I’m in a cafe in the old part of Logrono, Spain. It’s going to be a hot day today – over 40 degrees. We hope to be finished walking by 1:00 to avoid the worst of the heat.
I’m always the first awake, so the other seven people in my dorm asked me to wake them at 6 am by singing Here Comes the Sun. Poor Kit; she couldn’t hear me even when a sang inches from her ear. Finally, Sylvie shook her awake. She was grateful because she also wants to finish before it’s too hot.
The last couple of days we’ve been walking through vineyards and olive groves. The grapes are ripe, but the olives are not. One farmer encourages the pilgrims to eat some grapes. It’s his advertising for his wine.
A couple of days ago, we passed the famous Fuente del Vino, a fountain of wine, courtesy of the Bodegas Winery. In the tradition of the Benedictine monks, they provide free wine for pilgrims. For myself, I opted to drink my wine out of my scallop shell, symbol of St James. I thought it would make a better story than drinking it out of my water bottle. Hehe.
The energy on this Camino is powerful, as are the relationships I’m having with my fellow pilgrims. Every day, I give thanks for this incredible opportunity.
Our merry little band has grown to nine. In addition to Sylvie and Celine I am traveling with Kim from Quebec, two women from France, Evelyn from Germany, Lena from Sweden, and Fernando from northern Spain. Tonight, we are in Belorado, at a fabulous little hostel, where I am waiting for my late pilgrim’s meal of garlic soup, a Spanish omelet, dessert, and, of course, red wine.
Everyone is hurting from the walking and the heat. Myself, I have blisters on both heals, reminding me that I have this silly belief that quests or pilgrimages require suffering. It’s a belief I’m working on changing.
Today, we passed through Santo Domingo, home of Saint Dominic, who spent his life supporting pilgrims. This is also the place of miracles. Legend has it that there was a couple who was traveling the Camino with their son. Here in Santo Domingo, an innkeeper’s daughter voiced her affection for the son, but he thwarted her advances. So, she hid a silver goblet in his bag. He was arrested as a thief and sentenced to hang. Meanwhile, his parents were oblivious and carried on to Santiago. On their return, they saw their son hanging in the gallows, but he was still alive. They ran to the sheriff, who was just sitting down to supper. The sheriff said, “That boy is no more alive than this cock on my plate.” Whereupon, the rooster came back to life and started squawking along the table. The miracle was not lost on the sheriff, who ran to the jail and released the boy, who was given a full pardon.
Such magic on the Camino.
We had the best breakfast so far on the Camino at the pilgrim’s hostel in Belorado. So delicious. So filling.
It didn’t stop us, of course, from stopping for a second breakfast at a cafe in the village of Villambistia. While drinking cafe con leche, I initiated a discussion about ‘group think’. Yesterday, we had missed seeing the interior of the cathedral in Santo Domingo. It had been 8:45 am and the cathedral didn’t open until 9:00 am, so we all left. Fifteen minutes was too long to wait. The Camino was waiting; we had to carry on. Yet, the cathedral in Santo Domingo is a major icon along the Camino, rich in history, culture, legends, and miracles. It’s a small regret that I now have because I missed it. We had beds already reserved, so there really was no reason why we couldn’t have waited 15 minutes until it opened. I don’t know much about Saint Dominic, except that he was shunned by the Catholic elite because he was illiterate, and so he dedicated his life to helping pilgrims along the Camino. It would have been nice to learn more about him, to walk in his footsteps. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog?
At the moment, I’m sitting on the top bunk in a dorm room in San Jose de Ortega, population 20. It seems that the sole purpose of this village is, and always has been since the Middle Ages, to support pilgrims. My bed is inside a medieval building adjacent to the church. It has a 16th century courtyard, which is currently being used by pilgrims to hang wet clothes. At 6:00 pm, we will all attend mass and afterward, the priest will give us garlic soup and bread for free, a tradition that was initiated by the previous priest, Jose Maria, who died in 2008. I’m looking forward to the experience, despite my agnostic tendencies. It’s all good energy anyway.
Today, I sadly said goodbye to my new friend, Fernando, who is heading back home for work.
We all walk the Camino alone. The relationships we develop are short and intense, and so the goodbyes are felt strongly in the heart. I miss Fernando already. And wish him well. Hopefully the Camino will help him find the answers to his difficult questions. That is, after all, why he came on this journey.
Buen Camino, my friends.