BFE, Spain

Arriving in santiago tomorrow! Im very close to the city...about 8km away. Assuming everything goes smoothly, I will be arriving at the Cathedral, where I will visit the burial site of St. James! I dont care if i have to sneak in there! It still amazes me thats where he is buried (or so they say). Such an amazing piece of history, and so important to me as a Catholic. I am very excited to not have to walk anymore, but I will be missing the new experiences everyday. What an interesting trip this has been. As of right now, I feel like I have really accomplished a big personal goal. I feel like my soul has gained a good foundation, and believe me, I have learned a thing or two about how weak I am, and how great my HP is. Faith. God is a great partner to have.

Right now I am in the most boring town of my life, but thats probably a good thing. It gives me some good time to reflect and pray. Sometimes I need to be reminded why I am here, and what my focus should be on.

Tomorrow I will have a more detailed blog entry, as I will have a ton of time to kill. My plane leaves Santiago on tuesday. So hopefully I can find things to do until then. Or...Maybe the only thing i need to be doing is reflecting and reading that big book of mine. hmm....but i cant wait to hit Sunday mass in the Cathedral!

ONE THING IM LOOKING FORWARD TO.....

Throwing away my damn shoes....and never seeing them again....I love them, they did well....but ive worn them out, and they smell.....yuck. Ive never been so excited for a new pair of shoes in my life!

Palas De Rei

I am now in a town called Palas De Rei. Its a pretty small town, but still has the basic things I need. For some time now, most of the towns are so small, all they have are a small albergue and a bar. So its nice to be able to get some other things to eat, other then ham sandwiches with rock hard bread.

Its been a pretty steady couple days, with not a whole lot going on. I continue to meet a bunch of interesting people, hear a little bit about their stories, share a little bit of my own, and then continue on. For the most part, I still try to walk alone.

Last night, I met a women from Rome, Italy. One of the most spiritual people I have met thus far. She invited me to say lauds, vespers and compline with her, explained her search for her vocation, and even educated me a little bit about my own faith. It was just relieving to be with someone who is so conscious of their desire to search for vocation. We prayed together, ate together with another young women, and just talked about our spiritual journey up to this point. It really reminded me the importance of prayer...the one thing I tend to neglect. It brought peace to my heart to be able to feel comfortable enough to be honest in regards of spirituality with this person. It even inspired me to start saying the office, and maybe attempt to pray a little bit more often...or at least try.

I have always had a hard time spiritualizing situations, and in some cases having a clue of who this God figure is. God was clear to me in this person. A person of pure goodness, and an open heart. It was so amazing to see, and I really am glad to have met this lady. It made me realize how important this is in another person.

A great deal of fullness was brought to my heart yesterday, and even today as I said morning prayer on a random wall that overlooked the Galician valley.

Miss everyone back home! Cant wait to be back in 7 days!

Ponferrada and the Templar Castle

I only have a few minutes, but I am in the city of Ponferrada...Santiago is right around 10 days away, which means I am close to finished with my pilgrimage...Crazy how fast the time went by.


Anyways, this town has an interesting piece of history in it...A Templar castle! It was built in the 14 and 15th century...It was by far the most interesting thing I have seen. It was so well preserved, and the history tied to it was absolutely amazing. Obviously parts of the castle had been renovated, but for the most part, a lot of it was original. They also had displays of Templar clothing, weapons, religious things, and maps that they used to use. They castle was full of weird stair cases, and tunnels that connected the castle to the river. You could see ruins inside the castle, underground reservoirs, and wells. In some areas you could climb to the top of the castle towers and looks over the city. Not to many people were there because of the time, but I got to sit on the edge of the wall and just imagine what it must have been like. I really have no clue, but the time it must have taken to build it amazes me.

What a cool piece of history! A real life castle! just like the books! Plus...the Templars are awesome!

Astorga

Last night....I decided to raise the white flag and stay in a hotel. It was a four star hotel in Astorga. One of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed it....or it could be the effect of sleeping in pilgrim albergues for the past few weeks. Either way, it was nice not to have 50 other people in a room snoring, no hot water, and a bed bug infested bed to sleep on. The bathroom was fantastic as well....Giant bathtub (yes I sat in hot water for a while), soaked my clothed and everything fabric in hot hot hot water, big shower, CLEAN sink, and a big breakfast in the morning! Oh man, I definitely enjoyed everything! So, instead of getting up early and walking, I decided to stay in the bed till they made me check out.....and believe me I stayed till I HAD to leave. As a result, I decided to take a day of rest, tour the city, and sleep in the albergue...where I could transition back into "reality".

In my state of relaxation, I get up from the bed...walk 200 yards to the albergue, check in...set my pack down and took off on my city adventure. I got to see the Gaudi (he's a famous architect in Spain) palace, the cathedral, and some other museum which had a bunch of religious stuff in it. Then of course, I ran to the grocery store where I made myself a greek yogurt and fruit bowl (amazing). I am also looking forward to using the full sized kitchen later tonight. Someone in the albergue told a few people that Im cooking.....So unfortunately, my cooking for two is most likely expanding. Guess my minimal cooking skills are getting put to the test...Sorry people!

Anyways, the past few days have been pretty basic. Long walks, rain, and freezing weather. I wasnt anticipating the weather to be this cold, so I might have to get a few things to help keep me warmer. According to a few other people, its going to get a little colder, so i might have no choice.

Leon

Arrived in the larger city of Leon today! The weather was rainy today! Got to test out my new rain jacket for the first time. It seemed to work rather well! I almost didnt bring one, but I am glad I did...because it has been and will be both cold and rainy. The province that I entered yesterday promises more rain, mountains, and just green scenery all around. So far its been beautiful!

The walked today was short and sweet! Only 13km.....which lately is close to nothing! So, I took it as a restful day! Since I arrived in Leon so early (unfortunately on Sunday...EVERYTHING in Spain closes), I was able to walk around, try some new foods, and even attend Mass in the cities Cathedral! I was accaompanied by another pilgrim from Ireland. He name is Noll....and he is a missionary priest in Africa! My mother used to get on me for being ADHD in mass....but this guy! He took it to a new level. He sat for about 5 minutes...got up....walked around...took pictures....and left to go mingle around the pub area! ha! made me laugh...but then again he has been a priest in the poorest areas of Africa for 50 years. I guess he knows what he is doing lol. Either way, he was an awesome person to get to know a little about in the monastery. He has quite a story, and a number of interesting experiences. I eventually got to share a little bit of my story. Of course...I decided to stay in mass ;). I will say though, to attend mass in such a huge cathedral was an incredible feeling! A first experience for me

Another cool thing about this city is the hostel the pilgrims can choose to stay in. Its an active monastery for Benedictine nuns! Ive seen a few walking around, but for the most part they have been hiding all day. However, some of the pilgrims are invited to attend mass, evening prayer, and a special pilgrim blessing with them. They even offer us a complimentary breakfast in the morning! Although, what is a free breakfast put on by nuns without a donation basket in the entrance ;)! Anyways, its nice that they serve the pilgrims in such a way. It really adds to the authenticity of the camino....Kinda like the bed bugs.

El Burgo Ranero

Two interesting things have happened. 1-I am building a wonderful reputation of the guy who sleep-walks! 2-slept in my first known bed bug infested bed!

So, the sleep walking night... It was a couple nights ago. I got up at about 2:30AM, packed my bag, and walked in and out of the room a bunch of times, letting the door slam, and making noise. I then proceeded to the other rooms to search for my Friend. I quietly woke her up and told her it was time to get up and start walking. So, her not really knowing the full capacity of my sleep walking...gets up and starts preparing to leave. Thankfully she figured it out... So according to others (because i woke up a few people in the hostel) I was doing this for about an hour. This isnt the first time, but it was definitely the worst! A lot of people think Im the pilgrim that leaves at 230AM (most of them dont know who it is, they just know someone got up at 230am and started walking)...haha its funny what you hear about yourself.

I am also waking up with these lovely little bites all over my arm. Sure sign of bed bugs! I also heard later that a girl was inspecting the bed early in the morning and could see all of them crawling around the top of her bed; the rest of us can just assume its the same with the rest of the beds! Gross! Well, thats the life of the Camino! I did was my clothes in super hot water! so hopefully that will slow them down.... Its like those lil guys are making their own little pilgrimage on my body......eww

Anyways, the walked today was 30km. I am two days out of Leon, where I might take a day of rest. I might even get a hotel, just to get a good nights sleep, take a long hot shower, and just recover. I haven't decided if im going to do that yet, but it sure does sound nice right about now!

The sights are still kind of dull, but like i mentioned earlier....doesnt give you much to focus on other than yourself! What a blessing in disguise this stretch of the camino is!


I must say, this walk is definitely motivating me to make the fullest of life....by that i mean experience as much as you can. Its amazing how quickly life can just go by. Thank God for what I have today!

Terradillos de Templarios

I lied; I am NOW halfway to Santiago. I was only off by 25km..not to bad. Today I decided to stay in a town called Terradillos de Templarios. Im not 100% sure how the town got its name, but from what I have heard, there is a Templar ¨chapel¨or place where they used to stay. I guess like a little hotel for Templar knights. I have always had an interest in the Templars...partly because they are so shady...their history and purpose just fascinates me. Its pretty awesome that the history of each town goes back so far.

Anyways, lastnight ended up being pretty awesome! Me and 3 other friends paid 2 euros extra, and were able to stay in a room with only 4 beds. So...we were able to trust that our stuff was not going to get stolen, and we were sleeping with people who were not likely to snore. Snoring is a huge issue...and everyone does it! Thank god for ear plugs. One of that nice things about having our own room is we didnt really have to abide by the lights out curfew, and we didnt have to be quiet because people were sleeping. Instead, we got to stay up late making jokes, and just talking. I think last night was the hardest I have laughed in a long time! Man, I needed it! It was a ton of fun! I am really starting to create some pretty tight bonds with a few people from other countries. Definitely a new experience, and something that for some reason fascinates me.

Today was about a 26km walk. My body is definitely starting to let me know when enough is enough. I can force myself to walk 40km (which I have done a couple times), but in the end 26-30 is where my body says no more! By the end of that day, im tired, hungry, thirsty, and ready for a good shower! I also checked on the bottom of my shoes for the first time and found them already wearing away quite a bit! The bottoms are starting to look like balding tires! I feel accomplished!

Today I split up with the group I have been walking with for the past few days. It was sad to split up, but I did get to walk all day with on of my good friends. Its amazing how powerless we are. The conversations I never expect happen at the perfect time...every time. Anyways, we talked and walked for the entire day. Usually there is quite a bit of silence, and walking alone...but I felt that for the most part, this was not the case today. A lot was learned today, and I am grateful for it.

Once I arrived at the hostel, i decided to make a tuna sandwich..With the amazing spanish bread I try to buy as often as possible. I planned on eating by myself and sitting in the sun to let my body recover. As usual...a korean man waved me to come sit with him. His english wasnt very good, so we werent able to really talk to in depth about anything. Either way, he offered me a hard boiled egg...cookie, and some other things he had for lunch. He basically cut his lunch in half and shared it with me..... The food he gave me was great, but the company was definately really nice to have. Just a random person......Experiences like this are typical, and happen almost on a daily basis. The culture of the camino is its own...and unlike anything else.

I often get asked by other pilgrims if I have had any eye opening experiences yet...but to be honest, I dont think I have. I have had a few moments where I connected a couple dots or so(dont get me wrong.....I have been faced with some very important things)....but for the most part, no major enlightenment. I always have to remember what my spiritual director tells me....You may have a life changing moment on the walk...right when you get done...six months from the end...or even six years. You just will never know. That helps me not to set my expectations to high.

 

I am still meeting a ton of people from all over the world. Each one with their own unique story, hardship, and reason for walking. Each one has something to offer, and each one is searching for something more. That is something that each one of us have in common on this walk.