Tom on the Camino

May 30, 2015

Before I get into today’s travels, I need to mention last evening.  While in the town of Carrion de los Condes, I went to Mass at 8:00 at Santa Maria del Camino which turned out to be a pilgrim’s Mass.  There were about 150 people in the church which seemed like a lot to me given that it was a Friday night.  After Mass, the priest said in both Spanish and English that he would like to invite the pilgrims to come to the alter for a blessing.  Well about half the church went to the front.  He wanted to know from where we all had come so he started naming countries and people raised their hands.  I would guess that there were about 20 countries represented amont the 75 or so people there.  Just amazing.  We then got a blessing from the priest and who I assume was the head nun.  They put their hands on each person’s head and said a prayer and then gave us a little star to help guide our way.  All the while the other nuns sang just beautifully.  It was really a pretty touching service and I feel even more equipped to take on the next part of this adventure.

So heading out of Carrion I soon found myself on a road that is know as Via Aquitana.  This road was built by the Romans so below the gravel are stones that have been there for over 2,000 years.  The raod was remarkedly straight and very flat.  It got me to thinking about the roads we all travel, whether new or really old, whether traveled frequently or infrequently.  There is a first time we each travel any particular road.  And even if we’ve traveled it before, each time is a little different from the previous.  I had the chance today to look around and notice the road, the surrounding fields, the infrequent but weclomed rest areas, and most importantly the others walking the same path.  We all have different reasons for being on the road we’re on today yet we were all walking at our own pace on the same path and in the same direction with the same end in mind.  Respect and caring for one another just seems so natural.

Today marks the half way point of my pilgrimage in terms of time. Tomarrow morning I will cross the half way point in terms of distance. And tomorrow night I will be in Sahagun which is celebrated as the half way town.  I just learned that I can get a “Half Way There” type of certificate so I wll be for sure looking into that tomorrow evening.  Sahagun is also where pilgrims who started their Camino in Madrid will be joining those of us who started in Saint Jean so the path will get a little more traffic.

And an electronic ‘high five’ to those praying for good weather for my trip. Today was in the seventy’s all day and the sky was clear.  Thanks.  Way to go!  ✋

Keep me in your prayers.  You are in mine.

Tom

May 29, 2015

Today was a very easy, relaxing day on the Camino.  The weather was perfect, about 70 degrees most of the day with a little breeze and lots of sun.  I had some wonderful conversations with some young people from the US so even the language was easy 🙂  I did stop in a little town that is home to the magnificent Templar church of Santa Maria la Virgen Blanca.  This is actually a national monument in Spain.  Outside of the church was a notable little statue where my young friends took my picture.  Every pilgrim seems to want their picture taken there.  They were lined up when I finished.

Tonight I am staying in the Real Monasterio de San Zoilo.  This place is actually an 11th century Romanesque monastery that’s been converted to a hotel.  I’ve been told that the Spanish government took some of their old buildings and converted them into hotels to attract tourist.  There are a number of non-pilgrims here from my first impressions.

Like I said, today was easy and comfortable so I just relaxed and took it all in with little thought.  Kind of nice!  By the way, my Fitbit now says that I’ve taken just over 518 thousand steps so far and I’m not quite half way to Santiago so I’m pretty sure I’ll get to 1 million steps for the whole Camimo.  217 miles behind me and 255 miles to go.  Yea!

Keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine.

Tom

May 28, 2015

It’s funny how these things work out.  Today I’m still in the Meseta but today was so different from yesterday.  Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the people I met, or maybe it’s just me!  I left Castrojeriz and soon found I had a bit of a hill to climb.  It was a 12% incline (think 12 feet up for every 100 feet in length for those that found geometry a challenge) but good news, it was only about 0.6 miles to the top.  So it only took about 15 or 20 minutes to get to the views that were the reward for making the climb.  I am so blessed to have legs and lungs and heart that actually feel invigorated by the assent.  I met a wonderful man from Madrid who took a few pictures for me as we walked together.  The weather today started out cool, about 50 degrees,perfect for a walk up a hill.  Of course if you go up you must come down.

The rest of the first few hours were of just beautiful fields including a field of poppies.  I passed one bridge that were built by the Romans and a really cool canal just before my destination of Fromista.  Today was a nice walk of almost 16 miles.  Along the way I got a chance to talk with several guys form the US that are my age and recently retired, so naturally we had a lot in common and good converstaion.  The one guy even had on a Georgetown Univ. hat which had faded from blue to purple.  At first I though it said Elder!

This evening, I was sitting in the main square with the guys I met today when Chris and Jade walked up.  I hadn’t seen them is several days and didn’t think I’d see them ‘til Leon.  What a pleasant surprise.  We reconnected and Chris joined the rest of “us guys” for dinner.  More great “Camino” conversations.

All in all, today was beautiful and comfortable.  So nice.  I didn’t reflect on anything important but then again maybe this is important – our daily interactions with friends, new ones and older ones, may be among the most important things we do every day.

Buen Camino everyone.  And for those responsible for praying for good weather for my adventure, job well done today.

Tom

May 27, 2015

The Meseta lived up to its reputation today.  I have to say that walking the Camino was not as much fun today.  The temperatures were fine – 50s and 60s – and there was a strong wind but it was from the East meaning it was at my back pushing me along.  There was nothing but a few pilgrims for the first two hours of the walk as these pictures show.  A monument, a pile of rock with a cross, and an ocassional field of flowers among the fields of grain, were the only diversions.

I went through a little town where I took a short break before continuing on.  The landscape got a little more rugged and narrow as the sun came out but interesting scenery was certainly lacking.  Finally I came across the ruins of San Anton built in the 1300s.  There is an albergue there but it doesn’t even have electricity.

Finally, after only 12 ½ miles but what seemed like 25, I arrived in Castrojeriz.  It’s in the lower left of the picture below the hill with ruins on top.  The population is 600 and the main occupation is siesta.  They do have an awesome church and museum called Our Lady of the Apple.  Interesting name.  As I’ve seen before, the church and especially the alter is Gothic.  I took a picture of a song book on display.  Do you remember Gregorian Chant?

Finding my hotel was a challenge.  Here’s a picture of the street and the hotel sign. Look close!

The day was much more mentally fatiguing than physically so I found it difficult to make any progress on my questions lingering from yesterday.  I have some thoughts but they are certainly not breakthrough in nature.  Maybe like my walk today, there just wasn’t anything that really got me fired up.  Maybe that’s OK too. There may be a process of cleansing associated with a bit of boredom that will allow the mind to begin to fill the space with good ideas.  Let’s hope some of that happens tomorrow.  I did get a chance to pray in the traditional manor for a while so that was a good thing.

Keep me in your prayers.  You were in mine today.

Tom

When I left Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, France on May 11th, I walked with Rudi for a while.  Rudi started his Camino in Germany two years ago and had walked 1,600 miles through Germany, Switzerland and France before resuming this year at Saint Jean.  Rudi had to go back to work so his just stopped a few days ago in Burgos.  When he got back home, he sent me some pictures that I just had to share with you.  These are from the climb through the Pyrenees which I did on May 11th.

May 26, 2015

My rest/tourist day is over and the Camino resumes.  Before I left Burgos I went to 7:30 PM Mass last night at the Cathedral.  It turns out that the Mass was in English which was a nice change.  It was held in a small side chapel that is off the main entrance.  But small is a relative term.  I got a picture just as mass was ending so you will see what I mean.

The Camino leaves Burgos through several neighborhoods and then through a tree-lined path that ends with a gate.  If you saw the movie “The Way” I am sure you will recognize the setting for the scene where Martin Sheen gets his backpack handed to him by the boy who took it in Burgos – all under the watchful eye of the boy’s father.

Soon after leaving the hustle and bustle of crowed Burgos, I crossed a small creek and I knew that I was about to enter a different kind of place.  I went through a few small towns and after a little road construction, the path took me to the area known as the Meseta.  In the Meseta, the population is much more sparce and the towns less frequent.  A town of over 500 is a bit rare.  Some pictures below should give you the idea.  My destination today was Hornillos del Camino (Population: 60). There is an Albergue with 32 beds for 5 Euros each and a grocery store.  And a church of course!  Fortunately, I have a reservation at a B&B (6 rooms total) in a nearby town called Isar which is about 2 or 3 km off the Camino.  The nice woman at the Albergue, who spoke English very well, called the owner of my B&B, Miquel, who promptly picked me up and drove me to my accomidations.  Tomorrow Miguel will return me to the Camino to resume my walk.

In addition to the terrain and environment transitioning from the city and pavement to the simple path and simple landscape, I met a nice guy who is transitioning like me.  He retired a year ago, not exactly by his choice according to him, and is trying to accept a different type of daily life.  He is just a few years younger than me and we had a great conversation about what retirement means and some adjustments that we need to make.  After a few miles together, he shook my hand and we thanked each other for the conversation.  He stopped for a while and I moved along.  A little later I got to thinking about reconceptualizing who I am and my roles as husband, father, provider, brother, friend, etc.  Maybe the next few days in the Meseta will give me some answers, or maybe just better questions. I’ll see.

Have a blessed day and if internet access continues, look for another post tomorrow though the pictures may not change much.

Tom

May 24 and 25, 2015

First, I hope everyone is celebrating the freedoms we have that were earned by the many Americans who gave so much.  Happy Memorial Day America!

I also want to report the sad news that a 66 year old American Pilgrim died on the Camino on Thursday on the way from Saint Jean to Roncesvalles just past Orisson. He died of an apparent heart attack.  May he rest in peace.  I’m sure he was welcomed into heaven given the place he passed.  That climb is 8.3% for 7 ½ miles. I’ve heard pilgrims with whom I’m walking say that it was their most difficult day ever.

Yesterday, Sunday was my walk from San Juan to Burgos.  San Juan is a town of 20 residents and Burgos is the capital of Castilla Y Leon with a population of 180,000. Below are pictures of the two big churches in each town.  Which is which is obvious.  The walk out of San Juan a nice tree lined path but then there was a really tough hill for maybe a mile or so but I was rewarded with a beautiful monument – a simple cross held by a pile of rocks.  You can see from the picture that the morning walk was yet another one of cool temperatures and rain.

The approach into Burgos was less than inspiring.  Mostly commercial/industrial areas and the Camino was mostly just sidewalks.  But I did find myself being blessed with some wonderful conversations.  I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say that I got a glimpse of the face of Jesus in a few people and I hope they saw just a little of Jusus in me.  It felt humbling to have people reveal their pain and their hopes as they search for answers on the Camino.

Monday, today, is a day for rest for me.  It is nice to sleep in and stroll the city of Burgos rather than knowing that my walking needs to get me another 15 miles down ther road.  Plaza Mayor is where things happen and where you are likely to run into other pilgrims you’ve met along the way.  Burgos has some beautiful boulivards where people rush by if they are on their way to work or stroll or rest if they have the time.  The highlight of the city is the Cathedral Burgos or Santa Maria.  I’ve included a few pictures but unless you see it in person, the pictures don’t do it justice.  It is a Gothic cathedral and one of the largest in Spain.  I think that it is the oldest cathedral in the Iberian pennsula.  It was started in the eleven hundreds and repalced an earlier Roman church build on the same site.  It’s old!  I also took a picture of snails sold at a little market.  it should be a movie because you could have seen them crawling around.

So tomorrow my role as tourest ends and my role as pilgrim resumes.  I will be entering the Meseta where there are fewer towns and facilities.  Internet access may be a problem over the next several days so if you don’t hear from me you know why.  The walk should be fairly flat and I’ve been told rather boring, a.k.a., a time for reflection!  Right now the forecast is for some sun and wind but with temperatures in the 50’s and maybe make it to 60.  Not bad.

As always, keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine.

Tom

May 23, 2015

There were a few thoughts that occurred to me as I walked from Belorado to San Juan de Ortega today.  But first I need to add some more to yesterday’s experience of the people you meet on the Camino.  Last evening I had more great conversations with some men from Austria and the Netherlands and even a delightful young person from the US, and today I got to spend a few miles with three men from Ireland, the oldest was 74, the couple from South Korea, and the most delightful 76 year old from Japan who thanked everyone from all nations for the help Japan received after the earth quake a few years ago.  In the movie “The Way” Martin Sheen has some good conversations with just a few people.  The real Camino is much richer!  With just a question or two and a pause to listen, there are dozens of stories to be heard every day and every evening as the pilgrims gather for end-of-day story telling.

After the last week of fields of grain, I guess I was expecting more of the same.  It’s OK to have expectations but it sure is nice to be surprised too.  The path today was up hill for the first eight or nine miles as I passed through 4 small towns.  The landscape quickly turned from the open fields to woods of oak and pine trees.  This turned out to be a very beautiful switch from the past days and my expectations.

I also appreciated all the signs guiding me. Some were so obvious and others much harder to see.  I guess that this is like most directions in life.  Sometime you really need to look closely to see the path and not get lost.  Sometimes people who don’t know you will yell to tell you that the Way is “back there” or “over this way”.  Well I guess I was attentive enough and followed the signs because I found San Juan, a town of 20 people, and now about 50 pilgrims, and the church.  In case you are wondering, my candle is the newest/tallest one on the right.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support.  I gave thanks for all of you when I lit that candle.

Tom

May 22, 2015

Today’s walk from Santo Domingo to the little village of Belorado was just a short 14.2 miles.  I did get to pass through 4 little villages – really just a collection of about a few dozen buildings and a church on Calle Mayor (Main Street).  The Camino always goes down c/Mayor and there is always a church there.  The weather was very good starting out in the 40s but then warming and even some sun.  I was able to shed a coat and hat at about 10:00.  Today also marked the transition from Le Rioja to Castilla y Leon.  (I understand that there is an grade school class following my blog so they now have an assignment to find La Rioja and Castilla y Leon on the map and report on the major crops grown in each.)  I’m hoping that since Rioja is one of the most famous wine regions in Spain that they ship some to surrounding provinces!  I arrived in Belorado at 1:00 PM so a pretty short day of walking.

Today’s walk was highlighted by beautiful fields and even more beautiful people.  Sometimes I feel like I’m in the March of the Penguins as the pilgrims start out each morning and dot the path for as far as the eye can see.  I walked for a mile or two with Steve, Tom and Michelle (and two others with more difficult names) from Australia, some nice people from Germany, and a most delightful couple from South Korea.  (Picture below.)  He is 72 years old and she is 66.  They were so full of energy enjoying the Camino. They took a picture for me too!  There was one man with a “trailer” with whom I leap-frogged several times today.  And I got to spend a little more time with Chris and Jade today as well.  They are the delightful couple from Austrialia too.  Chris likes his version of “trail mix” which is a variety of candy!

I have been truly blessed with good health so far on this pilgrimage.  DON’T STOP PRAYING!  My feet are definitely doing better than most and my legs have a little stiffness in the morning but generally still feel really good – well as good as you’d expect after walking nearly 150 miles!  I know it’s strange, but I really like walking up hill, especially if the slope is gentle like maybe 5% or so.  The long strides feel good and just seem to energize me when I‘ve been on the trail for a few hours.

My 90 year old Aunt Ruth passed away earlier this week and was buried this morning.  Sorry I couldn’t be there for the funeral.  May her soul rest in peace.

Buen Camino! everyone and mucho gracias for reading my blog and your supportive comments.  Much appreciated.

Tom

I was going to title this “Grapes” because vineyards were all the eye could see for the first 7 to 8 miles of today’s walk.  Then the fields changed quickly to wheat with a smattering of something else,  probably potatoes since I passed a potato processing plant.  The weather was good for walking – upper 40s to low 50s – and no rain.  The walk today from Najera to Santo Domingo was short, just 13 miles, so I took my time and enjoyed the sights and sounds.  One of the pictures I took shows bunches of grapes in their early stages.   Another shows workers in the fields pruning the vines. Notice the rows with green stems laying on the dirt and the rows without.

Each pilgrim does their own Camino.  Today I passed a couple taking a break from their own Camino!   I also took a break from mine!

I got a little chance to explore the metropolis of Santo Domingo de la Calzada (population 6,600 not counting pilgrims) this evening.  I did find a little bar where I had paellas and vino tinto for 11 euros.  Yea!

Thank you all who are continuing to pray for a safe and fruitful pilgrimage for me.  The prayers are working but don’t stop yet.  You will be in mine.

Tom