The Meseta

I did not stay the extra day in Burgos as anticipated. To try to secure housing and transportation to hear the monks was more a complicated process than I was willing to engage. Also, I saw much of what I wanted to see in Burgos while there yesterday afternoon. I will take my rest day in a smaller quieter village in a couple of days.We made the 30k trek across the Meseta today and it was gruelling. The day started off very cold, but then it warmed up and stayed hot. The last 10k had quite a bit of climbing and was exhausting. We are now in Hotanas and once I finish this post, will settle down for a relaxing rest on my bed. This is very nice albergue and a huge improvment over last night. We were in a cabin like facility with about 70 other people, and many folks kept talking even after lights out, in most albergues the lights automatically go out between 10 and 10:15. To top it off the guy in the bunk above me snored VERY loudly as well as the woman in the bunk next to me. I left my earplugs at home because I did not thinnk I would need them. And, it was very cold all night. Needless to say, I did not get very much sleep and was quite tired trying to cross the Meseta. Tomorrow I will opt for a shorter trek and spend the afternoon resting. Cr5ossing the Meseta can be very difficult for some people. One of my travelling partners said that if she had to cross it alone she would be in tears. It can be a very lonely and discouraging walk becuse there are no signs of civilization and not trees for seeking shelter from the sun. The terrain stretches out in all directions as one walks across a very hot abnd stony road. Needless to say ther are no homes, no animals, no cars,a nd not even the sound of traffic in the distance. One can feel completely alone and abandoned, especially when there are no other pilgrims in sight. Or, one can enter into a meditative mode of walking and just keep taking one step after aother, listening to the sound of your footsteps, listening to the sound of the waling poles as they click against the rocks, listenting for the occasional bird in the tall wheat fields. The mind can wander without restraint or focus on a particular thought or image. When one then lookos at the time, 1 or 2 hours has passed. But there is a great feeling of joy and releif when one finally sees a sign that the village is nearby. Usually one looks for a church tower. Today that first thing that appeared was a cell phone tower. That made a number of us laugh when we were talking about it at the albergue. Another image that was a common topic of conversation for a numebr of us a few weeks ago, waas the fact that we felt very much like the fellowship of companions in LOTR. We talked how we started out as one fellwoship and then were separarted into different smaller goups, all still heading towards the same goal. And as in LOTR, some opf us found ourselve reunited whem we did not expect to see each toher again. When four of us arrived in Burgos yesterday, it like a family reunion as we saw a number of pilgrims that we had not seen for quite a while. many were taking their rest day in Burgos and it was nice to have an opportunity to catch up. Isnt wonderful that the same thuing often happens in our lifr journey as well. God brings people back into our lives at a moment when we least expect it and often for a reason we were not anticipating. While I have used up my euro. Until next time.

I am now in a lovely albergue in Ages. We went an addtional 3.5K beyond the recommended stop becuase we were told that this one would be better. It certainly is. Unfortunatley , many others did not know how nice this albergue is and so htey stayed at other places. The positive side is that although this albergue sleeps apprx. 60 people, there are only 8 of us here. Translation: no waiting for the shower or a space on the clothesline to dry one´s clothes. Leaving this morning at 6:40 we were able to cover the 28k in about 7 hours, althopugh it was quite hot and a good deal of climbing. Tomorrow we head to Burgos where I plan to spend an extra day for a rest day. There is a beautiful cathedral as well as the monestary of monks who have recorded a number of Gregorian Chanat albums. I hope to attend one of their services. Following my rest day I willhead out over the dreaded Maseta. All pilgsrims talk about this stretch of the Camino. It is 18 K across a very hot area where there are no towns and no place to stop, rest, and no shade. Basically, a mini desert. The plan is to leave very early in the morning in order to try to cover as much ground as possible before it becomes too hot. Because it is flat, if I move at a steady pace, I should be able to make the trek in about 5 or 6 hours. A listle bit more about the Camino community: Language lessons aboud. All aroundone can hear people teaching each other words of thier native tongue, or teaching those who do not speak Spanish some of the necesssary words and phrases. For those who do not speak the Spanish language, others are mor ehtan willing to serve as translators. That role is also necessary in mixed groups where someone does not know the language being spoken. I cannot begin to describe for you the expereince of being on the Camino. I wish more folk from the United States c/would take the opportunity to follow this amazing path. Most everyone on the Caminos talks about being here for reasons fo discovery; dicosveries about themselves, aboust what they are to do next with theri life, etc. There are some who are here for other reasons: to recover from a broken relationship, to pust their life back together after substance abuse, to meet a mate, to lose weight (I think I could come up with some better ways of losing weight!). I invite any who are reading this to consider is sGod is callig you into a time discovery who you are in the eyes of God, discovering your own physical, spiritual or emotional limits, discovering what it is like to be fully reliant on God. Or, just to know what it is like to explore and experience the incredble majesty of God revealed on the open road. There is a freedom that cannot be describedand in the midst one can discover the song that God has placed within each heart. The song that has been accompanying me the past couple of days is "By Your Side" from Godspell. If you don´t klnow the play or movie, it is the song one of the disciples sings when the Jesus character is preparing to leave them, it is her request to go with him to the place he is going and to endure the hardship of walking with a pebble in her shoe until she can join him. May God bless you on whatever path you are following, and may your camino be filled with unexpected revelations of God.

Hospitality

Pardon any typos, the key board language has been changed. I just wanted to write an update on my stay here at the albergue in Belorado. We came here because of posters we saw along the route, and what a great decision it was. We knew that there was no set cost and that a donation would be requested for the bed. But when we arrived, we learned that dinner was available also for a donation. The hospitaleros called us up to dinner and we were treated to a formal sit-down dinner that was out of this world. They work very hard here to provide not only a good place to stay but a good atmosphere as well. Fernanado is the American hospitalero and is originally from Brazil. As with many hospitaleros, he was a pilgrim and has returned to volunteer at an albergue. He has lived in Laconia, NH and is very familiar with the Boston area. He has such a wonderful spirit and is quite delightful. Since dinner was early (7:30), folks are sitting on the terrace relaxing before going to bed. Most of us will turn in by 10:00, even though the sun will just be setting. There is a student band wandering the neighborhood playing music, the sun is still bright in the sky (9:05) and all is quiet and relaxed. Goodnight.

Family Groups

Yesterday and today I noticed that there are a number of families taking the Camino. There is one family of four,+ mother, father adn two children, probably ages 10 and 12, and another mother who is travelling with her young daughter. There is also a Koren mother travelling wth her young son. Our own Camino family groups and bands continue to reconfigure as people come and go. Yesterday we said goodbye to Eva and Gunn who returned to Sweden, and in a couple of days when we reach Burgos, Marisol of Spain and Marie of Finland will return to their homes. Yesterday was a relgious holiday and all shops and businesses were closed. The hospitaleros of the albergues hosted a special luncheon for hte pilgrims free of charge in honor of the holiday and the fact that finding food for lunch would have been difficult. There was a DJ and lots of music and dancing, and great fun! Of all the pilgrims that attended the luncheon, only about 8 were people with whom I began the Camino. The majority were people I had never seen along the way. For those of us who started out at the same time, it is a sad time as we say goodbye to new old friends and realize the journey will be very different from this point on. It's a bit sad when one realizes that one will reach Santiago without those with whom one started the journey. There is also sadness for those who leave realizing that they will not be able to reach Santiago this year with the friends they have met along the way. Relationships form quickly and bonds are strong, and a lot of email addresses have been exchanged, and a lot of group pictures taken. We each have a great picture of the Camino Back Pack Girls! One of the wonderful aspects of the Camino are the pilgrim blessings we receive at hte churches. Many are sure to include the pilgrims and their families in the prayers, and then their is a special blessing fo hte pilgrims. Most times, the pilgrims are asked to come forward to receive the blessing. At one church, after the blessigs, the priest greeted each individual pilgrim in their own language and gave each a prayer card in their native tongue. I am today in Belorado and tomorrow head for Altapuerco.

Community reformed

Our Camino comunity is in the process of changing and reconfiguring. Several who started out last week from St. Jean are no longer with us. Of the Italian group, one remains: the wonderful Andrea. Some of his companions have returned to Italy and one has taken the bus to Leon from where he will continue walking to Santiago. There are others who have returned home and others who are "shrinking" the Camino in order to cover more distance in fewer days in order to to finish in the number of days they have left before they have to return to obligations at home. As people adjust their pace, change their stopping points the community is reconfiguring itself and new sub groups are forming. My walking companion of several days, Marjan, has moved on ahead and is trying to cover more ground in order to reach Santiago in less than the alloted time so that he can catch his return flight home. Today I wlaked wiht Mijon form Korea and we are sharing a room in a very nice albergue in Asofra. She too is hoping to go all the way to Santiago. A number f other folks will be leaving ina few days because of time contraints, Their plan is to return to complete the trip in the future. Some of left becuase they have thye have found the journey to be too strenuous. According to informati that Marjan shared with me, only 15% of the people who start out for Santiago will arrive there. There have been some very gruellings days because of the heat and made worse by the climbing. The blister I have I believe have come form not giving my shoes a proper breaking in. Thank you for your prayers for Johannes, I saw him yesterday and he had a pair of boots that someone else had left behind at one of the albergues. Over these past few days people continue to assess what they really need and what they can live without. Many things are bing left behind (pilgrim equivalent to a yard sale) or being mailed home. One of the things tha has become very clear to me over the past week is that there is much more balance in my life as I travel the Camino: balance between the spiritual life, the emotional care, and physical care. There is time for everything, including spending time with new friends just sitting and laughing or eating together. We laugh a lot and take a lot of silly pictures of each other! Well, I´m going to relax for a little and review tomorrow´s itinerary before heading off to dinner. Believe me when I say, I could take a permanent liking to the freedom of life on the road. The freeedom of it is very intoxicating, and the people and stories one encounters along the way is very enriching.

We arrived in Los Arcos this afternoon and have finished the afternoon routine of shower and laundry before finding a place for dinner. There was a notice for one place in town that is serving a "pilgrim Menu," which varies from place to place, but is usually a meal at a price lower thatn the regular dinner price. The one problem we encounter, however, is that Spaniard don´t usually have dinner unti 8:00, and most pilgrims as very very hungry when they enter into town between 3 & 5. An observation: Community on the Camino is formed in some facinating ways. Some folks conect around nationality and common language, some connect around common language,e ven if they are not for the same country. At times, that common language may not be their native tongue. There is a German woman travelling with an Spanish man, neither speaks the language of the other, so they use Italian. When a large group of people come together for a meal or fellowship, the language that is most common among the majority is the language that is spoken. Iftwo folks want to communicate with each ohter and neither knows the language of hte other, the default language is often a broken english. It´s very interesting to observe to be a part of. Today was a nice day for wqalking, temperature wise, but like many of the previous days the walk itself was on the grueling side. On the 20k journey, we traveled the last 12k with no town, no place to stop and rest, and nothing but sun and racky roads through vinyards in the mountains. At the beginning of today´s journey was a fountain, but unlike all th others, this one is famous because it dispense wine form one spout and water from another. If you would like to see pilgrims who visit the fountain, there is a webcam site at www.irache.com. Please continue to pray for shoes for Johannes. Blessings.

Lighten Up

I have arrived in Estella. I have had my shower, the laundry is done and after this post it's off to dinner. This morning in order totry to lighten up my pack I left a number of things behind at the other albergue: It's odd how many things we hold onto in our life that we really can do without. The day's weather was good but there was also some more climbing over rocky terrain, leading me to acknowledge that often times in life we must go through some very difficult situations in order to arrive at a place that is much better for us. As much as we may wish that we didn't have to expereince the difficult "rocky climbs," during that time if we are observant we might just see the hidden blessings. As I ended in the last post (when my time ran out), the body is holding up well, except for my aching feet! Tony, if you read this, thanks for the arms, gluts, hamstrings, back and shoulders, especially the shoulders!!!!! Believe me when I find a new trainer, there will be no moans, groans or any complaints about shoulder work! Chuck L. If you are reading this, thanks for the scarf: it has been a life saver during these hot days. It comes in handy when I reach a fountain with ice cold water: It brings great refreshment to a hot face and neck. I want to ask you all to pray for three persons: Pavel who is here searching, but not quite sure for what. For Marjan that he would see the world as a less miserable place and would begin to see some of the good in the world and for his own life. Johannes: that he would find healing and direction and that his needs for a better and better fittting pair of shoes would be met. The shoes he wears are his father's and they are slighty too small and today the soul came off as we were walking. All three of these fellows have had some difficult times (drugs, alcohol, broken relationships) and need a portion of God's healing spirit and transformation. Blessings.

I made it!

After a long and difficult journey, I arrived yesterday in Puente La Reina. I was a 25K trip that was hot and required traversing and climbing a very rocky terrain. Most of hte time it felt like crossing the desert: everything was so brown and there was the heat form the sun above and the heat fromthe rocks below. Everyon dragged in hot and exhausted. When four of us arrived at the first albergue in town. we werre told that there were only 2 beds left. So Marjan and I decided to go the next one. It was a a little difficult to find and we had to climb a very steep driveway. but once we arrived. we discovered a very nice place with a swimming pool. And, for 9 Euros we received a very good meal. A few observations: Unlike the French route, the stops here are not designated by churches. In fact I am seeing far fewer churches than I did in France. In order to see some of hte churches, one has to detour off the route and that may add an hour to a already difficult journey. The sense of community is very strong. In several spots aolng the way, there are memorials set up for pilgrim who died whil making hte journey. Those who knew them have set up crosses or some other type of observance, sometimes incuding a picture. Incribed at the site is thier namce age and the date of death. As others pass, they stop for reflection or prayer and place a stone, flower or some other object on the the spot. Ther are a number of people who are walking hte Camio but shoose not to carry their bags. Instead, they hire a cab and their bags dropped off at each stop. Of course because theyr are carrying nothing but their lunch, they move much faster than the rest of us. Andrea is our Camino "clown." He is a fellow from Italy who speaks only Italian, but just bout everyone knows him because he is very outgoing and always joking. It´s alway great to arrive at a site and be welcomed by his over the top greeetings. People learn the names and home countries of others very quickly. I´ve already met a number of folks from all over the States: CT, WI, WA, and even one United Methodist. Well. today will be a shorter walk.

Day 2

This afternoon I arrived in Zubiri and am staying the night here (way better accomodations than last night-it ws very cold and drafty in the space we selpt in-even with 100 people sharing the space: It was a very old structure and had the appearance of an old church.) I walked with Marjan from Slovania, and because we talked a little too much took a few too many breaks and pictures, it started to get late and we decided it was better not to continue the 5k to Larrsoana. Leaving a little early tomorrow will allow me to spend some time in Pamploma (the running of the bulls happened a couple of weeks ago!) before heading to Cizur Menor. I continue to be amazed at how quickly community and relationships form aong those on the Camino. Today Eva fro Sweden gave me a bracelet becuse she did not beleive we would see each other again before she headed back home. She and her companion will not be going to Santiago. When one arrives in a town, one is greeted by other pilgrims as though as by old friends. It´s a wonderful experience. It nurtures my sense of familiarity and haveig returned to somethng I know. I´m looking forward to travelling deeper into Spain over the days ahead and the experiences and encounters that await. The most challenging part right now is getting my mouth to respond in spanish and not french when asking a question or responding to a question. What comes out is usually a mixture of both languages. The fact that most of the people I meet speak more than their native tongue is also an incentive for me to keep improving my own abilities. ¡Hasta Luego! Love, MD

I arrived in Roncevalles around 3:30 or 4:00 this afternoon, having left St. Jean at 7:00 am. I have a bed, I have dinner reservations and my laundry is done. I can relax a little before dinner at 7:00, and then at 8:00 will attend a special mass for pilgrims at the local church. The walk was all uphill and a challenging one. It was made easier by the fact that the weather was pleasnat and I had two very interestng travelling companions: Pavel (very talkative) from Poland via London, and Marjan from Slovania. We had good conversation and kept one another from thinking about the challenges of the climb. Tomorow´s walk will be a little shorter and I think mostly on downhill, which has challenges of its own. My feet are a little sore, but all in all it was a good day. The place where we are staying is dormitory style, and must hold nearly 100+ people. I think nearly all the beds are filled. There´s very little space to move around and taking a shower was a challenge: 2 showers for all the women and 2 for all the men. There was also not enough room on the clothes line for me to hand my clothes to dry, but fortunately I brought my own. Blessings of this day: good companions, beautiful French countryside, arrival in Spain, a bed to sleep in, dinner, being able to go to worship, time to relax. A bientot. Love, Marcelle

Je suis arrivee! I am now in St. Jean Pied de Port. I would have been here yesterday, but the airline had trouble getting my backpack to me. They finally delivered it early this afternoon at my hotel in Bayonne and I was able to catch the train to St. Jean. It is really great being beack here, and for some reason there is this wonderful but strange sense of familiarity. Iin a very odd way, the past year seems like it was just an interlude or intermission; time spent in passing until I could return to the rest of my journey. Now that I am here, I am filled great expectation of the adventures and encounters that God has in store for me. I have already met some very nice people, and last night as I went to bed there was a display of fireworks taking place over the church in Bayonne. Tomorrow early, I head out over the Pyrenees to Roncevalles. Not only is it the beginning of the Camino Frances, it is also the most difficult stage. It is a straight climb up the Pyrenees and I will need to carry all food and water supplies for the day, since there really are not places to re-stock until I descend into Spain. It should take me about 8 hours to make the journey. It's great to be back and I look forward to keeping everyone up to date with how things are going. There will be greater access in Spain to internet than there was in France. I leave you with the Song of the Pilgrims that I learned in France: Tous les matins, nous prenon le Chemin; Tous les matins nous allons plus loin. Jour apres jour la route nouw appelle. C'est la voix de Compostelle. Ulreia, Ultreia, Esus e la, Deus adjuta nos. Every morning we travel the Chemin; Every morning we go farther along. Day after day, the the path calls us; It is the voice of Compostelle. All the way to Santiago. All the way to Santiago (rough translation, no one really knows the origin of this word or how to translate it.) Jesus is there, God (can't figure out the origin or translation of this word. It might be somethig to the effect of God "goes with" or "joins") us. A bientot! Love, Marcelle

I can't believe it!  A year has passed and I am on my way back to St.Jean Pied de Port to begin the Spanish stage of the Camino.  I fly out tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon and am schedule to arrive in France on Monday morning.  I will begin walking on Tuesday morning and anticipate that the journey will take approximately 5 weeks.  I am so excited and can't wait to be back in France, to begin walking again, and looking forward to the new people I will meet.  I'm also looking forward to what God will reveal during the journey.  Last year I learned a lot about myself:  my strengths, my "growing edges" and what God can do when I place myself completely in his hands.  That was probably the most life altering revelation and the one that enable me to take this year of sabbatical for additional listening.  So, my dear friends, Ultreia!  Onward to Santiago. 

Love,

Marcelle

PS: PLease remember that one I am in France, and I will be on a French keyboard, so expect a number of "typos!"  My guess is that once I cross over into Spain, the typos will be worse!