Nájera

This morning I stopped off at a bar for a freshly squeezed orange juice as my breakfast before setting off alone to walk. I'm using anti-inflammatory cream and knee supports and I'm walking well, but I kept today and tomorrow as shorter days just to be sure. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, so I kept a pretty good pace. On the way out of Ventosa I got a good look at Iglesia de San Saturnino high on its hill above the city.

As a set off on the road in this vast landscape I picked up a rock and prayed for a young lady on this journey who's struggling with anxiety. I came to one of the many towers of prayer rocks left by pilgrims and I was struck by the magnitude of prayers offered along this path. Each rock is prayed over then left on the pile. As the tower grows, eventually it topples. But then the rocks are picked up again, new prayers are offered, and new towers grow. How many prayers have been offered over these rocks over the thousands of years? And does each new prayer again magnify the ones that went before it? It feels like prayers said and left here are especially powerful.

I passed a funny beehive-shaped hut typical of those built here to shelter shepherds and farmers caught in the fields during lightning or ice storms. This one is called the Poyo de Roldon, named for Charlemagne's officer who allegedly defeated the giant Ferragut here. Such rich history!

A couple hours into the day I came to the first town, Najera. I passed the Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real where groups of high schoolers lounged in the grass having a break. They snickered at us as we walked by in our filthy shoes and practical headwear, using walking poles in the middle of the city. I'm sure we looked like ridiculous beggars to them!

A stop for a real breakfast turned bittersweet as I walked toward a table full of familiar faces. Several of the group were leaving the "20 K club" after this stop. Carolina is a loud, hilarious Swedish woman who's the life of every party. She's always still asleep when I leave in the morning, but when I get to the first stop she's already there, in a dress and leggings with full makeup on and carrying her pack. I leave her still there, but she's already at the next Albergue when I arrive (unless she's already found the nearest bar). Several of us think she secretly taxis everywhere and just pretends to walk. She laughs at that but never actually denies it. Well today she took a bus from our stop in Najera back home to Sweden. She said her husband had gotten tired of the children and asked her to come home!

Najera was also where we said farewell to Leva and Keith. Leva is twenty, a day care worker from Norway. She walked the entire Camino with her mother when she was twelve, and she's been walking these past two weeks on her own. She greatly increased her distance today in hopes of getting to Burgos before she has to head home. And Keith is a retired guy from Manchester, England, who's doing his fifth Camino since he retired. He said every year and a half or so his wife says, "Isn't it about time you went on a Camino?" And sends him off for a month or more. Just another way to survive retirement! He, too, picked up his pace today. I'm hoping our paths will cross again.

At one point today I just stood in the road and looked in all directions. I could see field after field, mountains and hills, cities and villages - it seemed to stretch on forever in all directions. It's easy in every-day life to lose perspective on how vast and varied creation is - and how vast and varied the human family is. It's changing my worldview to be plopped in the middle of all of it and to see myself as part of this one enormous, complexly interwoven creation.

I spent some time this afternoon huddled up with others making plans together about next stops. I'm just so immensely grateful for this time and this experience.

Tomorrow I'm off for the chicken church!!

Steps: 29,885
Distance: 12.65 miles

I've now covered 121.54 miles of the 500-mile journey. It's going so fast!Read more