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.

The walk continues to go well! I am in a town called Carrion. I think I am about half way to Santiago at this point! I still continue to arrive in the small towns, enjoying their simple life style, meeting new people from all over the world, and eating all the food I can find. Originally I was planning on somewhat eating a little bit lighter....but who was I kidding. After a day of walking, all i can think about is food! I literally eat all day! With my appetite, and with all the different kinds of food.. I definitely take full advantage of it. However, I am losing a lot of weight!

I have also been going to mass on a regular basis (when I can find it), and have really been appreciating the pilgrims blessings at the end of each one.

The big cities are a ton of fun! They usually have large cathedrals, which pilgrims get to pay a little less to tour. The last cathedral I visited was the cathedral in Burgos. Built over 500 years ago, it still stands (with some renovation of course).

Anyways, the portion of the walk right now is through flat lands. There isnt to much to see besides straw fields. It is rather boring, and has the reputation for being the biggest mental test for pilgrims. We got pretty used to the mountains, and beautiful land features so far...but now its time for just walking....with nothing really to focus on.

I am also seeing a ton of pilgrims either take the bus to their next location, or have their pack transported to the next hostel! CHEATERS! Since the camino is so packed right now, people are literally racing to the hostels to get the cheapest beds first. Since I like to leave early in the morning, I usually dont have to worry about getting a bed because of how early I arrive.

Pictures are on my facebook

http://www.facebook.com/MichaelEsser88

Ages

Im starting to notice that most of the towns I arrive into thrive just on the Camino De Santiago, and the pilgrims that pass through. Without it, these towns would be nothing (most of them at least). Some of them are so small, its just a super market, a couple bars, and a couple of hostels. The smallest one I saw was just a church, and a beat up hostel. Then again, walking 15-20 miles does feel like an eternity...so im sure commuting to work for these people is nothing. Kinda like some of us do.

I have also noticed how huge of an influence the movie "the way" had on people decision to walk this. I am proud to say I have never seen that movie, nor did I hear about the camino because of it. Although, if people did hear about the camino because of the movie, I think thats awesome they were able to walk it. I have talked to a few people walking it for the second time. They explained that they originally did it for a cheap vacation, or they just like to hike. However, each one of them came out agreeing that it was an unexpected spiritual experience.

While I was sitting at the bar drinking coffee, my Italian friend Ottovio, told me he was listening to 50 cent while he was walking today. He then proceeded to ask me how to P.I.M.P, then asked me what it was. After I got done describing the unofficial, more urban dictionary meaning of pimp...he laughed and said he wanted to go to the US and be like this pimp. I laughed pretty hard while he was telling me all this...

Anyways, todays walk was about 26-28km. I started at about 6:30am! It was by far the coldest morning so far. I was originally going to stop in a small town before this, but everyone I talked to told me how horrible the hostel was. For an extra 3km I could stay in a town with a few more nicer hostels. Hostels by no means are fancy, but many people saying a hostel is bad, means it is BAD. So, the place I am staying at now (in the town 3km down the road) is a little nicer. The first hot shower I have been able to take in a while; so far they have been ice cold or struggling to be even a little warm....Ohh well....Its the camino! Its part of the experience!

I am really starting to appreciate stretching and the "siesta" that I resented my first couple days in Barcelona. Literally all the shops close between 3-5:00pm for siesta! Its crazy! I wish I could take a nap in the middle of my work day! Finally though, I am starting to get used to their schedule! I also make a habit of stopping at a panderia each day; usually to construct my own delicious, american size sandwich. The bread here sure is amazing, and another thing europeans pride themselves in (I was informed of this by a european).

Well....My body is still moving on! another blister on my left foot (something going on with that shoe), but I am still able to walk kind of pain free! There are some people here with 5-15 blisters on each foot...so i shouldnt complain too much.

Tomorrow I will be arriving in Burgos! A fairly big city, with some nice places to stay, good food, and a very nice cathedral!


PS: please excuse spelling and grammar....Usually I am rushed....this applies to all future and past! lol! :)

Belorado

Finally! I have found the best coffee so far! Since the Italians I meet up with often wont let me drink coffee with milk in the afternoon, I have no choice but to resort to plain black coffee. I think it might equal to .5oz. They say coffee with milk in the afternoon is blasphemy..hah! All this talk about coffee...but the Spanish sure take pride in it! Surprisingly, it was pretty good! Another thing I have had to do with these Italian folk is have "italian breakfast", which I think takes a total of 2 minutes. One croissant and a cup of coffee, and there good till the middle afternoon (complete insanity in my opinion)!. Super Fast! They make fun of me for how much we eat in the morning...gotta love mixing cultures!

The walk today was pretty long, and I managed to get my first blister! Thankfully its in an area where I cant really feel it. As a result, my pace does not change, and it doesnt hurt to walk.

So far Ive loved stopping in all the random churches. Every single one is just the most beautiful buildings I have seen. Especially the inside! What makes it more amazing is how old they are. Sometimes new, sometimes a few hundred years old. The history of every town and building just fascinates me. Not to bag on American history, but I can now justify being bored in all my US history classes. The towns are also very authentic. They are all very condensed, and very green. Very unique to Spain!

The hostel yesterday was great! For once, I had a bedroom, and there were only 2 beds total in each one! I knew my roommate, so it was nice not to have to worry about all my stuff, and I didnt have to hear a choir of snoring pilgrims at 2am.....You would be surprised how little ear plugs can sometimes do.

Anyways, I continue to walk, pray, and of course eat....a ton.

Navarette and Azofra

Im walking at a fairly good pace! The plan was to go a little bit further today, however my body was not going to let me.  My stopping point today is the small town of Azofra.

Naverette was my stop yesterday. I ended up arriving to this town a little late because of the running of the bulls in Viana. I didnt get to see the actual bulls run through the city, because I was afraid of arriving late to the next city and not getting a place to sleep. However, I did get to go to mass and see the ¨pre-party. It was amazing to see; the culture is so different, and so much fun. The tradition is very old, so people of all ages were out celebrating. Anyways, upon arriving to Navarette late (getting lost in Lagrono is also my reason for being late) i was unable to find a place to sleep! Thank god one of the private hostels was nice enough to offer me the couch in the community area. I gratefully accepted. In a way it was like my own private room, where I didnt have to hear a ton of other pilgrims snoring. Unfortunately the couch was maybe 4ft long.

The next morning was an early one! I was up and out the door my 6am. This entire hostel seemed to have the same idea of getting up at 530am, so sleeping in was clearly not an option. I said goodbye to the people I met and was on my way, with the possibility of seeing them on the next stop (pilgrims on the camino can either follow the planned stopping schedule, or they can walk not as far, or farther...I chose to skip the major citites and stay in the smaller cities, essentially and longer walk each day). I did get to pass through a city called Najaro. This city was up againt what looked like a red rock mountain. It reminded me a lot of Sedona, AZ. A very beautiful city. Other than that, most of the walk was through vinyards. The grapes are delicous (I doubt im supposed to pick them....but on these long walks the occasional grape is pretty good), and im sure the wine if pretty good as well (ill leave it to other people to let me know how it tastes).

Im finally adjusting to the eating style on the camino. I hit up the local supermarkets, buy a loaf of bread for .55 euro (best bread ive ever tasted is here in Spain), some jamon y queso, or some atun...with a ton of mayo obviously. Makes for a pretty good lunch. Besides dinner, my average lunch is around 2-4 euro.

Im still loving the walk, sometimes it becomes a burden and I want to throw down the white flag, but I find that a consistant surrender keepe me going!!



times up! miss you all!

Estella

Today I made it to the town of Estella from Puenta La Reina. I was kinda glad to get out of that last hostel! It was kinda dirty, noisy, and had evidence of bed bugs crawlin around....yess I knowingly went to sleep in a bed that I knew could have have had bed bugs! O well....Its the camino! It isnt supposed to top notch living!

Anyways, another day of walking alone. It is sometimes difficult, but for the most part, find myself preferring it. Just listening to nature, or whatever else is around at the time seems to be enough. "Listening to my soul", as some people I know would put it. However, i did have a few small conversations with people. Whether I walk alone, or with someone else...I try to look at both as a gift. Its pretty cool knowing that God puts the right people in your life at just the right time.

Just when I thought I was all back to normal, my body still felt pretty tired. Partly because of the heat, and because my body is finally finding a pace that is good for it. Not as fast as I would consciously like, but not to slow. Its enough to where I don't have to think about it. My feet are tired, and I find that most people are having the same types of aches and pains. The fifth day seemed to be pretty hard for everyone that I talked to.

For once in my life, I find myself actually wanting to say the rosary. Usually I have to fight it, but this time I find it incredibly relaxing. The spiritual experience thus far has been incredible.

Puenta De La Reina

Okay, im going to redeem my last blog. I was being a little on the lazy side...but hey, ive been trekking all day!

anyways, sometimes its not always possible for me to get internet, so those will be the days I wont be blogging.

Until about thirty seconds ago, it was a beautiful sunny day in Spain! Now, out of nowhere...its stormy. Since were in the middle of monsoon season, i guess this can be expected... Thank God for REI rain jackets!

The past two days have been pretty awesome. The walking has been significantly easier than it was on the first day. For the most part, it has been flat. Only this time the heat is what is getting to us. i dont think anything is above 90 degrees, but carrying that pack and being in the sun really intensifies the climate.

My body is still in overall good condition. Random muscles are pretty sore, but so far no blisters, cuts, bruises, scrapes or anything.

I am really enjoying walking on my own, or in silence. I find walking really puts my mind into a mode of contemplation. Contemplation...just enjoying what I have around me at that very second. I dont find myself being hounded by my worries, problems, character defects, or anything for that matter. I get to just appreciate myself, and learn to be happy with the person I am. The only connection I have during that moment is that with God. The only one that I am learning is truly important for me.

Meeting the random people is pretty cool, but I find that I have little interest in socializing with everyone I see. Dont get me wrong, it is very nice after being by yourself for a while to talk to someone, but for the most part I think I have different motives. Today, God put the people in my life that I needed to talk to. One woman, from denver, who is a united methodist pastor, was who i spent some time with. I met her in Catholic Mass. I really enjoyed everything she had to say about life. She was widowed several years ago, and felt Gods call into service. Her story was a lot like every prophet you read about in the bible. I guess we all have to fight. Talking to her really helped me to look into my own possible call into religious life. It helped me to almost accept it, and really enlightened me. Fighting it seems to be so much wasted energy. Its amazing what happens when its only me and God out there. Literally...I picture myself and God...both with boxing gloves...in a ring...Ha!

Anyways, I met another man from minnesota. A lawyer, business owner....Just a successful person. He began to talk about his struggles with his father and how he began to overcome them. One thing he said that really stuck out was, "you know Mike, some things are just not meant to be resolved...they are meant to just be absolved". That statement really hit home. We continued on for a little bit, talked about St. Frances, and St Ignatius. Two of my favorite saints. I can relate to both their stories, and could only hope to be the two men they were.

already, I find myself being a little restless. however, instead of directing energy somewhere else, I have no choice but to face the source of restlessness. What a great blessing.

Well, here in the hostel....I paid a whopping 4 Euros! Im in a town called Puenta De La Reina. Small, but very nice. I am really enjoying the stay so far!


Miss all my Friends back home who are taking it one day at a time with me!

Michael    

Zubiri

Today i was woken up at 6am by the sound of all the other pilgrims moving around, and the light that the hostel turned on to get us to get out. Immediatly I got up, washed my face, and took off on my next 20km walk. The walk was pretty easy, with no real inclines. We were in the next town in no time.

We arrived in a small town called Zubiri. There isnt much here, and that includes good places to eat. Our hostel is pretty small and crowded, but it only cost us 6 euros. Pretty cheap! In a way, it is really nice though. Myself, along with 10 other people closer to my age have all pitched in and purchased spanish chorizzo, pasta, and some salad materials. We were able to get all that for pretty cheap, plus we get to socialize with people from all over the world. It is pretty humbling to have people from all over eating with you. Everyone has their own story, and their own journey. Once I am done with dinner, I get to enjoy spanish cafe´con leche, and relax for the rest of the night..

It has only been two days, but I cant even begin to describe everything that has happened so far....Hopefully soon I will get to sit down and spend more time, so i can be detailed!

I wasn't able to post in my blog yesterday...I didn't have access to Internet in St. Jean Pied De Port. I also have a bunch of pictures to upload, but don't have the ability to do it at the moment.

I took a bus from Barcelona to Pamplona, then from Pamplona to St Jean. After meeting a few people, we decided to go to the market and buy some food, which would all split. (I have to get used to this eating smaller meals thing...). That purchase was enough food for dinner and breakfast....a pretty big money saver over here. Besides that, it was good to learn a little bit about each other. Since everyone was pretty tired, we explored the town. St Jean was one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been in. It was small, and felt very authentic. The rolling hills were very green, and the town had a very serene feel to it. it was nice to enjoy, until i just couldn't stay awake anymore...I had to go to bed!

I woke up around 700, ate and talked with a woman I was sitting next to in hour hostels court yard type thing. She was a nun from Sweden, and had chosen a life of travel. She had given up literally everything to travel and meet people. She was definitely one of the most uplifting people I had met today. Once we finished chatting, I took off on my 26km walk...which was one of the most strenuous walks I had done to this day. We crossed the Pyrenees mt´s, which was literally ALL up hill....and European up hill is STRAIT up. Anyways, I have to be quick because I am sharing paid Internet time with a friend. Further along the walk I met a few people. One, I walked with for a few hours. He was a 60 year old man from Vancouver....and man he walked fast! we were a perfect pace for each other, so it was good to talk with him...later on a man from the UK on a bike decided to pedal at our pace for an hour or so. It was so much fun! It is definitely helping me get across my wall of being open with other people....Not often can you have 4 hour conversations with people you just met!

The walk was beautiful....mist, green fields, Forrest's, cows, sheep, rolling green hills, grassy fields.....I was in love with nature!

Rosconvalles(?) is the new town were in!
 There isn't much here at all besides a rather large monastery. Its pretty neat, because it is purely a pilgrim town. Everyone here has one thing in common....Pilgrims...anyways..time for me to go!!!

just a quick update!

-I safely made it to Barcelona! However, the airline managed to lose my bag and return it a day and a half later after we landed! As a result we missed our scheduled train to pamplona today, and at this point...it seemed like nothing was working our way. 

-Being tired, hungry, lost/confused, and frustrated, I found my sobriety to really be tested. Good thing there is like talking to your higher power and imagining a conversation with your sponsor...I think i did a pretty good job because I ended up laughing about it, and completely forgetting about it at the time. I was able to get out of my own head for a minute, which was all I needed. 

-Other than that little bump in the road, I was able to enjoy some awesome spanish coffee. I was advised by a friend back home to order, "Cafe' con leche" (coffee with milk)... It ended up being my favorite so far...the coffee was great, and the pastries are even better. 

I was also able to enjoy the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona...One of the most beautful churches I have seen to this day. With the towers reaching almost 400ft, you could barely capture the whole church with the camera. On top of that, there were stone carvings around the entire church! It Definitely made me proud to be part of a religion with so much culture! Overall, we could enter the church, but the line was 2-4 hours long....We decided we would wait till we get back, so we could dedicate a whole day to it.

Overall, the hostel we are staying at is only 2 weeks old, and has quite a few people our age there. We are enjoying our night, meeting new people....and learning quite a bit about where everyone is from. Definitely worth staying the extra night.

Thank God for the tools i've been given, because I am able to try and spiritualize situations that might not be favorable.

Last day in the USA!!

Well, it has been a nice week in Montana! I have seen a ton, and learned a lot. Its a very slow paced state, where small towns are very abundent, unlike CA...which has large cities almost wherever you go. I guess this state still has less than a million people living in it....crazy to think about, especially with how much larger CA is.

Anyways, one of my favorite parts about this week was the fly fishing and the two 9:00am meetings I went to this week. 

It was my first time fly fishing and I managed to catch a fish! It may not have been a very big fish :), but it was a fish. 

Random lake we found while driving to the fly fishing spot

This picture kinda speaks for itself

The creek we fished at!

Our gear!

The creek again....

The two meeting were a different experience for me. They were very small, and I was probably the youngest in there by 20 years. One of the men in there mentioned to me that there larger meetings in Hamilton are between 10-15 people. However, the insight some of the people had was what I needed before leaving for this trip. I learned a ton about myself, and a ton about the dynamic of a small meeting, and recovery. 

As I mentioned earlier, I will be traveling ALL day tomorrow. Our plane leaves at 6am tomorrow (9-1-12)  from Missoula, and arrives in Spain 9:30~am Sunday (Spain time). Needless to say, tonight will be a night of packing and rest! 

We have a very long month ahead of us!

Montana!

Im finally here in the beautiful state of Montana! This is my first trip, and I am absolutely in love with what I see! I am staying in Hamilton, which is pretty smokey right now because of the fires going on in Idaho. However, the more north we traveled the more clear it got. 

At 5:00am, I was up and on my way to Glacier National Park. The drive would take three hours, but the view along the entire way was amazing. We were even able to stop at a small breakfast place in Big fork, MT. Best breakfast I have had in a while! Otherwise, for the most part I was passed out in the back seat most of the time. Travel sure does take it outta ya.

And so it begins!

Through tradition, your pilgrimage typically starts the moments you leave your front door. So, as of 11AM this morning, I have officially started this unique journey. Unofficially, I would like to say my journey started at 5:45am in Fellowship hall. A whopping 3 hours of sleep was achieved, because of how excited I am for this trip.

I met up with my spiritual director (like a spiritual sponsor) from the seminary, Father Raphael, and an old friend whom I've known through church affairs and school. We had pizza at a restaurant in redlands, and talked about what it was I needed to know about travel through Europe. Father raphael then gave me a patch that symbolizes the Camino de Santiago, and 50 euros to help me get started.

After lunch I went to Father Raphael's to catch up on a few hours of sleep. After struggling to get up, I went down stairs and figured I would take advantage of a thorough confession. Confession is something catholics do to help release whatever is heavy on our heart. It is definitely something that I have really come to appreciate in the past few years, especially in program, where this tool is so valuable. After that, we talked a little bit more about the camino, and how I can prepare myself it; after all, it is more then just a walk from one side of the country to the other. Finally, he invited me to accompany him in his private mass. It was a cool feeling, like it was my own personal mass, in which I was really able to connect with my higher power. 

Overall, this was a good start to my journey. I feel cleansed, happy, and blessed. I was sad to leave my program friends, but I know that they will be praying for me, as I will be praying for them.

I am going to try and be as detailed as possible, while keeping the posts as short as possible throughout the next 5 weeks. I will be walking a 500 mile route across Spain, and as a result, i'm sure I will be tired, sore....and who else knows what. Either way, I am looking forward to what this journey will bring, along with posting sweet pictures for friends and family! :)

 

The plan is to arrive in Spain September 1st

This is the route I will be walking! 

It starts off in a small French town, St. Jean Pied de Port (1)

500 miles later.....

It ends in Santiago de Compostela