The Pilgrim's Blessing

Today we walked from Reliegos to Leon. We walked most of the way with Imre. He has a good philosophy on life. I believe everyone should try to follow it as much as possible. It's not always easy though. We are shaped by our experiences in the past and long for a better tomorrow, if our todays are not quite as we had hoped. Here it is anyway, everyone has heard it once or twice before. What happened yesterday is in the past and why worry about our tomorrows as they may not even be ours. Now is what really counts and it is the only moment in life we need to make memorable and happy. We learn another thing from Imre. He takes us for our first menu del dia, or menu of the day. Remember we were getting quite sick of the pilgrim's meal and it's this man who leads us to another reasonable meal for just a little more money. The pilgrim's menu normally cost around 7 euros and the menu of the day about 10 euros and is far better than the other. Anyhow we arrived in Leon around 3pm and here I discover we are to be separated for the first time. We are staying in a monastery and girls and boys sleep in different rooms. The hospitalero explains about the rules in the monastery and I feel like I am in a scene from the Sound of Music. I get the urge to start singing " The Hills are Alive" The theme song of the same movie. It's great to have private toilets and shower facilities though. I never will get used to the idea of sharing same with the opposite sex. Anyhow it's here in Leon I will be attending my last pilgrim's blessings. They have made me feel very special but they are all in Spanish and I am not a catholic and don't really know what's expected of me during the blessing. I have found the English version of the the blessing and will share it with you here. Oh God, be a companion for them along the path, a guide at crossroads, strength in their weariness, defense before dangers, shelter on the way, shade against heat, light in the darkness, a comforter in their discouragements, and firmness in their intentions in order that, through your guidance, they may arrive unscathed at the end of their journey and enriched with graces and virtues, they may return safely to their homes which now lament their absence filled with salutatory and lasting joy.
All: Amen
May the lord direct your steps with his approval, and be your inseparable companion on the entire Camino.
All: Amen
May the virgin Mary grant you her maternal protection, defend you in all dangers of soul and body, and may you merit to arrive safely a t the end of your pilgrimage under her mantle.
All: Amen
May the archangel Rafael accompany you on the Camino as he accompanied Tobias and protect you from every injury and obstacle.
All: Amen. Well there you have it. This blessing is given in most churches along the Camino, usually around 8pm, either with or without a service prior to the blessing.

Hot water. 1 euro please.

After spoiling ourselves with 1 night of luxury, we are ready to face the rest of our journey. Today it's very cold and the wind is incredibly fierce. I am again just about wearing everything I have on me and so does Gary. The walk itself has been boring to say the least. We seem to have entered into a vast landscape of grassland only and after a few days of this, I have just lost interest in my surroundings. Don't get me wrong, I am still very much enjoying the experiences along the way but a change of scenery would be more than welcome at the present time. We walk another 26 kms today and arrive in a very cold albergue. This albergue has no central heating. I am longing for our own private room. The hospitalero provides us with the only heater in the place and the warmest bedroom he's got. We shouldn't be cold tonight. The hospitalero explains to us the shower system. Apparently we need to place 1 euro in this box and than the water will remain hot for 10 minutes. He shows us where the shower is and the box. I am getting ready for the shower and place my 1 euro in the box and set of to the shower. I hear the water running and assume someone else is in the shower. Too bad. Anyway the hospitalero comes over to me and ask me if I placed 1 euro in the box and I reply I have. He gets all excited and tells me that my hot water is running away. I explain to him that someone else is in the shower and he goes to check and says no one is in there. Well apparently as soon as you put in your euro the water starts running for the 10 minutes. I think about this awhile as the box is nowhere near the shower. We are in a very public place and now I realise I need to be very fast indeed to enjoy what's left of my hot shower. Imagine, I need to pay in the box. I am wearing enough to be considered decent in a public place. Now I bolt to the shower, undress and wash my hair and body with whatever is left over. Isn't this just one of those moments you will never forget, just because it's so utterly ridiculous. Wouldn't it have been better to place the box inside the shower, so people could enjoy more of their hot water? Sometimes I wonder.

Fence with crosses

There is a peculiar thing passing pilgrims do. They help others by drawing extra arrows when the directions aren't really clear, but when passing chain-linked wire fences, they place wooden crosses in it. There are signs of religion everywhere, but this one is a very powerful one. Pilgrims in the old days used to carry rocks, stones or pebbles with them. They used to be different sizes. The size and weight of these stones, re presented personal sins committed in live. Once they arrived in Santiago De Compostella they laid these stones or sins at a shrine and the pilgrim left these behind and all these sins were forgiven of course. Nowadays pilgrims are still kind of observing this tradition, at every opportunity they leave rocks behind. Do they still re present sins? Pilgrims are no longer carrying them all the way to Santiago anymore but even so. What about small sins. Like staying in a motel for 1 night and enjoy a little luxury? We did, several times. Well anyway is the fence with crosses similar? Do pilgrims pray for an answer to their question, whilst placing these crosses? I don't know. It's just 1 of the sights you see along the way.

Almost a serenade.

We have arrived in Burgos, a truly beautiful city in Spain. There are all the commodities we are so familiar with in Australia. As we enter the city, I see a great sight. It's a pizza hut restaurant and I decide right there and than, that tonight I will have pizza. We are getting over the pilgrim meals, so over it in fact, that the very thought of it is making my stomach turns around. We walk to our albergue and enjoy a hot shower and than we are of to get that pizza. On our return, we find the albergue is now full with rowdy Spanish people. The Spanish are very friendly, just like any other Mediterranean folk but we are about to experience our worst night ever on the Camino. The hospitalero is a very friendly man and suddenly he grabs his guitar and starts playing the guitar and singing along with it. Well this feels like he is serenading us just before sleepy time and the atmosphere there is just wonderful, soon everyone leaves the building and we are left alone and relax, me with my book, Gary with his crosswords. We are tired and decide to go to sleep, but are rudely woken up by these very rowdy Spanish people. These people really don't ever try to be quiet, they have their siestas and to hell with anyone else. Than there is the problem with the top bed. These beds aren't very strong and there is this very big person sleeping in it and with every turn he makes, I start to worry about this entire contraption of a bed, including the person it it, coming down on me. Needless to say we had very little sleep that night.

Amazing people

The Camino is an unbelievable experience. We are walking from Belarado to Burgos (not all in 1 day). here the route is starting to become hilly. This in itself doesn't really cause too much of a problem as this far into the walk, we have become fitter and the going gets easier. Today we are suddenly confronted by mule killer hill. I have been reading a book by Tim Moore (Spanish steps), who did the camino with his donkey Shinto sometime before us. He wrote down his experiences and mule killer hill got a mention. This hill is incredibly steep and goes on and on and on some more. Anyhow I don't have to stop and rest anymore but I am still cursing my way up the hill. Gary is fast and catches up with one of our many friends on the Camino. They start talking and this guy tells him, he needs to stop and rest as he has only 1 lung and can only do this bit by bit. When Gary tells me later, I suddenly feel ashamed of my thoughts there at mule killer hill. I am healthy and very able to do this and here is this man, who despite only having 1 lung is walking the Camino. He is not the only man with a disability, we have also come across a blind man and his guide dog doing the Camino. How does the guide dog know where to go? Okay he was getting a little help from the others along the way, but even so. Well if these people can walk the Camino so can anybody else. Anyway the camaraderie on the Camino is difficult to explain but I have had someone wait for us for 2 hours before she decided to backtrack on the Camino to meet up with us again. I have also had someone wait for us for 4 days, so she could get our e-mail address and pass others on to us. When we are in real live, no one would even consider doing this for you. People get things so wrong, too busy making a living, to have a life. The Camino teaches people some valuable lessons about the important things and it's none of those things people chase in daily life.