A Canadian, an American and a Jew go into a bar

When I'm walking, I usually have a song going through my head. Sometimes I will say this is the music of the day, but sometimes it is just a piece of music to help me regulate my pace. This morning started out cool – no, cold – and clear.  From Vivaldi's Gloria, I had the Laudamus Te section going through my head. It was just the right tempo for walking - a Larghetto with a lyrical and light sense about it.  But then after Rabanal, I hit the 6k ascent of several hundred meters.  The Larghetto had turned into a Molto Adagio with frequent pauses!

Early tomorrow morning I will be at the Cruz de Fero - the Iron Cross - which marks the highest point of the Camino at 1,505 meters.  It is the custom for pilgrims to leave a rock or stone at the iron cross, signifying the laying down of their burdens, both mental and spiritual.  I have been carrying an etched brick from Lantz through the Camino. Tomorrow I will lay it down at the iron cross.  I've gotten kind of used to the feel of it in my purse, and well I can't say I'll miss it, I think I will be rid of it without too much grief.

Tonight's supper was fascinating: I ended up sitting at a table with an American couple, a Jewish man, and me. And while it sounds like the beginning of a joke, it was convivial, rich, and most enjoyable. My guess is that we represented three generations, and a least 2 faith traditions. But the Camino draws people together, and we accept one another for who we are and just as we are.  Yuram, our Jewish friend, has done parts of the Camino several times with different  members of his family and was eloquent in his description of the bonding experience.  After the meal, we were joined by a Spanish gentleman - an ex-military attaché and retired officer whose vast knowledge of the history of northern Spain and the Camino was fascinating. And he is on his 11th Camino.

Left to right:  Yuram, Me, Dana and Tom

And as I lay in bed tonight with the window open nearby, I can hear cowbells again. It seems like ages since I've heard them.

Today's Music:  Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow (Fleetwood Mac...it was playing in a bar that I walked by and kind-of stuck)

Today's Paces:  24,420

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  my sister-in-law's partner Pat, who is having surgery in the morning

Oh sun, why do you taunt me so?

Of course there's good and bad on the Camino every day. The best usually comes from people, the worst from the conditions. Such was the day today.

This was the first real test of my rain gear. It rained all night last night, and the first two kilometres was through thick mud, with mist for effect.  Walking through this much mud for this long was a first for me. It's not fun! It kind of gloms onto your boots, makes a schlurping noise when your foot comes out, and you watch your walking stick disappear in 15 cm of water in the puddles.  All this was because somebody decided to grade the road. I don't have much to say for Spanish road improvement!

At the top of a long hill after about sixkilometres walk I chanced upon a young man (perhaps 30 or so) whose purpose is to bring goodwill to the pilgrims by keeping what seems like a permanent Camp here, and providing fruit, a light breakfast, many kinds of juice, and a warm greeting.

The Town of Astorga is a cathedral town. And while the cathedral was interesting enough, it is not in the same league as Bergos or Leon. What is even more interesting, possibly is the episcopal palace which now houses a museum for Peregrinos.

The walk through the afternoon was not particularly pleasant. It was about three hours through steady rain, and while it washed the mud off my rain pants, it was not the nicest experience. And when I got to Santa Catalina, my destination for the day, the sun came out. Oh sun, please don't taunt me now!

Today's Music:  Thank you (Alanis Morissette, in honour of the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday)

Today's Paces:  28,932

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  this is rather sad – a Canadian Pilgrim died of a heart attack several days ago on the Camino. Some of the other pilgrims were talking about it last night at supper. Kathy found the obituary, and I am contacting his family to let them know I am remembering him in prayer. John Leonard Goodwin - rest in peace and rise in glory.

http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-519717-dr-john-leonard-goodwin.html

Getting off the main road

While most of yesterday's rather dreary walk was beside highway N-120, most of today's walk while near the road, was far enough away that the traffic could barely be seen or heard.  I also opted for a more scenic route that took me through fields and glades, punctuated by small rivers and irrigation canals.

As I was approaching the village of Hospital de Orbigo, the bells began chiming to announce Mass at a small Romanesque parish church.  It was the Sunday parish mass, and was not unlike parish Eucharists around the world - a mix of generations (skewed to the older end to be sure), a keyboard player leading a few women in a choir, a priest who smiled a lot, and people sitting near me who seemed quite fascinated by this non-Spanish-speaking Canadian who just dropped in. It was lovely.  The moment that made me smile, though, was the offertory song...the tune was unmistakably "Blowin' in the Wind," although the words were, I think, sacred.

This same town also has one of the longest Roman bridges in the world, spanning a river and what are now playing fields and a park. 

The afternoon was spent in worship of a different sort...with the luxury of a washer AND dryer, a couple of other pilgrims and I cooperated on a couple of loads of laundry, patiently holding one another's place in the line for the appliances. 

Today's Music:  We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land (my church readers will be thinking of the hymn associated with Thanksgiving or, in the English tradition 'Harvest Home;' my theatre readers will be thinking of the Stephen Schwartz musical Godspell.)

Today's Paces:  23,773

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  Gratitude - it is the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday

It doesn't feel like a holiday

Today was a long walk to a small town.  And it started off in the worst possible way – I went the wrong direction. Further, I left my guidebook at the hotel.  Then my credit card didn't work (although when I called my provider, they said the tap function shouldn't be used, which the clerk had done twice).

On the way I passed the Virgen del Camino church, whose clergy were effusive and welcoming, and whose freestanding steeple can be seen for a couple of miles.

And now I am in a tiny town (Villadangos) whose dreariness seems to reinforce my mood (and there is no heat and much dampness). From the lovely excesses of Leon, this is such a contrast!  While the water flows in the piscina, the town square is deserted.  

But it got me thinking about Thanksgiving weekend, and the celebrations people will be having back home with family And friends. I am incredibly grateful for my family, friends, and benefactors who have allowed me to undertake this Camino.  I miss the companionship of Heather, Dan and Bernice who are now, I think, three days ahead of me.  But for now I have a cat. Hola gatto.

Today's Music:  Mendelssohn Organ Sonata #6 (Vater Unser/Our Father, especially the melancholy bits that also seem so determined)

Today's Paces:  33,327

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  thanksgiving Sunday in the parish, where the buildings are always so beautifully decorated.

Sabbath on a Friday

Leon is a city of contrasts. Very cosmopolitan, very busy, very modern. But at the same time it is also historical, traditional, and full of irony. It does not seem as devout as some of the other places that I've been.  At the same time, the churches are wonderful. 

My Albergue looks out over Saint Isadore's square and the adjoining Basilica.

 About a five minute walk and one discovers one of the finer Gothic cathedrals in Europe.  

On the way, there is a store called Casa Jesus which is a lingerie boutique.  The yellow arrows and bronze scallop shells mark the pilgrim's path, but nobody seems to notice them because their attention is drawn upwards to the buildings, the stores, and the people.

I think the irony of Leon is encapsulated in this statue.  From the front, it seems typical of a generational gap -- father looking one way and his son looking the other. But when you photograph it from the back, you see that the father is actually looking at the Cathedral, and the son is looking away.  Such are the signs of the times!

Leon is also the place where you begin your preparations for the trek through the mountains. This week I will make the ascent through Foncebadon to the Cruz de Ferro (the Irom Cross) at 1,505 metres, the highest point on the Camino, and so I have cherished my rest here.

I have also re-outfitted myself. This includes a rain suit so that I don't have to use my poncho again, and a new hat. The picture is comical, But I really don't want to be stuck in the wind or rain without proper protection... There were times last week that weren't fun at all!

Today's Music:  La Isla Bonita (Madonna)

Today's Paces:  9,631

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  all the people here in Leon celebrating the culture of Northern Spain on this holiday weekend.  

I've lost my hat

It's funny how we become attached to some things. My hat is not the most expensive piece of my wardrobe here, nor is the most elegant. It is covered in sweat and dirt, rain and mud.  Kathy bought it for me on a road trip from Las Vegas to La Quinta California a bunch of years ago.  On this trip is part of the shadow pictures and one of the ways that I recognize my profile.

But today, between coffee, a croissant, and going away from the hostel, someone thought I had forgotten it, and picked it up to carry on to Leon in the hope of meeting up.

I know I can and will replace my hat but it won't be the same. We've had an awful lot of miles, golf rounds, and vacations together. I will miss my hat, silly though it seems. But life on the Camino should never be what one expects.

Today's Music:  Walking in Memphis (the Mark Chapman version, not the Cher version...I seem to have that  IV  V  I  VI chord progression stuck in my head)

Today's Paces:  13,363

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  people that provide hospitality as I enjoy a Sabbath day in Leon 

The Hostel Experience

One of the most convivial and well recommended albergues on the Camino is in Mansilla in Spain. Run by the amigos del Peregrino, it is spearheaded by a dynamic woman named Laura, mentioned in John Brierleys commentary on the Camino; she is multilingual, greets each pilgrim as they arrive, And is a wealth of infoation not only about this town, but the larger city Leon which is the next day's journey.  For five euros a night it is a wonderful place to stay.  

But it is not just the host, it is the people who are here as well. There is a large mix of generations although the majority are younger than I am. The kitchen is communal, the inner courtyard is a festive place, the large tables have hosted everything tonight from a group spaghetti eating contest, to a sing-along!

Nearby markets have kept the group well stocked with wine, beer, and pasta, and if you're not enjoying it, the fault is yours!

For the first time on the pilgrimage, I actually got a little homesick as I remember some of the young people at home with whom I associate, not least of whom is my daughter, her boyfriend, and some of the folks they hang around with. I can picture them in this setting.

Tomorrow, in order to make the most of my time, I will be taking the bus into Leon where I will make up my walking on the city streets!

Today's Music:  Cheerio (Jethro Tull)

Today's Paces:  31,323

Tomorrow's Prayer Intentions:  The community at the University of Kings College in Halifax, especially the musicians.