El Camino - The Way #40

Bridges - When is the last time that you crossed over a bridge and gave it a second thought - the age - materials used in construction - style of construction - intended use - technology - design engineer - contractor - construction crew - maintenance - terrain - locations being connected - who or what will use it - only a short list of factors to consider when designing and justifying the cost of the project. Bridges transport - people - vehicles - animals - materials - finished goods - individuals - communities. They connect one geographical point to another - strangers to friends - friends to foes - lovers to each other.  On the Camino - we walked or passed by so many bridges we lost count - on this day our trek promised to have us engage four or more bridges - large and small - as well as other Galician delights.  The most important thing about bridges - they connect individuals - like bridges - the Camino connects people - hopefully in these small bridges of new relationships between participants - the entire world would benefit.  In Lent - those we encounter help to create a bridge between ourselves and Jesus. On this Pam Sunday may we draw closer to Jesus as we enter the Holiest of weeks. 

Water fountain in square by the albergue 

Every Neighborhood Has a Square - Every Square Has a Prominent Cross

Entrance to a cemetery 

Leaving Town on the High Road

49 kilometers to Santiago - Note St Gianna Prayer Card on Top

One of our intents on the Camino was to spread the word about Saint Gianna Bretta Molla - so we had been handing out prayer cards we had printed - to everyone we met - leaving at most of the albergues we stayed at -  underneath the cash tip we left at restaurants and cafes. When we finally got to the 50 kilometer marker - we started leaving the cards at every way marker that was accessible - one every half kilometer - by the time we reached Santiago - we had distributed over 150 prayer cards on these markers. After we reach Santiago we  continued on to Finistre and left the final cards there - all totaled - we distributed 600 prayer cards. Some of these cards were left in the prayer card racks in various churches - so with God's blessing - a lot of people will have been introduced to one of our more modern saints.  

Rocks stacked together - the water runs between and under them - bridge 

Slippery when wet 

Serve yourself fruit stand - honor system 

Camino shell everywhere 

Flowers or weeds? 

Tree surrounded by house - needs renovation 

Outdoor Mass for German pilgrim group

Cows watching Mass - Holy Cows 

Modern bridge 

40 Km way marker complete with stones & prayer card 

Approaching town - Medieval wall - albergue - dinner 

Restaurant sign promoting octopus - Pilgrim Menu - Raciones - a plate of tapas - snacks

Cooking Paella outside the restaurant - the smell attracts customers  

raw octopus 

At this point we had three more days left to walk to the Cathedral at Santiago to reverence the bones of Saint James.  We tried the paella and the pulperia/octopus - paella was ok - not a fan of octopus - tended to be very rubbery - very difficult to cook so we were told. Just because we have a difficult experience or mediocre meal does not mean that we immediately reject in the future.  Bad prayer experience? Try another.  Religion - spirituality is not a one size fits all - as individuals - God comes to as in ways that connects with our spirit - not necessarily with all.  For each there is a WAY - not identical - rather similar.

Deacon Dale 

El Camino - The Way #39

And on the next day - morning did come - as anticipated.  Almost everyone is familiar with shrink wrapped products - the most common are found in the vegetable and meat aisles in the grocery store. The shrink wrap process has been developed so well that many other industries and products now benefit from shrink wrapping - multiple units of the same product - similar and related products may be wrapped together - especially when introducing a new product. Today while walking - we came across a field where the farmer had shrink wrapped his hay crop. We have seen other systems used to protect hay during the winter months - this was the first time we have seen hay wrapped in plastic. 

On occasion - we will come across people who have shrink wrapped their faith - faith that carried them for a period of time - then for no reason - wrapped neatly in a package - placed on an upper shelf - in the closet of their heart - waiting - for an awakening.  Perhaps in this Lent season we may be the one to help them remove that wrapping - to rediscover their faith. 

Hey Hey - Hay 

Saw this sign early in the morning - never found out how to pronounce - not a worry just like reading Scripture - some words - cannot pronounce - as long as you learn the meaning

Morning fog so dense it looks like a lake 

Display of giant sized ants 5 feet tall 

Another One 

And another..

And......

Mary and Jesus 

Dancing Pilgrims - Celebrating?

Debating which way to go?

Our Destination - One hour drive - three days walk - 65 Km to go 

Corn crib - drying & storing corn 

Way Marker with St Gianna card & stones 

Way Marker sponsored by group caring for the Camino 

13 Kilometers down - only 52 Km to go 

Medieval Bridge over quiet waters - time to look for an albergue

All Smiles - Wine & Tapas coming up 

End of day prayers 

Today was a hot 23 kilometer walk - lots of sun - again - no giant hills to climb - one rough patch with rocks and stumps to cope with - otherwise a good day.  Even when we come to a road block in our lives - we are delayed a short time - work through whatever might be - then continue on.  Our days in Lent getting shorter - there is a light at the end of the tunnel - or in our case walking the Camino - at the end of each day a bed.

Deacon Dale 

El Camino - The Way #38

One of the great conversations among those who are considering walking the Camino is foot wear - style - type - brand - high top - low cut - heavy weight soles - lightweight - shoes or sandals - flexibility - socks - and more.  Once on the Camino - one learns that your precious footwear which you invested a lot of money on - has to be left at the albergue entrance - cannot take to your bunk - at risk of being taken either accidentally or intentionally.  Rarely - pilgrims with old or uncomfortable footwear will leave theirs in the rack and take somebody else's.  More often in the early morning in the dark - someone accidentally takes a pair similar to theirs but not theirs - causing destress and anxiety.  Because we wanted to ensure that this did not happen to us - we made it a point to tie our shoes together with the laces and then tie our two pair together making it difficult for anyone to accidentally take the wrong four shoes in place of their two.  Foot care is very important on the Camino - especially when you get blisters. As noted in an earlier post - the complete Camino - from the Pyrenees to Santiago is about one million steps.  Since we did not start in France and walk over the mountains into Spain - we would only have about 800,000 possible steps maximum.  In reality I only got one blister - one that refused to heal since I was continuing to irritate that area on a daily basis.  Here now - at home on our Lenten journey - a spiritual trip - so easy for us to make changes - when we experience a misstep - changes to our our plans easy - able to continue towards our goal. 

Will my shoes be there in the morning?

There are a bunch of bridges in this area due to the high water level - now that level much lower so it makes one wonder what happened to the water

Bridge system 

Back on solid ground 

More morning fog 

Nice web 

What wove this? 

Trail along the highway 

Place to rest sore feet - eat a snack 

Cemetery 

We are not alone no matter what path we follow 

Welcome to our villa 

John Deere tractor sales - familiar sight reminds of home 

Should we stay or should we go - we went 

Close to village - blacktop - time to think about stopping 

After 17 Kilometers - Vino y tapas  - we stopped - 3 cheeses - 3 meats - bread - wine 

Our albergue for the night 

Hello stranger - are these for us?

Nice looking horse

This day ended with us sipping wine - munching on cheese & meats - waiting for dinner time.

Throughout Lent it is important that we nurture not only our spirits but also our bodies - although fasting - by consuming less is good - completely avoiding food is not exactly what is expected. When we deny ourselves of all food - drink - it often becomes counter productive - creating an anger inside - that we have to starve.  The goal is spiritual enlightenment - drawing closer to God - not anger because somebody decided you had to go hungry or thirsty.  Each individual has to make that decision for themselves - not for others.  As for us on Camino - we went to the  local restaurant and as normal ordered the pilgrim Menu complete with a full bottle of wine.  Bedtime - night prayers - morning will come again - all too early. 

Deacon Dale