O Cebreiro to Triacastela

Walking out of O Cebreiro with Bonnie and Christie this morning felt like heading out on a brand new journey. This was our first full day in Galicia, and it feels different here. Maybe it is just me, but when you cross into this region, it is like being plugged in straight to the energy source where before you relied on a long extension cord. I could sense it in the air, the light, the path, and the pilgrims. The coffee was hotter, the tortilla was fresher, the dogs were friendlier, the kilometers were shorter, the songs came easier, and the laughter didn’t fade. At one point, I said to Christie, “If this doesn’t heal what ails you, I don’t know what will.”

We are making great connections for next year’s Breast Cancer walk. We talked to the owners of the Pension where we are staying tonight. They have been affected by cancer in their family and were excited about our plans. They would like to host us next year and want us to call them as soon as we have set a date. Their place in Tricastela is lovely, and their hospitality is top-notch.

I’m enjoying walking back over the path I walked two years ago here on the Camino Frances. I recognize places I stayed, cafes where I took a break, and restaurants where I ate. Today I remembered specific sections of the trail and landmarks before we arrived at them. I remember specific pilgrims, conversations, and feelings that I had at that time. Revisiting all of this is burning the Camino magic into my psyche, and it feels like a soul tattoo.

Bonnie and I have been on this Camino pilgrimage for five weeks. I’m not sure exactly how far we have traveled, but it is north of 400 miles. With each stone marker, we see the kilometers left to Santiago getting smaller and smaller. Both of us are excited to come home—to our families and friends, and our jobs and routines—but we both recognize that the routine we have had the privilege to walk out here is an investment that will pay off dividends on our return.

But let's not talk of returns just yet. We have six more glorious days of walking in Galicia. Tomorrow we will make our way to Sarria through Samos, where there is a Benedictine monastery that was founded in the sixth century.

Christie just picked up the guitar that was sitting alone in the corner of this Pension and made it her friend. I’m more interested in her version of "Angel from Montgomery" than continuing to write.

Enjoy the images we captured today. They may look like pretty postcards from Galicia, but they are actually snapshots of life on the Way, full of motion, meaning, and memory. Today was glorious and will stay with us moving forward, which is exactly what we are doing.

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