There are seven days of walking in Galicia and the province is noted for its rain. For four days the rains held off. Indeed we were able to enjoy the beauty and antiquity of the province. Today was different! It was raining when we got up and rained for the whole day! In many ways you cease to notice. Where I am stopped tonight is only 40km from Santiago!
Yesterday was a lovely day of encounters. I met david and Pauline at my coffee stop, I passed Lori and Marjory her companion on the way and then walked for quite a distance with David and Hellen. Over lunch with them we talked with Bob a huge man called Bob, from Memphis. Later in the afternoon Simon, Cornelia, and Doris joined us. There is something about those with whom you share the Camino . It is the knowledge that you know what each person has been through. There was a lovely sense of everyone coming to the end of their respective experiences. It will be interesting to see how this plays itself out on friday.
After supper I wandered up to the local church for Mass. We were four priests - the local parish priest who was quite old, a young priest who comes from Palas de Rei, a priest who was with the Spanish group of students, and myself. The parish priest asked the two visitors to read the reading and the gospel - at the end of mass he commented that my Spanish is estupendo! I had a coffee with Pauline and David and then retired to the Albergue Municipal. This morning when we switched the lights on we were a varied group including the young man with dreadlocks from Malaga, another young Spaniard with an unusual hairstyle, and various other spanish people. I reckoned that I was possibly the only non-Spanish person in the group.
It was lovely to have the route to myself. I reflected on all of the people with whom I had shared the camino over nine weeks. It has been a true blessing. I also thought of all of those whom I have prayed for during these weeks. In many ways the rain reminded me that the Camino is about being purged and about being tested.
On rainy days people simply exchange greetings and carry on walking . It is very conducive to reflection.
Yesterday was a lovely day of encounters. I met david and Pauline at my coffee stop, I passed Lori and Marjory her companion on the way and then walked for quite a distance with David and Hellen. Over lunch with them we talked with Bob a huge man called Bob, from Memphis. Later in the afternoon Simon, Cornelia, and Doris joined us. There is something about those with whom you share the Camino . It is the knowledge that you know what each person has been through. There was a lovely sense of everyone coming to the end of their respective experiences. It will be interesting to see how this plays itself out on friday.
After supper I wandered up to the local church for Mass. We were four priests - the local parish priest who was quite old, a young priest who comes from Palas de Rei, a priest who was with the Spanish group of students, and myself. The parish priest asked the two visitors to read the reading and the gospel - at the end of mass he commented that my Spanish is estupendo! I had a coffee with Pauline and David and then retired to the Albergue Municipal. This morning when we switched the lights on we were a varied group including the young man with dreadlocks from Malaga, another young Spaniard with an unusual hairstyle, and various other spanish people. I reckoned that I was possibly the only non-Spanish person in the group.
It was lovely to have the route to myself. I reflected on all of the people with whom I had shared the camino over nine weeks. It has been a true blessing. I also thought of all of those whom I have prayed for during these weeks. In many ways the rain reminded me that the Camino is about being purged and about being tested.
On rainy days people simply exchange greetings and carry on walking . It is very conducive to reflection.
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