Ways to do the Camino part 2

Sunday September 29

By the calendar we have been walking pretty much non stop for a month!  It is actually 32 days - four weeks and four days - but who is counting?  Tonight we are in a Casa Rural - a lovely rural house that has great rooms, a beautiful garden, a swimming pool and bar and restaraunt.  More than all the comforts of home!  Our room has two double beds, nice linens and we have a bathroom with a bidet and bathtub!  You know what I did to unwind!

Our day started with a hot drink and we were on our way into dark, but dry skies at about 7:30.  The day was overcast all day and we ran into periodic light showers.  Every time I laboriously stuffed my dry  poncho into its sack, it rained again.

     Angel card ritual  - never face up!

After about two hours we arrived in Araua , the town where most of our friends spent the night before and had to go to three bar/cafes before we found a wonderful woman who cooked us some fried eggs.

                            

Fresh orange juice is everywhere!

We continued to walk in the drizzle and rain and came to a cafe for a  pit stop and removing my boots to give my feet a break.  Diana was feeling peckish again and decided to proceed ahead of us in a taxi.  Hanne and I continued to walk through cornfields and more wonderful eucalyptus forests.

Along the way, we discovered that fall is arriving in Spain as it is at home.  It is odd that September just flew by!

                            

My angel card today was 'integrity' and when I think of it as an adherence to moral principles and honesty, I have been surrounded by so much integrity in the last month.  The wonderful Spanish hosts who are so supportive of pilgrims and their walking to Santiago de Compestella and all the amazing pilgrims from around the world who have taken time out of their lives to make this walk are all so kind, generous and honest.  They feel so trustworthy.  So many guidebooks and people have said to protect personal belongings, but I have heard of no thefts.

I mentioned earlier that there are many ways to do the Camino and I described mostly the physical methods people employ.  Since that entry, I have another physical way to report.  A coupe of days ago when I was walking with Hanne in the rain, a man whizzed by us on a UNICYCLE!  He was by us before I could whip out a camera.  He was amazing - no handle bars, a pack on his back and sitting on a  seat that was impossible to touch the ground with his legs,  He was a beautiful sight!

Besides the physical, there are many ways to do the Camino.  We've met a few people who are clearly having a wonderful time partying - from the time they hit the albergue each afternoon, they start on cervesas (beers) and move to wine which is included in all pilgrims meals, then after dinner wine.  How they get up and walk the next day is beyond me, but they claim to be fine.  

Some people admit that they are doing the Camino because they want to loose weight or get more fit.  I am finding it not the place to loose weight, particularly if one eats the pilgrims meals.  Main dishes are almost always served with french fries and the desserts usually include flan or Torte de Santiago, the most delicious almond cake that I've described before.  I don't seem to be able to give up these desserts!

There are other people who are here because they are dealing with a loss - a divorce, death of a parent, of a spouse, a child.  We met a woman who lost two  children who had a rare form of ALS since they were 6 and were expected to live only 15 more years.  Both were in their 20s when they died and her daughter has wanted to do the Camino and asked her mother to bring her ashes, so her mother was walking for her.

We met a number of people who are in transition around work.  People who are retired, or people who need a break to reassess what their next steps are.  We have a common comment on the Camino that no one is expected to come up with answers or figure anything out on the Camino.  It seems that by having this time to be present and attentive to our lives today, that when we return to our "real lives" we will do the next right thing.

I have seen many small Bibles in different languages.  One German said he'd always wanted to read it, and thought this would be a good opportunity to do so. Still others are here for historical and cultural reasons.

We learned that many of the French who start in LePuy are very spiritual and start every day singing  a wonderful song:

Tous les matins nous prenons le chemins

Every morning we take the way

Tous les matins nous allons plus loin

Every morning we go further

Jour apres jour, le route nous appella

Day after day, the way calls us

Utreia, Utrea E Sus Eia Deus adjuvanas

Patricia, our French Camino sister taught us this and I have recorded her singing.  I wish I could post it on the blog.

One of  my blog readers sent an email wondering why I am doing this Camino.   I think, like many others, I am not sure - I just feel called to do it.  I may have thought it would be a good physical challenge at some point, but that didn't really motivate me.

As I mentioned in my first essay that I delivered in my church and posted on the  blog,  "Time for a Long Walk", I have been thinking of this for a long time and now seemed to be the appropriate time having "retired'" and loosing my father in January.  I am one of those people in transition.

I originally set some intentions for the Camino and I am happy to say, they have stayed with me and have worked out very well.  One was to be present to the Camino.  It is hard not to be present - the walking alone often demands ones' full attention and talking with others is often intense and it is essential to be present to others.

I was interested in seeing if I can live out of what I could carry on my back for a month or more,  I have found that I enjoy the simplicity of having less to take care of and the sense of freedom is wonderful.  I am sorry that carrying the pack was harder on my hip and the pain I had made it impossible to do it.  I am happy there are so many good alternatives.

Being grateful and appreciative for everything on the trip has been so easy.  I am so grateful that I can be here, that I can take the time to come, that I have the resources to do it and that I could bring so many people with me virtually.  It has been wonderfully supportive to have readers there and also commenting or sending me other emails.  I feel so blessed for everything.

The last intention was to be delighted and I have to say I have been!  It has been physically beautiful, people have been open and kind, and I think the delight comes when I have few expectations.  I am continually surprised and often delighted.

We are 19 km from Santiago - that is about 12 miles.  When I think that we started at almost 500 miles, I am dumbstruck.  Places that we walked through seem dreamlike at this point and when I think about it or talk with someone, I just start to cry.  As I said, there is something drawing me to Santiago that I can't explain except that I feel so incredibly open.

Tomorrow, we will be staying at a place where we will walk into the city in the morning.  It is an exciting and emotional time.  There will be other pilgrims welcoming us and we will do the same for others.

Hildy's shoulder surgery is scheduled for tomorrow,  She has been resting and is calm with a little more pain medicine.  I am holding that after the shoulder is rebuilt, she will have less pain and start to surface more.  Another step in her healing.

                           

                                 Fuscia trees!