2017 Camino - Trip Report #3 - Sahagun, Spain (halfway mark)

i have made it halfway across spain ... going about 15 mikes a day over all kinds of terrain, mostly flat open farmland and countryside,. there were lots of mountains in the beginning  but central spain is pretty flat. today marks the exact halfway point of my adventure... time is funny here, i feel like i've been here forever but at the same time the days fly by so quickly i don't even remember what day it is. hard to believe i have been walking all day every day for over two weeks ....

my feet and body are feeling strong & good. i have a few blisters but totally manageable. my upper back gets tired in the afternoons with the pack and lifting  the walking sticks, but sometimes i send my pack ahead to the next night's hostel for 5euro - a special treat. 

it's an amazing experience. best thing i ever did. i wish i had more time to write about it. too tired at night & too busy during the day meeting people from literally every part of the world. i sleep well even in the public hostels and have adapted to the widely varying degrees of privacy in the hostels. every morning i wake up full of energy & ready to go no matter how tired i was the night before. it's amazing what this body can handle. feeling lean & strong. haven't taken a full day off yet, but a few half-days. i listen to my body and as long as it wants to keep going, i will. 

i parted from my australian friends bernie (77) & his granddaughter maddy (25) today after a week traveling together - we were very compatible travel companions & had a marvelous time -- but, in the way of the camino, we all just knew it was time to move on without even having to articulate it. i am a little sad & missing them tonight, but also glad to have my personal space back. by far that is my biggest challenge both in life and on the camino - getting too easily hooked into other people & their needs.

bernie is lifelong catholic, but has a simple honest faith that seems irrelevant to any religious structure. i found myself so drawn to his kindness, warmth, and open heart - a bright spiritual light. i asked him to bless our meals every night -- sometimes even when we were in a larger communal meal setting -- and his sincere, un-self-conscious, warm gratitude & blessings invariably brought tears to my eyes and moved everyone who heard them. (in fairness all my emotions are closer to the surface since i've been here -- the camino has been great for offloading stored grief). he is a simple, unassuming man who sincerely loves people (go figure) and has a kind word for everyone. i don't understand how some people make it to his age - 77 - without being beaten down and cynical. we have had a number of deep conversations about faith. i told him he should have been a priest. anyway ... spending much of this week with him was a real gift. his granddaughter maddie walked the camino alone last year & returned to accompany her grand-dad this year. neither of us can keep up with him -- he's a machine! 

on easter morning we were staying in a 13th century convent -- that thankfully had been fitted out with all modern brand-new fixtures -- our room had about 10 pilgrims in it. during the night maddie quietly went around and left chocolate easter eggs next to everyone's backpacks ... very sweet. on easter morning when i opened my eyes the first thing i saw was the lavender & pink predawn sky outside the convent window, with the last stars shining over the silhouette of an old church tower...just beautiful.  

i am filled to overflowing with gratitude almost every day... the camino is an amazing experience ....

one afternoon we stopped for a break in a tiny medieval village nestled into a small valley... i saw this cat sitting on the rocks ... 

we popped into the village church on that thursday before easter just to have a look - and i was immediately drawn to a corner in the back where a big sand tray with candles was set up, surrounded by cushions on the floor and bibles in 7 or 8 different languages. Never seen anything like that in a catholic church -- it was just lovely & so much more inviting than the hard regimented wooden pews so common to all churches. Maddie and i immediately lit candles and then sank onto the cushions ... i sat there the longest time soaking up the lovely vibe ... finally got to meditate (which is impossible in the hostels with them rushing you out the door by 8am)  -- then a priest gently interrupted and asked if he could give me a cross on a cord that had been blessed for Holy Week... he quietly placed it around my neck. it was such a kind and unexpected gesture, i was just overwhelmed & could not stop the flood of tears that came up .... not all churches have this effect on me but a few of them do.

April 18, 2020 - Sahagun

i have been reflecting a lot on my catholic upbringing and how odd it was... how spiritually dry and devoid of light. (no -- i am not becoming catholic again -- but i am definitely feeling more connected to spirit here). Catholicism is such a violent, massive, and anachronistic edifice.... there are so many giant gothic churches here even in the tiniest towns.... who would have the balls to stand up and say "this is bullshit!"? as a little kid i sure didn't. i have seen statues of medieval saints wearing EXACTLY the same heavy black nun garb with white wimple that my first grade teacher Sister Francis Ann wore... as a kid i was cowed by all the pomp & circumstance ... and yeah i kinda think that's the whole idea with catholicism. control the masses with grandeur and images of bloody Christ on the cross and martyrs being beheaded, flayed, and flogged (that shit is EVERYWHERE in Spain). Purely from a marketing standpoint -- if one wants to win hearts & minds & convey the loving message of Christ, this AINT the way to do it. bernie & i had versions of this conversation several times last week. he always just smiled and continued beaming his warm loving light. he's on to something that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Tarantino-esque Catholic iconography. i still don't know what it is but there's no denying it is a real thing...

adios for now. i wrote this last bit while taking a break for lunch with my feet up in a rare vegetarian cafe -- walked 9.4 miles so far today and another 6 to go before the next town ... sorry i haven't written more, but rest assured i am having the time of my life. 

2017 Camino - Trip Report #2 - Roncesvalles to Pamplona

i'm having a fantastic trip -- just loving every step of the camino. 11 mi yesterday (Roncesvalles to Zubiri), 13 mi today (Zubiri to Pamplona)-- no blisters or muscle strains, just very tired at the end of each day. the Spanish countryside is amazing -- so lush and green. many kinds of forests and open mountain vistas, quaint medieval buildings/hamlets everywhere, beautiful old stone bridges, also cows, sheep, horses,  ducks, all kinds of birds (including this little red robin who actually sat right next to me for while while i was taking a break). 

so glad i came in spring. it's been deliciously cool and fresh (40s-50s-60s) and there has been some rain each day, but all the ridiculously  expensive outdoor clothes i bought are doing their job and i've been toasty & dry but not overheated. i packed just enough stuff. 

have met people from all over the world. the camino can be very social but you can also unplug & be alone & no one is offended if you just walk away, either on the trail or in the hostels. i spent most of today alone on the trail, only occasionally seeing other peregrinos. then i stopped for lunch at a random cafe and i knew half the people in there. it's a blast. kind of like a cruise in a way. everyone's in a great mood. there are lots of retired folks doing the camino - kinda blown away how fast & fit they are. i could barely keep up with an English couple i befriended - she's 70 and he's 80! they shared part of their lunch with me -- chocolate and some amazing cheese. people are so nice!

i brought my ipod because i thought i might get bored walking all day, but i haven't used it at all. just listening to nature is awesome. 

the hostels are all very different. some very private & quiet, others noisy. So far they are super clean & all have had high quality mattresses (thank god - this is so important when we're putting our bodies through so much). Tonight i'm in one that has "pods" for beds so i can have the illusion i'm alone. delightful. 

 i'm sooooo glad i did this....

falling asleep typing this (it's 9:30pm) just wanted to fill u in & send a few pix. I LOVE SPAIN