El Camino - The Way #29

Another beautiful sunny morning - except for our very last day in Spain - no rain - mornings always cool --needed to wear our lightweight "puffy" jacket for the first hour - then put in our pack and walked in our short sleeves and shorts until quitting time - as we journey this Lent - always important that we are comfortable as we sit and read our bibles - say prayers - sit in adoration.  Removing distractions goes well for any spiritual exercise that we engage in.

Today our focus - the Cruz de Ferro - we walk through the small town of Foncebadon - it is interesting that as you approach a town you see a sign as above - when you exit that town you will see the same sign with a red line drawn through the name indicating you have left that town. On any pilgrimage - walking or virtual at home - in church - nice to know if you are entering or leaving. 

The approach to the Cruz de Ferro is a slight uphill - heading to the highest point on the Camino Frances - a comfortable walk - considering the heat and constant sun 

The Cruz de Ferro - Iron Cross - basically an iron cross on top of a 5 meter (16 1/2 feet) post in the ground. The hill surrounding the base is made up of small stones left by pilgrims. Some historians believe that it was a place used by the Celts even in pre-Christian times and that it was a part of an unknown ritual, while others believe that the ancient Romans used it to mark a border between two territories. Speculations abound, but the most popular belief is that the cross was put there by the Apostle James himself. As the tale goes - Saint James was passing through the land on one of his evangelical missions -  when he encountered pagan priests who were performing a ritual that involved human sacrifice. Full of righteous anger - he grabbed a stone from his pocket and threw it at the pagan altar. Guided by the Lord - the stone shattered the altar into a thousand tiny pieces - Saint James erected a large cross in its place to mark the power of the Almighty.

Regardless of what the actual truth is - Cruz de Ferro is beautiful to behold and climbing to the top of the hill will allow you to take in your surroundings from a different perspective.  One of the best things about the Iron Cross is that it allows you to partake in a very old - freeing tradition. When you approach it - you’ll see that it’s surrounded by small rocks of all shapes and sizes  - rocks carried from home by thousands of pilgrims - representing their own burdens - left at the foot of the Cross.  

Arlene leaving her rock - saying her prayers - Jesus I Trust in You

My turn next 

Photo to remind us of the prayers said - rocks left at Cross

Pilgrim Timeline info about the cross

Bus tours brings thousands of tourists to the Iron Cross 

Peregrina walking with a very tall priest in cassock 

Popular albergue at Manjarin

Note distance signs to places around the world 

So we met up with some horned cows - Arlene made a mad dash up the hill - harmless cow - not a bull - had wandered through a hole in the fence - told her to get back where she belonged - and she did!  Once she did - Arlene came down - we continued on

From The Iron Cross it was downhill on not a very friendly path - look a town ahead 

In town back on flat pavement

There are three types of alburgues

Privately owned - set fees - the most amenities - bed/shower/pools/kitchens - average €15

Public - owned by the city/village - bed/shower/kitchen - average €6

Donativo - run by churches - bed/shower/kitchen - free will offering €?

Very nice place - gave them what we would have paid at a private albergue

We stayed at the church albergue - told the hostess I'm 68 years and don't like top bunk - she replied I'm 69 - get your a** up there - 4 bunks in this space - shared with a group of Irish brothers who drank their full bottles of wine - enjoyed the loudest snoring ever heard - all night long

At the donativo - everyone had to chip in with preparing dinner - slice & dice - chop - cook - setup plates - one of the best meals we had. We enjoyed a pleasant community dinner tonight prepared by Priscilla from Brazil - - our hostess. Conversation centered on walking rocky paths with Katarina and her mother from Germany - Lucia from Poland - Eduardo from Barcelona - and a young lady from Oregon and her male companion from Denmark - while the gentleman at the next table from Ireland entertained the lady from New Zealand.  Another very interesting international evening.  We did mention that most speak English.  A very good feeling being with strangers with similar interests - similar to times when we attend church programs like Alpha - Jesus with all of us - wherever we might be.

Deacon Dale 

El Camino - The Way #28

When we were making our plans in 2013 to walk the Camino  - I had a discussion with one of my sisters in regards to a critique that Americans tend to walk in very long strides whereas Europeans tend to walk in shorter strides. She had just returned from an European vacation on which many of the Americans had difficulty walking up hills. The tour host had tried to teach them that taking small short steps would enable them to walk farther with less effort. Armed with that information - she thought we could use that knowledge on the Camino. The reality is that when walking the Camino - one will naturally employ the complete range available to any walker. One fact that we learned in training for the Camino and in designing our "Camino de los Santos" is that the average person's stride is approximately 30 inches which translates to 2000 steps in a mile. Using that number it is easy to calculate that the entire Camino of 500 miles translates into one million steps!  Some people are big on tracking steps - miles - kilometers - whatever distance they cover when walking - cycling - swimming.  Many in Lent track their number of rosaries - chaplets - hours in adoration - Mases attended - as markers along  their Lenten journey.  Whatever metric you do - do not use - is perfectly fine - helping you to track your success - progress during these 40 days.  Anything you can do to encourage - inspire you to stay the journey is just fine.  Leaving San Javier - a good night's sleep - we once again headed out into the unknown.  In Lent - baby steps - just fine as long as you continue to advance on your journey. 

San Javier community area - goodbye

First things first on any journey - nutrition - at home in Lent - breakfast - on the 

Camino - the first breakfast - looking for cafe con leche y tostada

Ask and you shall receive - bars serving coffee

and toast early in the morning - a must

 

 Heading out of Astorga - the Senda - a planned 

walking path away from the blacktop - fairly flat - easy

Only 249 Km to go - about two-thirds completed

For most of our pilgrimage - we were alone - occasionally meeting others who may 

have stayed with us or just passed us by - walking at a faster pace - not shadows

not bad at all - if you don't mind the constant sun and heat 

For sale sign - needs renovations - what we would tear down - in Europe - many consider a starting point.   Lent is sort of like that for some - having intended to start a devotion - quickly discarded - not know if they should restart - or start fresh - considering there are 40 days - always - when days are left - time to resume or start over - never say never - Jesus stands at your side waiting for you. 

The Cowboy Bar - Not much to look at - famous stopping point  for food and drink 

On any journey - always forks in  the road - take the high road or the low

Does not make a difference - Jesus - always with you which ever you chose 

Time to end the day - 5 hours walking - feet tired 

Time to visit the local church - say some prayers - a relatively easy walk today - with no major challenges - Tomorrow the highest point on the Camino and the Cruz de Ferro - The Iron Cross.  Another afternoon of drinks - snacks - dinner and bedtime.  As we end this day - final thoughts about Lent - time for reflection.

Deacon Dale 

El Camino- The Way #27

Our albergue from the night previously was interesting in that instead of regular bunk beds - they had triple layer bunks. They were too high for us old pilgrims to attempt - stayed in the lower level bunks.   They were setup with two sets of three layer bunks in an alcove. Although English - in one form or another - is the universal language - on the Camino there is a large number of people who are only able to communicate through a language not native to them. On numerous occasions I had to use my limited Spanish with a peregrino whose native tongue was neither English or Spanish - yet we were able to understand each other and communicate - both with limited Spanish - a testament to people seeking to communicate with others.  In Lent frequently we may be invited to share a spiritual experience that is foreign to us - joining others who are comfortable in that devotion - opens us to new prayer experiences.  

Albergue In Villadangos del Paramo

At the albergue In Villadangos del Paramo - I had to use my one year of college French to talk with a fellow from France - he did not speak either English or Spanish -  - I was afraid I would not understand - but was able to learn from him that he was traveling with his wife - that they had started their Camino in Le Puy, France and they lived in the southern part of France.  A Camino surprise - God blessing both of us.  Being open to God and what he has in store for us - countless blessing come forth. 

             Pureun - "Blue" From Korea

This same morning as we left the alburgue we also met a young woman from Korea - Pureun - who said I should call her "Blue" since her name in Korean translates into blue in English.  I asked her why she would use that - as I did not find her name difficult to pronounce - but - obviously she had other experiences to prove otherwise. She apologized for her bad English - but I had no problem learning that she was traveling alone - was a communication student who had decided not to continue at university because it was very expensive - and that she was coping with a tender knee issue - similar to Arlene's.  God - again opening doors when you let Him.

John and Sharon 

Along with Purean - we met a couple from California who were heading to Astorga with us - no language issue with them. 

Museum of the Camino 

Pilgrim statues at the museum 

Tonight's alburgue San Javier 

Dormitory style bunk beds 

Since our stopping time was about 4:00 PM we decided to stop here for the day - select our beds - drop off our back packs and spend a few hours wandering - three hours before dinner. 

Public plaza Astorga

Old Bell Tower

Santa Maria Cathedral 

Time to stop - say a few prayers - meditation time 

Afternoon Coke y tapas - saving the wine for dinner

Relaxing at a table we bumped into John and Sharon from California and shared afternoon snacks and decided to find a place for dinner together.  Dinner was great - lots of fun - went a little late when we realized that it was 10:00 PM and we remembered that the albergues close at that time - said a quick goodbye - raced off to find our albergue - in a panic we arrived about twenty minutes after ten - hostess calmed our nerves when she said - we don't lock up until 10:30 PM - thank God for small blessings - again.  We retired for the evening - saying a few extra prayers.  Lent provides plenty of these God moments - touching the Divine when we least expect.  When we open our eyes to the possibilities of what can be - wonderful things happen. 

Deacon Dale 

El Camino - The Way #26

Birthday time over - back on the trail today - blister or not we keep on towards our goal - this pilgrim statue reminding us why we are in Spain - our first priority - our pilgrimage.  Just as the current issue with COVID has derailed many of our plans - has also been a disruption with our Lenten journey - worrying about being tested - trying to register for the vaccine - considering the side affects - safety - to vaccinate - or not - for many - that is the question - drawing our attention away from prayers - quiet time - God

Statue outside Casa de los Botines 

As we left Leon we passed by the five star Parador®  - originally a monastery founded in the twelfth century to provide lodging for the pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.  It later became the headquarters of the Order of Saint James whose soldiers provided protection for the pilgrims.  The original building was demolished in the sixteenth century and the construction of the present building, on the original site, commenced in 1515.  This is one of the most beautiful Renaissance building in Spain. The carvings depicting religious and historical events on the 100 meter long facade are worthy of note.  As a hotel - featured in the movie The Way. 

The Parador

Statue of Pilgrim in front of the Parador leaning against 

the base of a cross - with sandals off

Close by the Parador we crossed another babbling stream - peaceful 

Rio Bernesga

As if there aren't enough natural mountains - hills and valleys in northern Spain we came

 upon a man made hill to take walkers over some streets and other obstacles

man made hill

Finally - the hills behind us - we came to a flat stretch - coincidence? praying a rosary at the time.  In Lent so many opportunities to say a rosary or chaplet on a moments notice - dotting the day with prayer 

Time for a rest 

The entire pilgrimage we have been walking near - alongside - over the roads along the Camino trail - now a short stretch under - in Lent do you always take the high road - open to diversions?

Tunnel under highway 

Then there were rocks - rubble 

Dry rocks 

Walking along the highway 

Most of the Camino tracks through the bare countryside - often through farm fields - with permission of the farmers - just stay on the trail - do not damage crops 

Alternate transportation - yes ahead

Village time 

Break time  food & drink 

Back on the trail - more and more - again 

At this point we were tired of the sun - heat - feet getting tired-  Albergue some where ahead - ready for a shower - vino y tapas - sleep.  

Deacon Dale 

El Camino - The Way #25

Our second day in Leon - celebrating my birthday - a second chance to allow my blister to heal - stubborn little guy - a good night sleep in a private room - no snoring - no people wandering in the middle of the night - no flashlights in our eyes early in the morning - a very good birthday present indeed.  Any day in Lent when things go your way - no interruptions with your prayer time - quiet time is a good day - one to be appreciated - little blessing from God - always a gift. 

Posing for Arlene - Public gazebo in the square 

On this special rest day - no backpack to carry around - instead a very light bag to carry a few necessities - a tourist day for my birthday - looking for a suitable place to get our morning cafe con leche and a pastry - not normally found on the Camino trail. 

Bingo - a pastry shop

Back to our starting point to view more statues and fountains

Popular Round-a-bout

In Burgos we had found a bench with a pilgrim statue

Here in Leon a similar bench - combination with a statue of Anton Gaudi the architect  

Arlene and Gaudi  

Discussing plans with Gaudi for Familia Sagrada in Barcelona 

We found it interesting while wandering that we would find an American restaurant - at least one named Hollywood - Continually throughout Lent surprises seem to pop up almost daily - make one's Lenten journey more interesting - what has surprised you? 

Authentic American?  Did not go in 

Our Hostel Orejas for our stay in Leon

Luckily our hostel was centrally located for all our wandering while in Leon - close to everywhere we wanted to visit - easy to find at night - right on the Camino trail - so ends another day of pilgrimage

Deacon Dale