Day 32 Villafranca del Bietzo (written)

We were told that if you are going to Villa del Bierzo today - 31 kms away - you best leave early ( we left at 8:15 after breakfast) and it was a long walk, but we experienced beautiful scenery. We passed the ruins of the Templar castle in Ponferrada , a lovely medieval city, where there were lots of cafes along the way. Some of the terrain we encountered, with its many vineyards reflected what I would attribute to the best of what one would see in Tuscany, rolling hills, in the middle of valleys, rivers running through, with such beautiful greenery. We did not have an encouraging weather forecast this morning, anticipating rain by midday, but no rain, a slight breeze with generally sunny skies.
We, again, travelled today with Jean and Doug , a couple from England, near London, who we’ve gotten along with. They, like us, enjoy the physical demands of the Camino, have been fortunate to avoid injury, and relate to the struggles some people may be going through. When you combine the people they have met and the people we have met, it adds up to a lot of people. And interacting with most of them is a formula for slow progress, but worth it. As a result, we did not reach our destination until 6:15 , and at the end of the day we did not have a lot of energy left.
For 7:30 pm dinner tonight we ended up sitting at a table with the guy who lost his wife five years ago, and we did feel privileged that he would share his story with us, but it was a lot to take in. He did make the comment that life is 10% what happens and 90% how one responds to it, so he is aware of his struggle and cognizant of the challenge that lies ahead.
Along the way, we met Susan and Nancy by, a couple from Minnesota, who I had met a few weeks ago. I was particularly excited to see Susan again, the University of Minnesota librarian who knew so much about literature. This is what happens on the Camino, people in and out of your journey as you strive to move forward. We also reconnected with Raymond, from Germany, Richard, from New Jersey, and the other Jim , from Baja, California. Doug, the person I’ve spent the most time with is an atheist, but a strong supporter of his wife, Jean, who recently got baptized. He’s not sure why, but he’s there to support her. Also, he’s skeptical of the spiritual element aligned with the Camino, but tolerant enough to try to understand why some people are impacted that way. It’s a contradiction that both intrigues me and lies at the foundation of how many of us may feel. I’m intrigued to see how this will play out for Doug.Baca lagi