. We had noticed that by using John Brierley's book, we were all going to the same places at the same time missing some beautiful pieces of the Camino. His book describes discrete 33 stages to walk the Camino, but this includes some 28 and 30 km days. We are not that dedicated! 22 to 25 km per day is our limit. Further some sensitive knees and feet suggested that an easy day was in order. It is a beautiful sunshiny day in the Rioja area of Spain, and so we made our choice: we taxied to Viana, skipping Los Arcos along the way.  With a planned stop at Navarette tomorrow, we will be about half a day "out of synch" with Brierley.

This has given us an opportunity to explore this wonderful town dating back to the early Middle Ages. St Mary of the Assumption church (12th century) with connections to the Borgia family was redecorated in the 1600's and 1700s in a baroque/rococo style; the side chapels and apse have altars dedicated to saints from many centuries including Lawrence, Mary Magdalene, and Francis Xavier (who is from Navarre and about whom I preached at an ordination last year).  There are 13th century manuscripts in the chapel where the Pilgrim's Mass was offered.

Tonight we found a Menu del Peregrino for eight euros (salad, fish, ice cream, vino tinto) and is served before the Pilgrim's mass.  

God gives Sabbath as well as toil, and neither can be appreciated without the other. This will invigorate our steps tomorrow.

Today's music:  J.S. Bach, Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (Deck thyself, my soul, with Gladness). BWV 654 organ chorale prelude

Today's paces: 9,108

Tomorrow's prayer intention:  Rev'd Art Nash (his health) and Emily his wife