Unbelievable--we have passed the centre of the Camino--over 400 km. Now it feels like we are walking toward home rather than away! We are still on the Meseta, which is kind of like walking the backroads of Perth County (only dustier) until you reach over 40 000 steps each day. What the Camino does have, that PC doesn't, is little hobbit houses. The sun was just rising as we entered Moratinos and spotted these wee dwellings carved into the side of the hill. They are actually Bodegas or little storage caves. But, I wonder, might Bilbo might still live there?😄 Another thing I wonder about is the motivation of pilgrims that walk the Camino REPEATEDLY:
• We are alone in a bar waiting for breakfast--only 15 minutes more until the croissants are fully baked. They arrive warm on the plate with soft, gooey chocolate sneaking out the sides. He comes in. He is clearly older than us. He carries an unusual staff. He tells us he buys the same staff every year from the same lady in Logrono and leaves it in Santiago before heading back to Ireland. "I know she knows I know it is made in China, but it is my tradition", he laughs. How many times? Fourteen since he retired. He says it keeps him sharp physically, mentally, and spiritually. Buen Camino. • We are eating again. Breakfast with fresh pressed orange juice. She is German. She has walked the Camino every year since 2007--but only part of it. She walks 15 days every year. She started from her small town in Germany. Next year her walk will take her all the way to Santiago. She will have walked over 3000 km. She says that each year it focuses her. Her service with the Catholic Church is important to her. Buen Camino. Well, today I said goodbye to my hiking shoes. It is clear that the swelling in my feet will not decrease enough in the next three weeks if I keep walking.They will reach Santiago before me by mail! Buen Camino my instruments of torture--see you when I get there. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. Dear H.S. Friends, Couldn't resist a little trip to the roof of the Bodega. Do you think it would be a cool place to hang out? Sincerely, Flat S Yesterday was rough--not the path--we were the problem. Dad lost his character buff (you know how he loves that buff)--Dad found his character buff. We took a wrong turn and had to retrace our steps....A BIG Camino downer......and the list of petty problems goes on! But then we were in Carrion at the Albergue supported by the Madres Clarisas. Santa Clara is credited with creating the first Nativity Set. Attached to the Albergue is a museum with over 1000; some stirring, some tacky, but all delightful. Let me tell you about some more of our best day-changers: • I arrive limping--the duct tape on my glasses has seen better days. Dad is bleeding from a head wound he achieved walking into a low door way. Our host approaches--shuffling. Two different coloured socks and two different flip-flops adorn his feet. His grey track pants are cut off Capri style. "Ray-mund from Canada?", he asks. Apparently Ray-mund was a very famous movie hero in the 1940's, or so we learn. He and a Dad are instant friends. We pay our 7 Euros each. He leads us to the windowsill where they keep the single door key for everyone to use. Then past the dorms up the stone staircase. Tucked away is a small room for two with a tiny window poking through the thick walls into the courtyard. A room of our own--with a real door and our own lights and electrical outlet--a real Camino blessing. • We call him Mr. Israel. He walks fast but often stops to talk. He is twenty-four. We have connected, but today was different. "Hot day, but I can't roll up my sleeves--just got a tattoo", he offers. Of course I am curious. He briefly pushes up his sleeve to show me "live;". He wonders if I know about the semi-colon. Yes, we have the semicolon campaign in a Canada too. He tells me that even though he is young he has had many physical and emotional struggles. I ask if the Camino helps. "Yes and No--somethings are clearer and some struggles are new ones", he says. He tells me he didn't want to put a word after the semicolon so that he could change it as his strength grows. Dad suggests, "Live Fully". He thinks that is quite good but that right now he is still working on "Live; on". Mr. Israel, our wish for you is that you can live intentionally and love extravagantly. Blessings. Allegedly St Francis of Assisi once stayed where we did last night. Which reminds me--Final shout-out Blessing of the day is for Tyler Schaefer (and Mary Smith). Your duet, Instrument of Peace, is at the top of our Camino playlist and is becoming somewhat of our anthem each and every day. The gift of music😄 You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. Well, this might be a different post. It is fair to say that everyone has their share of "stuff" that they deal with. For the most part I choose to be happy. One thing I am certain of in life is that I hold no special wisdom. But, yesterday someone said, "I keep thinking I want to hear “your story”... what you tell people along the way (besides that you know Robert Mark TarBush)!!!" So, I humbly present a "Mom" story:
• The sun promises to be hot today on the Meseta. We get up at 6 a.m. to walk in the darkness--maybe we can avoid the absolute heat of the day. Headlamps dot the path ahead. Many pilgrims have had the same idea. The breeze is still cool but we can feel the dust in every breath. We must climb a 12% incline before we reach the Alto Mostelates. As we crest the peak we turn for one last glance of the valley. In reverence I approach the edge of the path. The sun is rising above the city, above the castle, above the clouds. My young friend from St Jerome Quebec stands with me. My soul is overwhelmed--I begin to sing "The Splendour of the King.....clothed in Majesty.....Let All the Earth Rejoice...." We were on holy ground. Over 40 000 steps today. Many along the banks of the Canal de Castilla. Although the Canal is no longer used the trees it nourishes provided some shade. A wonderful day. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. Dear H.S. Friend, Just hanging around the Canal. Boats don't travel up and down it anymore but there is lots of rushing water. Have you been to the Welland Canal in Ontario? Sincerely, Flat S They say the Meseta messes with your mind. Endless plateau for ten days. Today was actually lovely. Just enough ruins and churches to break the monotony of the horizon. A lovely warm breeze and a few clouds to prevent the heat of the direct sun. Oh, and of course a few lovely bars with coffee and servicios--And my fellow pilgrims:
• Thirty-two beds in the Albergue. Nine are filled with Canadians. "It's Leonard Cohen's birthday", someone says. "He would be 83" comes from another corner of the room. "Dance Me to the End of Love....what I would give to hear Dance me to the End of Love", yet another Canadian pipes up. Of course, Dad has it on his phone. As Cohen belts out the poetic lyrics not a single one of us speaks. We are all transported to a time when both L.C. and ourselves were much younger. Great Canadian Moment?--I think so! Blessed by Cohen's "singing"?--another Camino miracle😄 • Quietly spreading some unidentifiable jam on my morning toast while I practice being thankful for toast. "Can you hold this sign for a picture", she says. She is from SOUTH Korea--she is very clear about the SOUTH. She wants us to know she is proud of her current government, appreciates peaceful protest, and believes in co-operation between Budists1, Budists2, Catholics, and Christians. "Do we know that South Korea also has a pilgrimage route?", she asks. Chimyeongja means someone who devotes his or her own life in spite of the cost. A pilgrimige to Chimyeongjasan Holy Ground to pray for Korean Catholic martyrs who died for their faith is South Korean Camino of sorts. I am humbled by how little I know of the suffering of others. Thank you. I continue to heal. I showered with a plastic grocery bag on my foot. Quite the sight at the Albergue. I am grateful to be able to keep walking. Another new friend went home yesterday--unable to continue. We are over 300 km now. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. We have entered the Meseta. As far as the Camino Frances is concerned the Meseta is the section on the plateau of Central Spain between Burgos and Astorga. The dreaded Meseta is hot and dry and it is important to carry tons of water. Some Pilgrims skip this section. For us it has been a day of blessing:
• At our morning coffee stop he bumps my chair. I say sorry. "You must be from Canada", he says. "Are those new shoes?" He is from Australia. He is 73 and has hiked most of those years. He has the same soft shoes. He shows me how to tie them properly. He tells me I need to change my socks every 10 km and watch for grit 😄 Later we find shade in a rare grove of trees. We have bread and fruit. He and his wife share cream cheese, tomatoes, and olives. It is a feast. They are a blessing in our lives today. • On the dusty road just outside of Burgos we enter a small church. It is dim--soft music is playing. Two sisters wait inside. One takes my hands. Although I do not understand every word I know I am receiving a blessing. She slips a small medallion with Mary over my head--for my travels. The other, well over 85, offers to stamp my credential...she also takes my hands...blesses me and smiles. I am feeling valued. As I leave the younger sister whispers, in English, "We are on Facebook!" • We arrive at our small Albergue in Hornillos. I sit beside a lady from Nevada. She has enjoyed the heat of the walk. She sees my blisters. "Let me get my brother--he is a Scouter--and a blister expert" He brings his kit. He drains and cleans my blisters and dresses them. I tell him that he is a blessing in my life today. He tells me that when he was walking he knew that today was the day he needed to "wash someone's feet". For my needs this turned out to be more than symbolic. We hug. The soft shoes are working well and so we keep on walking. You Are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. Dear H.S. Friends, I am on the Meseta and it it hot and dry. It is a Plateau. We drink a lot more water. Can you think of some other smart things we should do when we are walking in the hot sun? Sincerely, Flat L Leaving a two hundred year old Albergue and arriving in city centre Burgos was quite a contrast. There are really few words that could grasp the magnificence of the Cathedral--spires like Familia Sagrada and more side chapels than I have EVER experienced. However, I was definitely also fascinated by the gritty side of the city as we passed under the busy streets of the Burgos Burbs. And, of course the stories of the pilgrims:
• He is from Switzerland. By trade he was a butcher. In 1974 he spent a year in Toronto. His father called him back home to take over the family business. In 2006 he sold the Butcher Shop to his apprentice--his children did not want to carry on the tradition. He wanted to do something different ... meaningful. This is his second Camino. Both times Switzerland to Santiago. He has been on the road since July 9th. His advice on blisters, "Nothing lasts forever--Nothing." • She is from Winnipeg. She was born in Poland. Her father died young. Her insurance firm laid off twenty--she was one. Her mother is worried that she travels alone. "On the Camino you are never alone--lots of mothers", she says. Every day she prays for a different member of her family but some days she says she just needs to pray for herself. She asks me about KW--maybe we will be almost neighbours. Lots of kind wishes with regards to my blisters. I have included a picture for those not squeamish. Nope...nothing on them in the picture...just me....my disgusting feet...and be thankful it is out of focus😄 Took a taxi to a big box sports store today. The shoe-guy basically said "$&@#%" (rough translation from Spanish). He sold me the Camino equivalent to bedroom slippers--soft running shoes. So, sadly my beautiful hiking shoes now hang from my pack. Learning a lot about capacity and endurance. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. |
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Ray & Diane HomewoodSharing the Blessing of Travel Archives
January 2018
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