Destination Santiago Peregrino 60

 Orito - Montefort del Cid - Novelda - Elda After an excellent online morning devotion together our "Support Crew" took us back from my home to Orito and so we began there at around 7.30 am where had ended the previous day. It was cooler at this time and we followed Avenida San Pascual Bailon towards the west. The first place of note was the Ermita on the edge of the village where San Pascual had received a vision of the Blessed Sacrament. As we followed the road we discovered that there were Stations of the Cross at the wayside along the route to Montefort del Cid. A clear reminder that we were not the only ones to have travelled this way. How easy it is to forget sometimes that usually we are not the only ones to have a particular experience nor had this or that particular problem. As we were entering Montefort, at the side of the road was a reminder of the dangers all can face from time to time. Fortunately this snake was quickly identified as usually harmless... We found ...

 Elda - Sax - Santa Eulalia - Villena NOTE: Please read the Orito - Elda post FIRST then this one. Sadly I couldnt change the order on this blog... oops... An earlier start today we left home just before 6 am and our Support Crew dropped us at the Ermita San Anton around 6.30 am and we were on our way. As we climbed out of Elda up past the Hospital and into the countryside once more we had a fabulous sunrise view. We aimed to make as much progress as possible before the expected 35 degree midday temperature arrived! The guidebook needed to be followed carefully on this section as there a lot of interescting tracks and a little used road or two to negotiate. However soon after we had a limbo experience passing under the pipe show below there was a hitch. By now we could see Sax Castle in the distance so we began to become a little more excited and our steps quickened.  However, w e were dutifully following the guidebook only to discover that the track petered out into a jungle...

 Day One Many pilgrims choose to begin at the Basilica de Santa Maria in Alicante and obtain their first "sello" there. However we started out at 7.30 am during a Spanish heatwave and well before the Basilica was open. The Cafe opposite didn't have a stamp so we just moved onwards following the guide - which is good on this opening section, we passed through the famous "Mushroom Street" and having tried cafes, shops and a bank seeking a sello, all without sucess, the Camino provided! A  Valencian Government building was open, the IVAJ, an Albergue of the Instituto Valenciano  de la Juventad. The front desk staff were delighted to provide us with a stamp, even more so when I said it was "El Primero Sello". We were relieved as the stage beyond Alicante has no real opportunities for a stamp before Orito - our destination later in the day 25 km down the track. We stopped for water just before passing the Cimentario de Nuestra Senora del Remedio. The poet M...

 Camino del Sureste Well a lot has happened since the last Camino four years ago. I have retired, run a few half marathons, moved to the countryside in the province of Alicante, Spain, learned how to cultivate our olive trees, make olive oil from our own olives and begun to learn a little Spanish. Having seen a number of Camino signs locally in Aspe, and visited Pilar de la Horadada which is the starting point of the Rana del Sureste and looked at the map of Camino routes across Spain which sits on the wall above my desk... ...and knowing Sam - a friend on mine-  who has also walked a Camino (Ourense to Santiago), was coming to visit... you can probably work out what's coming next... ...as you will know if you have made a Camino to Santiago it reels you back in to come once more, to learn a little more, to see rather than to glimpse, to appreciate rather than take for granted, to be a little closer to God And so it was that on Thursday 18th June we began outside the Basilica d...

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while (since 2018) may recall that I missed out the Burgos to Leon section because of blisters. So feeling blessed now it is completed. We had a great time walking and saw lots of new sights. There were some personal bests and achievements too. If you include the sightseeing it's at least 225 km maybe a little more. Glad to report that the cafe Albany opposite the Cathedral is still open and serving good coffee and giant Pan de Chocolat. The view is arguably the best for an urban coffee shop. Don't forget to celebrate your achievements with someone, however big or small they may be. They are your blessings. Your moments. Ultrea! 

This picture needs few words. We are walking through La Meseta, a vast grain growing area of Spain. There are wheat fields and poppies in abundance. In another part of Europe there are even vaster wheat fields, and sadly, bloodshed the same colour as the poppies. Small wonder perhaps how this direction sign has been renewed. Check out the colours, the statement and if you are the praying kind, offer yours for the peace that is so badly needed. For those whose lives are blighted beyond all normality. 

Today we arrived at Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos, approximately 150 km into our journey from Burgos to Leon on the Camino Frances. Today we had chosen to start a walk along the longest remaining Roman Road in Spain still used. It is mainly a pebbled, dirt track. We shall follow that to Mansilla de las Mulas. We have stayed in a variety of Albergues along the way, but none in such a state of renewal as this one. Indeed, when we arrived we thought it was "cerrado" - closed. Fortunately there were 6 beds only and we were able to have the use of two. It was basic with a loo, a shower and few power sockets. The Spanish Hospitalero - host - was able to find me an extension lead to enable me to use my CPAP machine. We can see that the improvement works will result in a first class Albergue, renewed, extended, facilities all much better than they were. It is a converted school building. I guess our lives sometimes need that kind of treatment too, helping to make us more able, more l...

Spain is well known for its festivals and processions. Back in 2018 I was able to watch several during Semena Santa - Holy Week - in Santiago de Compestella. I still follow Cofradia de la Esperanza - Confraternity of Hope - on Facebook. A key part of the Cofradia's role is the sharing of Christian hope through the retelling of elements of the Passion through the carrying of scenes from it around the streets. The key members are often processing with their faces covered for anonymity, the message being more important than the bearer. Outside San Lorenzo's church in Sahagun two members of the Cofradia de Jesus de Nazareth are immortalised in bronze. One a drummer the other with a horn. Priests often wear black for the same reason, it's dressing down to be unimportant rather than as is often perceived, the opposite. The message of Christian hope is timeless, it doesn't belong to a particular generation or class of person. Humility is the key. The Royal British Legion puts ...

The Albergue we stayed at was serviced by nuns attached to the parish church. In the early evening they invited any pilgrims who wished to join them for an hour in the garden. We were asked to introduce ourselves briefly, name, where we were from and what expectation we had or reason we had for walking the Camino. As you may expect these varied a lot. There were many nationalities represented. This experience turned out to be a whole lot more moving than I guess had been expected. When the lady next to me spoke giving her name and Ukraine as her country of origin there was a slight pause and then spontaneous applause. I wonder what that sign of solidarity meant to her? A few minutes later the nuns asked if anyone had a song to offer. A guy from Texas offered and took a guitar from one of the nuns and began to play " By the rivers of Babylon" in a blues style. He taught us the tune and we sang it several times. He had no idea what the origins of the song was. One of the nuns e...

Another 6.30 am start and about 12 km under our belt by 9 am. Time for breakfast, and a very high calorie one at that. Toasted bread, fried eggs and bacon for me. The first fry up for a while and boy was it tasty. One of the joys of this Camino is the food. Simple food - tortilla and jus naranja, pan y queso, vino tinto... with the more hearty "menu del dia". The country cooking is very good quality, tasty melt in your mouth meat or pastries. It is a real pleasure to  eat. At home most of the time meals are in a hurry, a necessity that doesn't have the time it deserves to eat, enjoy and share that pleasure with others. As someone I love says she "inhales her food"  - any teacher or teaching assistant will understand! If we enjoy the gift of good food surely we should spend a moment appreciating it. Being thankful for it. Wondering how we might ensure others can do this too. On that note perhaps you could pray for Holy Cross Foodbank shortly to open in Tividale.....

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? 

Only a short walk today that brought up halfway for us. A mere 6 km. Tomorrows long section will cross the 100 km mark for the week, and I am sure have more memorable moments. Today alongside the wheat fields, as they have been since day 2 were more beautiful poppies. The most I think that I have seen. In the UK we associate poppies with "Remembrance". I was reflecting on the quarter of a million pilgrims who walk part of this Camino each year, many of whom travel the entire way. What an amazing amount of memories, experience, learning and joy to take home with them. Memories are not just linked to such intense events but to daily life too. I wonder which are your most important?  God reminds me through the remembrance of the Last Supper at every mass of the importance of memory and of that momentous event. No wonder it is so central to Christian life, which reminds me, I had better remember to take my Spanish missal with me later tonight! 

There are literally hundreds of churches along the Camino, some still in use and some in ruins. Each could tell a story of faith, a story of community and above all a story of love. Each of us pass churches an chapels almost daily and the same is true of them. Every church tells it's story and the story of the one who inspired it's being there. I am part of the stories of several churches, not a saint but a sinner living in hope of redemption. I do my best to love others, sometimes I fail - that is to be human. God's glory is revealed in every act of love - for God is love ( and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.) Have you ever thought of being part of that story? 

Where I live there are a myriad of canals.  Remnants of a glorious industrial past. Places of recreation for boater, angler, cyclist and runner. For some, still a commuter route. Peaceful places where a heron or two can be spotted, a moorhen and of course the occasional supermarket trolley.  I counted around thirty trolleys as I passed the Canal Trust basin locally recently. How lovely today to walk along the banks of the Castille Canal. It was peaceful and with a very impressive spot where lockgates formerly stood. Not a piece of rubbish or trolley to be seen. It really does make a difference when the environment is cared for and not mistreated. 

Today we left at 6.30 am while the sun was rising and the air cool. The first challenge was a 100m climb from which the views were fabulous. There was shortly a descent that was  somewhat steeper if less in height. The sun was soon warming and after an hour and a half we crossed the Burgos / Palencia border. This was marked by a modern sign and this rather more interesting stone.  Of course we encounter borders of one kind or another everyday. Boundaries that we work within, boundaries to our responsibilities, boundaries that guard our behaviours, boundaries that help us live safely and so on. I wonder which boundaries we appreciate the most and which we find frustrating and limiting? 

Towards the 18 km mark today we came across the remains of St Anton convent. This a 14th century convent with ruins open to view. On closer inspection we met a Mexican guy who was doing two weeks as a volunteer "Hospitalero" caring for pilgrims on the Camino. He was also supplying refreshment - coke, water and beer. There was no electricity so coffee not on the menu. It was over 20 degrees so we opted for Estrella Galicia in a "Cana" (canya). What a suprise when checking the sanctuary out. A modern metallic crucifix which was stunning! An American pilgrim asked for a photo with it in the background. How could I refuse the offer for one in return? Is the beer appropriate in such a picture? I think so, it blessed me in the searing heat, and after all the Christ shown on the cross blessed some wedding guests in Cana of Gallilee many years ago with a shedload of wine... 

An early start at 6.30 am and gentle climb out of Hornillos del Camino before breakfast was rewarded not only with a fab sunrise but also with a great view of Hontanas where we stopped for breakfast around 2.5 hours later. Putting the effort into something usually gives you more than you planned. I discovered that while training for my first half marathon recently too. The Tividale Trotters running and walking club leader #thatrunningguy said if you put the miles in (while training) before an event you will be rewarded when doing the event. That's paraphrasing it. I remembered that as I crossed the finish line in a better time than I had expected. Today the getting up early was well worth it. 

It's a joy to be out and about on the Camino Frances once more. This time with a new travelling companion, one of my daughter's! I am not sure which of us is more "scared" about how this will work out... Previously when I have made this pilgrimage it has been in the quiet and cold season. There was snow on the ground and this time the sun is out, it's 27 degrees and the pilgrims process like ants at times and some albergues are "completo". The simple joys are the same though, jus naranja and tortilla, a menu del dia and beautiful scenery along the way. A day for being thankful for our blessings, as every day should be. Or as a pilgrim I met on the way before said, "we are truly blessed". 

This picture taken in the early morning sun is an early reminder as the Peregrino or Peregrina set out that we are never alone, and also that wherever we go we cast our shadow upon the place or the people we meet. May we always cast the best shadow that the world is better rather than worse for our actions. 

Glad I walked through the higher mountains yesterday as today the cloud came down and the forecast was for rain. However rested from a good night's sleep and with the knowledge of only 7 km to do today to complete one of my "missing links" it was ultreia! First village to encounter was Campo.  Typical narrow streets linear settlement and on a hill- almost like the Black Country! Very few people about but I did speak to three guys between here and Ponferrada.  Lovely bridge to mark the entrance to the town. Ponferrada has plenty of them. It's most famous as you might expect is Pons Ferrada - Iron Bridge.  it was iron and steel and coal that put this place on the map during the Nineteenth century as in many parts of Western Europe.  This industry saw the building of a now closed railway from Ponferrada to the mines and up the valleys. Narrow gauge and "vapor" of course. The railway closed in the late Twentieth century and th...