The hydrangeas here are breathtaking! They are everywhere in all shades of loveliness.
We had a great walk today – 17.6 miles – and got a super early start. With headlamps. In the fog. It was super creepy.
We have had so many unusual experiences – I’ll tell you – every night with different albergues, hostels, pensiones and different menus. Last nights menu, well, specialties of Galicia. Mary was uber-adventuresome and actually ordered the wild boar – “javali” in Spanish. We were quite sure that it was expertly prepared, however…not a fave. I tried a taste, and, I concurred.
Unfortunately, just by the fact that it was available on the menu meant that someone was hunting this elusive beast. So every noise I heard as we were walking through the fog, was a tremendous wild boar.
Among many other “new” pilgrims today, we met a family from Ireland. We asked, “How long have you been walking?” They replied, “Three days. You?” “Thirty days.” The dad exclaimed, “You started in St. Jean! Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we are tourists. You are pilgrims!” We have said all along how thankful we are that we have had the time available to us to do the whole Camino. Many people do it in stages and “piece” it together. We lost some pilgrims in Burgos and more in Leon. Many started in Sarria and just do the last 100 KM. Marsha said today, “Its hard not to be prideful.” Hard because we know that many of these people truly want to complete it like we are, and we wish it for them! I have reminded myself often that this is their pilgrimage experience, however brief, and they are sacrificing as much as they are able. And that is a very beautiful thing.
Day six of our novena to St James. The reading was from when Jesus took Peter, James and John to the garden of Gethsemane. The readings tell about how James was a witness to Jesus suffering and pain. He saw the frailty of our humanity.
The prayers remind us to put our confidence in the Lord more than in ourselves and to persevere in prayer without hesitation or conditions. More than anything, this experience has been a gift of time devoted to God. I hope that I can be faithful in prayer when I go home.
Arriving in Melide, we are now 53 KM or 33 miles from Santiago! Not the 790 KM when we left Roncesvalles! So close now that I need to sprinkle in some thank yous before things get really busy when we arrive. Today I walked for my friend Amy. She is the creative designer of my blog. This blog was something I always knew I wanted to do for this pilgrimage, and she put it all together for me and made sure I could manage it – all by my phone!!! I am not a journaler. But I knew I wanted to do something to document this experience, So every little step was for you, Amy, today. Thank you very, very much!