Hontanas to Castrojeriz

Last night the communal dinner and company at our table was wonderful! We had George from UK(?), Josh from the Midwest, Bill from Connecticut/previously New York, and Annie from Copenhagen, Denmark. The conversation was hilarious, Josh and George could have their own comedy show. Bill kept it all going, while Holly tried to mother them by telling them they needed to wear hats and sunscreen because their faces were too red. The evening was full of laughter and the food was an amazing homemade Paella served in a huge pan. It was enough to feed at least 2 dozen of us with some leftover. The photo doesn’t do it justice from my angle. Today’s walking was a short and sweet 10km. We passed through the ruins of San Anton, which is such an incredible sight. Sad to see it in ruins, but happy to see some of it still preserved. I laid out the itinerary for a short day today (you’re welcome, Holly 😂) this was so we could do the big hill (2953 ft) in the morning at sunrise and hopefully capture the stunning views back at what we have walked the last few days. Also, it stages us into Boadilla del Camino with a 19km day.
Once we arrived in Castrojeriz it was so early, too early to check in, so we walked from one end of the town to the other absorbing the architecture and shops. It’s a larger town than I remember, with 3 churches. This short day also afforded us the opportunity to visit a beautiful church with artifacts from the 15th century, pray, and light a candle for a young man from our hometown who is in the hospital with severe injuries. I thought of him all morning during our walk. When we entered the church and I kneeled to pray, he was top of mind. I fully believe in miracles and he really needs one, as does his wonderful family to get through this with him. Lord hear our prayers.
I haven’t been to a mass yet on this trip, haven’t toured any churches either, and I felt that emptiness. Both Holly and I commented as we exited the church that it filled us up. We are on a pilgrimage after all, and it wasn’t feeling like one until this moment. I have seen so many over the years, I haven’t felt the pull to see them again or get duplicate photos, but it’s not about the admiration of the art, the architecture, or ancient relics, it’s about connecting with my Creator. I needed that “shot in the arm”. It grounded me and brought me back to center.
We walked the town, I had a coffee and Holly was fortunate enough that we found a place that has oat milk (she’s dairy and gluten intolerant so finding a milk substitute is a win!) so she could have her Cola Cao which is like a hot chocolate drink. Her “coffee”. We checked into our albergue where we again have a private room with another communal dinner. We weren’t going to do a communal dinner again tonight if it was Paella or the usual pilgrims menu (choice of fish, chicken, pork, or a thin steak with French fries and a soup or salad). Much to our surprise the cook is Korean so we will have Bibimbap with beef and miso soup. Looking forward to something diffffferent, and of course an opportunity to talk to other pilgrims that we usually just exchange “Buen Camino” to as we walk by them or they pass by us.
We are nearly halfway!! The city of Sahagun is considered the halfway point, but we are at the point where we have 279 miles to go, of the approximately 500 mile trail. After tomorrow we will have only 18 days left before walking into Santiago de Compostela and we have been walking 13 days straight. It is too soon to be thinking of that though, 18 days of walking is a long time!! Hoping and praying our bodies can endure and we remain healthy and strong. Holly slipped a couple days ago down a small hill on the river route going into Burgos. When I looked back at her fall her knee was bent back and all I could think of was Noooo not the knee. But as she slowly got up she said it was her tailbone that took the hit. She had to stand for a couple minutes to regain composure as she felt she was going to pass out. Luckily, while it is still bruised, it only bothers her when she sits directly on it. We don’t do a lot of sitting around, so she’s got this. She’s a tough little Irish woman!! ❤️🍀 Things like that can happen so fast, so using the trekking poles properly and taking it slow on the technical stuff is so important for getting through this unscathed. Or at least minimally unscathed!!
Miss you all. More tomorrow, Caio!!❤️😘Leia mais