Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

I write this at the end of the day with aching feet in a single dormitory municipal Albergue. There is one sleeping Korean peregrina opposite me, everyone else has gone for food and beer. The pellet fuelled stove is pushing out some warmth and that is most welcome . This has been for me a long 22 km slog uphill and ended in traditional Camino style with a rocky path uphill twice as steep as the rest all day. In a touch of ironic Camino humour the fence at the side of this path is covered with crosses. A Via Crucis. A way of the Cross. 
I don't remember the TV pilgrims spotting that irony, or is it absolutely apt. Following on the footsteps of Jesus is not a walk in the park. It does aggravate spiritual blisters, it is wearing, and often it hits us as we long to reach the warmth and security of the next spiritual Albergue. 

Popular posts from this blog

Monastery of St Mary Magdalene

Image
A further walk up the hill in Sarria and I found at the top a monastery that last year celebrated 400 years of witness to the Christian faith. I rang the bell and gained admittance to cloister and the church. I am so glad I did. There was an incredibly peaceful atmosphere in the church. Just enjoy the photographs and through them drink in something of the sanctity of this place. How important such holy places are to the strengthening of our faith. Monasteries, Shrines, Churches, even church ruins or ancient abbey sites. Perhaps you have a special dial one that moves your heart?
Read more

Introduction

One way or another all of our lives are spent journeying. Whether it is the daily commute by bus, train or car, walking to school or whatever, we are always on the move. We travel from here to there, sometimes quickly, sometimes at a more leisurely pace. Occasionally we fly to a favourite holiday destination, or like some I know, a great distance just to do the day job. In the gospels we read of Jesus journeying from heaven to earth, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, Calvary and beyond. The gospel accounts record some of things that happened on the journey. Who Jesus met, what was said at the time, what else happened, and more often than not, what change took place as a result. If you pause and reflect for a moment, each of us has this experience on a daily basis. We meet other people, some known to us, some for the first time, and we journey through the day. Sometimes we discover new things about ourselves, about the way the world ticks or about life that affect how we view it, o
Read more

Carrion de Los Condes to Calzadilla de Cueva

Image
Today took us along an 8 km stretch of open countryside along a Roman Road to Calzadilla where we found an open municipal Albergue. What a joy as there were very few pilgrims there and it was sparkling clean. A walk around the hamlet (population 90), showed that lots of the buildings were traditionally constructed. The local earth when mixed with straw dries rock hard. I guess rather like a lime plaster. In our concrete loving world it was a reminder of more sustainable and eco friendly days. As these buildings fall into disrepair it is dust and timber that remains. It is also pretty simple to repair. The wood is local, the earth is local so low mileage transport too. I wonder how easy we find it to make that kind of decision? To think about the effects of our decision or to consider the environment and its future in our decision making? 
Read more