The Way - Day 30

 Good morning pilgrims!  May this day be blessed - May your day be filled with joy - Leaving town we passed a monument to a pilgrim who died while biking the Camino - used his bike - said a prayer and started the morning

The down hill path continues before us - slippery shale even when dry - worse when wet 

The paths we walk - all have their ups and downs 

Uneven paths were very frequent along the Camino - only 20 percent of the Camino trail is on black top - the remainder paths like this - we are in the mountains - remember?

Careful Arlene you can do this - this downhill a bit harder  - again and again

thankful for trekking poles

Molinaseca  - back on flat ground 

Welcomed to town with a crucifix - the sign of Hope 

We are here - another small town - many on today's trek 

In God's eyes - we are all sheep looking for a leader - for us His name is Jesus 

Ponferrada - larger city - more to offer 

Knights Templar Castle 

Entrance to the largest alburgue we stayed at - 300 bunks 

Pilgrims soaking  their feet in the entrance fountain - seen frequently

Large amount of bikes at this alburgue - most we saw at one time in one place

Chapel at the alburgue - prayers - reflection 

It all started with one man - He had a dream - a dream that people could live and work together for the common good - that each person would be given the same respect - and in return show that same respect - that the color of one's skin or eyes - or the language that rolled off their tongue - or the food they ate - would make no difference - would cause no judgement - would not diminish the value of one's life. That man was - Jesus Christ - the Dalai Lama - Buddha - Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. - and many others. Throughout the world - peoples of all beliefs - and even those with no beliefs - have placed their trusts in their fellow man. For Christians - Jesus of Nazareth - was that man - for Saint James - Jesus was His Lord - for each of us who walks this Camino - to venerate the bones of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela - Jesus is the guide that calls us - as individuals - to become seekers - to seek Him - to seek His peace - to seek His answers - to all our life's questions.

In this Holy season of Lent - we the faithful - come seeking Jesus - just as people have done for centuries.  We all walk a different path - even when Arlene and I were walking the Camino - many hours praying together - still some hours apart - always close to each other - but allowed space for personal time - personal prayers - personal thoughts.  In this Lenten season each of us - need both community - private time - to pray - meditate - reflect - linger with Jesus. The beauty of this time that we all share together - Jesus is with each of us - no matter where we are - no matter what prayers we speak - don't speak - in Lent - we immerse ourselves in His Love - Forgiveness - Peace.  This journey continues. 

Buen Camino 

Deacon Dale 

The Way - Day 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 bum 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 - in Lent we accept those who journey with us even if slightly inconvenient 

At the donativo - everyone had to chip in with preparing dinner - slice & dice - chop - cook - set up 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.

Buen Camino 

Deacon Dale 

The Way - Day 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 knowing 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.

Buen Camino 

Deacon Dale 

The Way - Day 27

 Our albergue from the previous night was interesting in that instead of regular bunk beds - they had triple layer bunks. They were too high for us older 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 - on a few occasions spoke 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. Parlez vous francais? 

             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 - a pilgrimage blessing. 

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. 

Buen Camino 

Deacon Dale