I am in Ponferrada now. Here's what I have been doing since last post.
September 26
I made it to Moratinos where I stayed with a wonderful couple named Rebekah and Patrick Scott. Before I came to Spain, I did a lot of reading to prepare for the Camino. One excellent resource for the Camino I found is an internet forum at www.caminodesantiago.me.
One of the forum regulars is Rebekah and I always found her posts to be very kind spirited as well as informative. I began following her blog at www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com and I decided to try to visit her at the "Peaceable Kingdom" when I was walking the Meseta. So I sent her an email and was graciously invited to spend the night at the Peaceable, as she calls it. Well I had a great visit. They were wonderful hosts, excellent cooks, and it was a delightful time. Please check out her blog and order one of her books from Amazon, THE MOORISH WHORE. Great title, great book and I have an autographed copy!
The Peaceable
Paddy
Rebekah
One of many rescued dogs and cats
September 27
Paddy fixed scrambled eggs and toast for me at 5:30 in the morning and wished me "Buen Camino" as I left walking towards Leon. This is some of what I saw.
And one special word of thanks.The Advent 5 O'CLOCK Band really carried me across the Meseta and have been a great source of comfort to me during some very low times on this journey.Thanks, guys and gals. You're the best!
September 28 Leon!
I checked into hostal and explored the cathedral. The stained glass was amazing and I think that it might have more than St. John's.
Carved wooden door
Whatever's going on here is not good (unless you're one of Satan's minions):
September 29 & 30
These next two days , I walked from Leon to Villadangos then San Justo along anuninteresting roadway but as I left Leon I took a photo of the pension where Martin Sheen treated his friends to a plush room in the movie "The Way".
Not bad!
October 1
I walked from San Justo through Astorga to Rabanal. It rained off and on all day which is a royal
pain in in the drain. For much of the day, I was accompanied by Alberto from Madrid who is a very nice man and on his 3rd Camino.
Alberto and I carried on long conversations in Spanish of which I understood about half of what he said but I would nod graciously and occasionally interject comments like "It's wet" or"My feet hurt." Alberto was very patient and kind.
When we got to Rabanal Alberto went to ground in an albergue while I sought out the Posadas de Gaspar on Jon Dailey's recommendation but was unable to get a suitable room. I found an agreeable hostal close by and crashed there. I was told that some Gregorian monks were having a chant session in the church so I went to observe. The chants were nice but they needed more monks. They only had three or four. But coming out of church who should I see but Rick and Christina from Boston. We went to Gaspar's for supper where I was introduced to John and Loren from Asheville,N.C. and Mike from London. I had a huge steak with guess what? Right! French fries.
October 2- Cruz de Ferro
Today was a big, big day for me. The Cruz de Ferro is a spot on the Camino where pilgrims have traditionally left a rock at the foot of an iron cross atop a wooden pole at the highest point on the Camino Frances. The rock can represent a burden , a prayer for healing, an offering, really the rock can represent whatever the person wants it to represent.
It was an honor for me to carry a number of rocks for my family and for friends. I carried a rock in loving memory of my cousin,Jim Hamlett, who left us too soon. I carried rocks for people struggling with addictions, for someone needing discernment, and for someone with cancer in his sinuses. I carried rocks for people and family members with other serious health problems. But I want to talk about three rocks in particular.
First of all, a Cursillo prayer partner gave me a piece of the Berlin Wall she got while in Berlin on business one time. I confided to several Germans around my age that I had a piece of the Berlin Wall to place at the foot of the Cross of Christ at the Cruz de Ferro and they were visibly moved. They knew so well how the Berlin Wall had separated the free from the oppressed. I well remember the Cold War and the fear of Communism and of being thrilled by Ronald Reagan's speech in Berlin where he thundered "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" I remember reading about Pope John Paul II in 1979 addressing a crowd of over a million Poles who had been chanting "We want God, we want God!" Pope John Paul raised his arm with his palm toward the crowd and said in a loud voice "Receive the Holy Spirit!". And they did and the Berlin Wall came down.
I believe that the Cross symbolizes freedom on many levels and in many ways and I believe that the principle of individual liberty on which my country is founded is directly traceable to the Cross of Christ. So prayer partner, it was a true honor to carry for you that symbol of oppression to place at the foot of the Cross of perfect freedom. Receive the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, I carried a beautiful rock for my friend, Clif Dixon. It was given to Clif by John Paul III Musselman. (I'm not sure about how to spell Musselman, so pardon me JP III if I screwed it up) The rock has lots of little pieces of quartz imbedded in a smooth granite river stone from an Alaskan river. JP told Clif the little pieces of quartz represented all the hundreds of friends Clif has who love him and were praying for him. At first I carried Clifford's rock with the hope of a miracle for our friend. But later it came to represent for me the grief that I and all of the sparkling friends and family of Clif shared. As I placed his rock at the foot of the Cross I prayed that God would relieve our grief and grant us gratitude for the privilege of having known him and for having loved him and for having been loved by him. It was an honor to carry Clif's rock. He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
And lastly, I placed a rock at the foot of the Cross for my cousin Oliver. Oliver and I share the the inherited grace of being born into a wonderfully loving family. My father had six sisters and Oliver's grandmother,Grace,was my father's older sister. Not having any brothers or sisters of my own, growing up my Haynes and Trotman cousins were like my siblings and Oliver was like my little brother. Some years ago , Oliver contracted an illness that has left him unable to walk without a walker and it has been heartbreaking for everyone who loves him which includes everyone who knows him. But it has also been inspirational to see the courage, strength, grace and good humor with which Oliver has faced his affliction. As I placed Oliver's rock at the foot of the Cross, my prayer was to St. James, Santiago, to intercede with his cousin, Jesus, to heal my cousin Oliver of his affliction. And, just to be safe, I made a direct appeal as well. Oliver, I love you, and it was an honor to carry your rock.
On the way
Graffiti
There it is
I believe that the Cross symbolizes freedom on many levels and in many ways and I believe that the principle of individual liberty on which my country is founded is directly traceable to the Cross of Christ. So prayer partner, it was a true honor to carry for you that symbol of oppression to place at the foot of the Cross of perfect freedom. Receive the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, I carried a beautiful rock for my friend, Clif Dixon. It was given to Clif by John Paul III Musselman. (I'm not sure about how to spell Musselman, so pardon me JP III if I screwed it up) The rock has lots of little pieces of quartz imbedded in a smooth granite river stone from an Alaskan river. JP told Clif the little pieces of quartz represented all the hundreds of friends Clif has who love him and were praying for him. At first I carried Clifford's rock with the hope of a miracle for our friend. But later it came to represent for me the grief that I and all of the sparkling friends and family of Clif shared. As I placed his rock at the foot of the Cross I prayed that God would relieve our grief and grant us gratitude for the privilege of having known him and for having loved him and for having been loved by him. It was an honor to carry Clif's rock. He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
And lastly, I placed a rock at the foot of the Cross for my cousin Oliver. Oliver and I share the the inherited grace of being born into a wonderfully loving family. My father had six sisters and Oliver's grandmother,Grace,was my father's older sister. Not having any brothers or sisters of my own, growing up my Haynes and Trotman cousins were like my siblings and Oliver was like my little brother. Some years ago , Oliver contracted an illness that has left him unable to walk without a walker and it has been heartbreaking for everyone who loves him which includes everyone who knows him. But it has also been inspirational to see the courage, strength, grace and good humor with which Oliver has faced his affliction. As I placed Oliver's rock at the foot of the Cross, my prayer was to St. James, Santiago, to intercede with his cousin, Jesus, to heal my cousin Oliver of his affliction. And, just to be safe, I made a direct appeal as well. Oliver, I love you, and it was an honor to carry your rock.
Clif's rock
Oliver's rock
At the foot
After the C de F, I walked with Alberto again to a little town named
Riegos and stopped at a pension. Alberto kept going.
October 3
Walked to Ponferrada and am ensconced in Hotel El Castillo were I am enjoying not walking.
