One Last Pit Stop (hopefully)

Reaching the geographic halfway point a few days ago was a notable point in the journey and it was neat to get a document marking the occasion. My camera is being weird and not focusing well closeup, so here’s the best photo I can manage to get.

After reaching Sahagun, the halfway city, I decided to take a taxi up to Leon, the next major city on the Camino and the last one until reaching the final goal of Santiago. I figured a couple of days rest for my feet and a good bit of extra time for prayer for my soul would be a great help as I make the final push to Santiago. My rest has been good and the cathedral here is quite edifying. Sadly, many of the churches and Cathedrals along the Camino have become more like museums - or are actual museums. Over and again I’ve seen ancient side altars have been removed, the altar crosses on the many altars consolidated to a decorative display, chalices put in cases never to be used again for the Holy Sacrifice, and the dwelling place of God turned into a history and architecture lesson. Thankfully the cathedral here in Leon has opened itself to visitors to show the beauty of its art and architecture but without separating them from the faith that is their foundation. Altars still intact, even if not currently in regular use, show the importance of faith at every turn. The hours spent there in Our Lord’s Eucharistic Presence have been a true joy.

Tomorrow I’ll hit the trail once again following the little shells and arrows that show the way. This is one of the more remarkable things about the Camino: that you can literally walk to the other side of the country only by following arrows and shell markers. I’ve reflected often on the way that these arrows are much like the voice of God. The arrows are always there, but the pilgrim must be attentive so as to see them. If I am caught up in myself and not attentive, I can (and have) easily gone astray. And the markers come in a whole variety of forms: metal shells in the ground, sign posts, concrete markers, spray paint on building or streets, and simple posts with a shell on them. Much the same can be said of the Lord who speaks continuously but requires attentiveness to hear and speaks in many and varied ways so that each of us might come to recognize his voice. As I continue on the Camino, recognizing the markers has become much easier. And as I continue to follow the Lord’s voice, I am increasingly able to know more what the Lord desires of me in the moment. Who knew that some yellow paint would cause me to think so frequently about the life of faith and prayer?!

As I hit the road tomorrow, I set my eyes on the goal: Santiago de Compostela. If all goes well, 12-13 days will find me walking into the plaza of the Church of St. James. I am excited at the prospect, but know that I still have some intense roads ahead. Thank you all for your prayers that keep my feet moving along the way. May the Good Lord reward you! My prayers are with you too.

St. James, pray for us!

Oh, (almost) Half Way There!

I feel like I’ve been walking forever, like the road has to end soon and Santiago will be there before my eyes. And yet tomorrow I’ll reach Sahagún, the official halfway point of the Camino Frances that I’m walking. Halfway. To be honest, I’m ready to be done. The Camino is hard. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. For that reason I know it will be fruitful for me in the weeks ahead even as it already has been over these last 17 days. But who enjoys the Cross when you’re on it? Not I, says this pilgrim.

A recap of the last few days may be in order. Since my previous post, the title of which apparently caught some folks attention, I’ve gotten to the Meseta, the open plains part of the Camino. It began a few days back when I hit the trail in Tardajos. I began to see some of the church bell towers decorated by the nests of the great storks that live in the area and enjoyed a good walk through the hills. The meseta in some spots is a rather wide open place with little shade, very few trees, and towns far apart from each other. That’s where I found myself in 49 degree weather with a steady strong wind when I got to use my rain gear for the first time. Pulling on my poncho and pressing forward for a good hour or so, I arrived in the next town barely able to feel my hands and hoping to find a good cup of hot coffee and a place to lay my head. I found both in a great little albergue right on the edge of town. So more time resting with the Lord at the parish church helped warm the body and also the heart. It was a rough day and I was grateful for the open door of the church.

A Poncho on the Padre

The next morning I set out, feeling pretty good and ready to take on the (rain-free) day. There was a pleasant walk in the morning where all of us pilgrims walked one behind the other like ants on the roadside as we made our way to the next town. It was neat to see pilgrims walking quietly with 20-30 yards of space in between all there for various reasons and seeking different things, yet walking in each others footsteps. Passing through the next town, we saw before us what Louisiana eyes would call a mountain. Motivated by Jocko Willink and his Extreme Leadership audio book, I made my ascent with relative ease and felt a huge sense of accomplishment when I arrived at the top. The view was incredible, especially seeing the terrain I had just covered. The other side greeted us with an 18% grade descent! Talk about get the blisters aching! The descent ended quickly and the rest of the walk was rather enjoyable until the last couple of miles when the gravel road became dirt path with large stones embedded in it, making it really hard on the feet. The family-run albergue was pleasant and they had a cat! I inquired about a Mass for the day, being a small town, and they said there was no Mass. I went to the church and was delighted to find that there was a pilgrimage group coming in to offer Mass! The Lord provides for His children in the most unexpected of ways! That night I met Michelle and Jennifer, a mother and daughter from California, whom I have become fast friends with.

A view from the top of the ‘mountain’

The next morning I enjoyed a cup (more like a bowl) of coffee and some toast at the table accompanied by the house cat. The cat was perched on the table but shooed away by the owners, so it kindly took a seat in a chair as if expecting to be served a plate along with the rest of us. It was a great delight to many of us. I set out along with Michelle and Jennifer and we made our way along the senda, a pilgrim walkway that parallels the highway for miles. It was an enjoyable walk as we saw a herd of sheep making their way to green pastures, a couple of geese greeting folks at an albergue entrance, and some beautiful blue skies with a nice breeze pushing us along. We dined on some delicious grilled sausage that reminded me of home and has me looking forward to some good food come December when I return home.

Today was a pretty good day as well. The blisters still bother me a bit and some pain in my foot other than blisters has me slowing down for a couple of days to make sure I don’t push too hard and hurt myself. Overall, things are well, but I am sure looking forward to my additional pilgrimages to the Shrine of Saint Philomena and Our Lady of Knock next month and to my return home the great United States. Until then, this pilgrim will keep on walking and praying for all of you good people taking your time to read this.

St. James, pray for us!

Hanging Out at the Bar, etc.

I realized from a comment made in response to these blog posts that maybe I should talk about the bars that I enjoy almost every day. For those who may be a bit concerned that I have mentioned going to bars in several posts, rest assured I am not on a pub crawl or keg party disguised as a pilgrimage. The bars that I mention do usually have a few different bottled beers available and a beer or two on tap, but they’re also the main places in town where you can get a hot cup of coffee, some breakfast, fresh fruit, a cold coke, a loaf of bread, a sandwich for lunch, a refill on water, or some ice cream, and sometimes a more susbstantial meal. It’s basically ‘restaurant light’ where you get a little something to hold you over until the larger meals. That said, I do enjoy a beer (literally one beer) most days because it’s refreshing and I enjoy trying different beers.

The past few days have been pretty good. I’ve gotten a couple more blisters but I’m learning to live with them and have a little extra suffering to offer up for those who have asked for my prayers, as well as parishioners & benefactors, family & friends. My feet are just fine compared to many others, so I am grateful for that gift from the Lord.

A couple of days ago I left from Santo Domingo de la Calzada (did you read about the chicken story?!) and made my way to Belorado, where I was able to settle in at the albergue and have a bit of extra time to go pray at the parish church. The first 10 days or so were pretty good but I found it hard to find enough time to really pray because the schedule is pretty full if you’re trying to finish the pilgrimage in 35 days or so. I’ve noticed that I’m getting comfortable with the rhythm, know better what to expect, and find that there are more churches open in the towns. This is helping me pray more like I had hoped and, I trust, bringing me closer to Stage 3 of the Camino (as described by the albergue volunteer last week): Spiritual Life. Even the guidebooks indicate that the city where I am today seems to be the starting point of when relationships really grow, both with God and with others.

I skipped ahead there, so a little info on the actual walks. On Saturday I ascended a nice incline over the course of an hour and found myself in a place that felt like Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings). The paths in the woods were such that I was awaiting a shrill cry and a stampede of ring wraiths. I was confident that the pine forest I traversed would soon witness the passing of an army of elves. The wide open rocky ground at the top of the mountain was prime ground for an orc invasion. Thankfully none of those things happened, although the elves would have been nice to meet. It was a long walk but the imagination along the way and some rockin’ music to get my blood pumping helped make it bearable.

Yesterday I walked into Burgos, one of the major cities along the Camino. Yesterday was not a fun day, as most of it was just pounding my feet on pavement trying to get to the hotel on the opposite side of the city. It’s amazing how long it can take to walk through cities. For a few minutes I felt like Jonah walking through Nineveh, a rough-looking pilgrim marching through a city of nicely dressed people. Maybe I should have started preaching repentance along the way? Maybe in the next big city.

I decided to stay in Burgos a bit longer instead of immediately heading out this morning. I was able to concelebrate the daily Mass at the cathedral, go to confession (in Spanish!), spend some good time in prayer, tour the cathedral museum area, and found a chapel dedicated to Saint Ann where I prayed for all of my parishioners back home. With the day half done and all the nearby albergues full, I decided to take a taxi to the next town 6 miles away and I’ll resume the walking tomorrow morning. 12 days done, 21 or so more to go.

Thank you to all of you who are offering prayers for me. I don’t know if I’d make it without them.

The Chapel of St. Ann in The Burgos Cathedral.

Back in Black. And Blue.

No, AC/DC is not the playlist of the day. And I’m not covered in bruises. Black & Blue are the colors of my walking clothes and I got to wear them again today!

I see lots of sunrises here. They’re nice.

Those keeping up with my journey on here know that I decided to walk a marathon on Monday. It was not the smartest thing I’ve done this week. I got a couple of blisters and hurt my foot while trying to avoid walking on the blisters. I was worried that I’d really don’t some damage, but it seems like the worry was unwarranted. I walk a normal day of 14 or so miles Tuesday and decided to cut that back to walking only 6 Wednesday. On Thursday I decided to take a taxi about 40km (and one mountain) forward to a place of relatively level ground and rest completely for the day. It seems to have done me good because I hit the trail again this morning and got 14 miles in and had a bit of discomfort but no serious pain. Thank you all for the prayers!

The day off yesterday was a good one. I got to write in my journal and get caught up on that so I could have a good account of where I was and things I saw. I enjoyed what is probably the best meal I’ve had on the Camino so far. A little bar restaurant near my albergue had some sort of veal steak on the menu that looked appetizing. So I ordered a pint of beer, a steak (medium rare, of course), some fries, and some sautéed bell peppers. And something that they called ‘French toast’ for dessert that was absolutely incredible. I just sat there reading book and enjoying the incredible meal all the while sitting next to the cathedral. I was also blessed to get into the cathedral to pray for a while and even got to walk through the Holy Door there. It turns out the town where we were staying (Santo Domingo de la Calzada) is named after a Saint who was born in 1019, so they’re celebrating the millennial anniversary with a Holy Year. Plenary Indulgence? Yes, please! Also, Santo Domingo has an interesting story about him and some chickens; might be worth a google search. 🐔

Today has been really cool, almost cold. It was really windy and at midday is finally getting into the 60’s. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ll never complain about that kind of weather! Little signs of God’s love. It’s about time to get my clothes cleaned up and to get some food & drink in this body of mine to prep for tomorrow.

There are lots of sunflower fields here and sometimes people make smiley faces or ‘write’ their initials by removing the seeds. I saw this flower and thought ‘hey, that’s me!’ 😀

Now Entering Stage 2

Last night in the albergue (hostel) where I was staying the volunteer serving there told us there are three stages to the Camino.

1) “Why am I here?”

2) Physical Suffering

3) Spiritual Growth

I’m officially in Stage 2. On Monday I decided that I was going to kick it up a notch after having a great walk on Sunday. So I walk 49,000 steps. 26 miles. That’s a full marathon. And that’s was my entry point to Stage 2. But let me back up a bit.

Monday was a crazy day. I woke up at 5:15am (with no alarm clock!) and got ready to hit the trail. I found three of my companions from the night before ready to do the same and so we headed out in the dark. We made good time in the cool of the morning and were well on our way to an early finish for the day. Now, all along the journey there are water fonts in the towns for people to get water - pilgrims and townspeople both. This is normal. What’s not normal is the town of Irache that had a WINE fountain to fill water bottles as well. Yes, folks, a fountain that served delicious red wine for free to fill whatever container you bring! After filling up a water bottle full of wine, I continued up the road with my friends when we came to a decision point. They had a place booked for the night in a town in one direction and I wanted to make a longer trek in the other. They went their way and I decided to rest my feet and enjoy my wine and bread for lunch. As I sat there I was greeted by many fellow pilgrims, I met a fantastic couple (Peter & Kristen) who are doing a podcast on faith and interviewed me for it on the roadside, and I made friends with a very friendly donkey that a pilgrim was walking with along the Camino. After all of those wonderfully random experiences, I decided to set off for the longer trip, thinking I had extra time to cover extra miles.

I walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. Then I got a quick break at a bar for a couple of cokes and some tortilla (it’s like pie made with potatoes). And then I walked. And walked. And walked. I’ve discovered that distances on paper sound much easier than when you have to actually walk them with a big pack on. And by the time I got to the albergue to stop for that night, I was limping to try to keep pressure off the blisters that were forming on my feet, not to mention pretty red from a sunburn. The next day, Tuesday, I backed off a bit and my friends from the previous day caught up with me as I was trying to let my feet breath a bit in the midday breeze. I hopped up and walked along with them and we stopped at what was for me mile 14. By the end I was hurting pretty bad and the hobbling to avoid blister pain was making other parts of my foot hurt. I decided to take today even easier and walked 7 miles before stopping for the day. I figured that the day was shot and was getting kinda bummed about overdoing it, fretting whether I would be able to finish, and considering lots of ‘what if’ scenarios. It seems I had not learned my lesson to be reasonable about what I could actually do and not. But the Lord is patient. As I was sitting at a table in a little alleyway tonight reading a book while waiting for a restaurant to open for dinner, I hear my name. I look up to find Peter and Kristen, the couple who interviewed me for their podcast. I invited them to join me and we had a great conversation over a delicious dinner, cold cokes, and gelato. As we sat there talking, laughing, and contemplating this journey we are collectively making, I marveled at how the Lord works. I was caught up in so many worries and thoughts in my head and He reconnected me with these two friends who helped me to set my eyes where they ought to be - The Lord.

I’m not entirely sure what tomorrow holds, but I trust that the Lord will lead me to where he wants to be. Like a donkey on the trail.