Carrion de Los Condes

After a wonderful breakfast at our hostel we headed out for our 11 mile walk to Carrion de Los Condes.  We walked along the river Ucieza, away from the traffic and busyness of the main road and came to the small village of Villalcazar de Sirga where they have been welcoming pilgrims since the 12th century.  The town is the home of the church of Santa Maria la Virgen Blanca.  It houses the tombs of nobles and royalty and the church is now declared a national monument.  The churches south entrance has beautiful sculptures of the saints and angels as you enter it's doors.  We had our pilgrims  passport stamped there and took a tour of this beautiful church.  We had lunch in the plaza opposite the church and then continued on our journey to Carrison which was 5 km away.  We are settling in our hostel which is right over a bar !!!  I expect we will not get a lot of sleep this night.  Our journey tomorrow takes us to Calzadilla de la Cueza, only 10 miles away.  The weather has been beautiful, sunny cool and breezy.  Perfect for walking.  Buen Camino

Scripture Passage - Aug. 31

Psalm 132:7

Prayer Companion(s):

Thelma Quiocho

Joe and Marge Capazolli

Scripture

Scripture for Aug. 30:

Jeremiah 6:16

Prayer Companion(s):

Connie and Rick Martin

Ken Laverone

Fromista

We left very early this morning at 6:30am for our 16 mile walk to the small village of Fromista.  About 1km outside Castrojeriz, we encountered a difficult ascent to the Alto de Mostelares, where we overlooked the valley and saw the sun rise.  Another 5 km and we crossed the Itero Bridge over the river Pisuerga.  This is a natural border, leaving the province of Burgos and entering the province of Palencia.  We stopped in the small village of Itero de las Vega for some cafe solo ( espresso).  After two  cups of coffee, I was ready to go.  We came to the village of Boadilla del Camino where we stopped for lunch and had a Spanish tortilla ( egg and potato - delicious).  We then started walking to Formista along the Canal de Castilla, arriving at our destination around 2pm.

Most the the Camino consists of trails that are made up of sand and rocks.  Sometimes the rocks are large and other times the they are small.  As I walk along the Camino, I try to avoid the larger rocks, since stepping on them creates an irritation that shoots through the heals of my boots.  So I move from one side of the Camino to the other side, trying to avoid the discomfort.  Yet when I move to what I think is smoother ground, the rocks seem to appear again.  There is no escaping !!  Sometimes a little pebble gets lodged in my boot and causes some discomfort in my walking.  This happened to me after crossing the Pyrenees the second day on the Camino.  At the end of the day, I took my boot off and, a small pebble fell out.  Today, as I was walking, I was thinking of how the Camino is a reflection of life.  Sometimes in life, we encounter rocks that make our journey more difficult.  The rocks cause us discomfort, they are painful and interrupt our daily activity.  We keep trying to avoid them, but they seem to always be there.  There is no escaping !!  How do we deal with the rocks and pebbles that come into our lives?  God always gives us the freedom to choose how to respond.  We can avoid them or deny their existence, or we can face their reality and call upon the power of God to give us the strength to face the struggle with courage and hope, transforming that struggle into a moment of growth and life.

I have kept the pebble that was in my boot to remind me that life is like the Camino, filled with rocks and pebbles.  But with God's help, we can face those realities and use them to transform our lives into something greater.  Buen Camino !!!

Castrojeriz

We left Hornillos del Camino late, around 9am to make our 12 mile walk to Castrojeriz.  As we left the small village of Hornillos, we found ourselves in the middle of a completely unihabited winding agricultural landscape with its long roads going up and down small hills.  This apparently is one of the most typical landscapes of inland Spain called the paramo ( bleak moorland).  It is flat, dry and barely with vegetation.  Thank God it was a cool and breezy day today !  After climbing a little we entered the small town of Hontanas.  We had lunch in this quaint village and then continued our journey where we came upon the ruins of the Convent of San Anton pictured below.  It is now a rest stop for pilgrims along the Way.  In the ancient days, it was here that bread would be left for the pilgrims along the Way.  This ancient monastery and hospice was founded in the 11th century.  As we continued our walk we soon could see the village of Castrojeriz, population 600, our final destination for the day.

Tomorrow is a long day for us as we travel to Fromista, a distance of almost 17 miles.  It's hard to believe we have traveled over 200 miles since leaving St. Jean.  It has been a wonderful experience in spite of the blisters and tired feet.  We have met so many wonderful friendly people along the Way.  Truly a gift from God.  Buen Camino !!!

Scripture passage - Aug 29:

Psalm 139:22-23

Prayer Companion(s)

Anita Wasserburger and Walt

Scripture for the day

Scripture passage - Aug. 28:

Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer companion(s):

Eileen McNally

Barbara and Susan Badelewski

Armond and Pam Seishas

Hornillos

It was a beautiful day today: sunny, low temperatures, and breezy.  A perfect day for the 13 mile walk from Burgos to the small village of Hornillos.  The terrain was dirt and stony tracks with very little shade or water.  That's why I'm grateful for the cool temperatures.  You can see from the pictures below, the journey would have been unbearable if it was hot.  We passed through a couple of very small towns, Tardajos and Rabelais de las Calzadas, with its beautiful church and town plaza.  Along the way pilgrims construct rock monuments as they journey along the Way.

The day's rest in Burgos was a gift, especially for my feet.  The next day of rest will be in Leon, a week from now.  Tomorrows walk to Castrojeriz is a little over 11 miles...what a break!!  But the following day's journey takes us a little over 16 miles.  I will try to post every day, but we are now walking in the plateau region of Spain where it is flat, hot, and sparsely populated.  So there might not be Internet service in the places we are staying.  Always, at the end of a long journey, an ice cold beer is a welcomed sight.  

Buen Camino !!!

Cathedral of Santa Maria in Burgos

The 13th century Cathedral of Santa Maria in Burgos, is one of the most beautiful in Spain and one of Spain's largest cathedrals.  It is Gothic in style but combines many different architects.  It is designated as a World Heritage Site.  There are many side chapels dedicated to the saints, including a chapel dedicated to St. James, the Moor-slayer (pictured below).  In the center of the cathedral lies the tombs of El Cid and his wife Jimena.  We spent all morning touring the cathedral, then had tapas and a beer and now just relaxing during their siesta.  Tomorrow we leave Burgos for a 13 mile walk to Hornillos del Camino.  Buen Camino !!!

Scripture passage - Aug. 27:

Matthew 7:14

Prayer companion(s):

Jeff Sloan