El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Days 13+14: Dis-appointment or His-appointment?!

Easter Sunday dawned in bright sunshine and we started early for what would be our last day walking the Camino.

Everything looked better after yesterday’s storm: no longer were the eucalyptus trees only tall ominous sentinels, nor the clouds harbingers of darkness, but the Way took on a whole new light, like that Resurrection morning so many centuries ago that changed our entire world forever!

We had only 19km left to reach Santiago! You could sense the heightened anticipation among all the peregrinos as we neared our destination! Time itself seemed to fly as we walked.

But the weather changed just as quickly from bright and sunny to dark and blustery, began to rain, changed back to sun and then rain again! And we had to change… and not only our rain gear, accordingly!

Just before noon, we reached Monte del Gozo = Hill of Joy, only 5kms from city. From what we’d heard along the trail and seen in the movie, we’d expected a panorama of the whole city and its cathedral spires lying before us,

but trees blocked our view, clouds rolled in and it started to pour! A seed of disappointment was sown.

Then a long walk through boring suburbs, and my legs also started pulling up lame again?  Disappointment took root and discouragement set in. It was time to stop a while.

We found a bar abierto although much was cerrado on Easter morning, had breakfast and felt a whole lot better!

We also found we’d lost another hour to Daylight Savings Time overnight: first time I’d ever lost 2 hours in 1 year and wondered if I will ever get it back again?

Refreshed, we resumed walking: finally through Porta = Gate de Santiago and into the Old City. We made our way through its narrow, winding cobblestone streets and finally saw one of the catedral’s spires we’d seen in pictures. ‘Just keep on walking, Henry, you can make it!’ More bends and suddenly our way emptied into an open square with impressive-looking monuments and buildings all around us! On closer examination, they were very old, covered with moss and lichen, weather-eaten and, needing repair! One of two main spires was surrounded, or held up (?), with scaffolding, undergoing renovation; the other already stood clean and restored, pointing to a promise of how resplendent they would once both be again one day!

We’d actually reserved a hotel because we expected Santiago would be very crowded on this most sacred day of the Christian calendar in one of  its ‘most holy’ places; so after an initial look around, we just wanted to get cleaned up and rest a bit. It was close by, not hard to find and really quite inexpensive. Thankfully, my pack had also arrived!

So tired, I just pulled my shoes off and stretched out on the bed. So glad for our warm room and not having to get up and walk again tomorrow! I didn’t just have a shower, but a good soak in a HOT bath!

Afterwards, we ventured out and it started to rain – again! The lady in the Tourist Office said the forecast was for more rain the next couple days so a daytrip to Finisterra = The End of the Earth, on the Atlantic wasn’t favourable. A long, expensive bus ride in the rain didn’t sound too exciting. More disappointment!

We went inside the main catedral: the original focal point of the Camino, and  you could tell its interior needed some real TLC too. But too much ornamentation for me: overdone, ostentatious and out-dated Baroque!

The altar: gold and silver everywhere, probably stolen by the Conquistadores from the Americas?

And then a plethora of busty, rosy-cheeked, plastic-looking cherubim flying all over: very tacky!

Even the main entrance, The Tree of Life door, was temporarily closed for renovations.

This is the supposed burial site of Santiago = St James the Apostle, John’s brother who, it’s believed, preached in northern Spain, then after executed by Herod c44AD back in Jerusalem (Acts 12:1-2), his body was miraculously transported back to Spain. About 700 years later, a shepherd conveniently rediscovered his buried bones in Compostela = field under the stars, and  with Jerusalem having been cut off by Muslim conquest, El Camino became a major route of pilgrimage.

So we did what peregrinos do: embraced St James’ statue and gem-encrusted mantle, viewed his relics in a silver casket in the crypt, toured the many chapels… but too much religious hype for me!

It had been for Erica too, even moreso! When we’d visited Toledo and Rome with all their treasure displays,

rather than being impressed, Erica had been grieved and burst into tears!

We also picked up our ‘compostela’ with our names written in Latin to certify we’d actually completed pilgrimage requirements. And we met many other peregrinos we’d spent the last 2 weeks with who’d also arrived:

S from Seattle, Ohio and her mom, G from Portugal and his mom, D+B from Toronto, the lone Spaniard,

English Ben, the 2 Germans and the Irish couple we’d first met on the train. Of course we celebrated with gelato: almond chocolate and macadamia nut! but the first TV news I’d seen in weeks kind of put a damper on rejoicing: Pakistani terrorists bombed a park of Christians celebrating Easter, and many, including children, had been killed! Violent persecution continues against Christ’s body even in this day.

All the more we need to walk in the revelation and power of His Resurrection!

The next day we returned to the cathedral for the Pilgrim Mass: in Latin and Spanish, very formal, lots of ritual, quite empty and boring I thought, and when someone told me the priests only swung the huge censer on particular days or when a donor especially paid 250Euros and today this wasn’t happening – I was all the more disappointed!  

This was a Camino highlight I was looking forward to; especially in the movie, it had brought everything together.

And now I was feeling loss, cheated… extremely disappointed!

But this is when God turns our disappointments into His-appointments, really much better than what we expected!  During the mass, I’d noticed a number of young Oriental people in the congregation… seemed a little peculiar? Half-way through, in fact, 3 young women seated right in front of us, got up and joined others off to the side.

All dressed up, they removed some musical instruments out of cases… for what, I wondered?  

Then, right after mass finished, they stepped into the centre of the cathedral with string, wind and brass instruments,

a conductor stood up in front of  them and suddenly an entire symphony from Hokaido, Japan  broke into music and played for over ½ an hour! Sounds of Beethoven, (I recognized his!) classical and a modern Japanese piece filled the entire cathedral and its excellent acoustics magnified their excellent ‘sound’.

I forgot the surrounding kitsch and glitz and focused on its beauty. Disappointment melted away with my realization that again God had revealed Himself the ultimate Redeemer-Conductor in complete control!  This touched my heart deeply and tears flowed again, releasing me from my criticism and disappointment: tears of grief gave way to joy, overwhelmed by Christ’s victory! Such a special finale to our Camino: a symphony never before performed here and probably never again; a harmony of Word + Spirit so much better than a swinging censer!

And that’s how my Easter verse came to me: ‘exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,’ Eph 3:20-21 and became my Camino highlight!

We had come full circle: from promise to expectation, from disappointment to His-appointment – so much better than anything I could ever have planned! And once again I’d seen God bring all things together for good into a fullness none of us can attain on our own. Through simple trust and following His Way, He brought us all the way,

to a more than fitting Camino conclusion.

And so it is with our lifelong pilgrimage: we often don’t realize what God is doing in, through and around us until He reveals Himself beyond ourselves, even in the midst of worldly or religious surroundings.

And with Job, we bow and proclaim, ‘but now my eye sees You!’

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Day 12:

A windy, rainy day today!  They can’t all be sunny, eh?

So my verse to walk in today:  ‘faith + patience inherit the promises.’ (Heb 6:12) 

You have to plant seeds of faith first, then you must water and wait for them to grow.

Patience only comes into play after you’ve stepped out of the boat in faith; then you learn to walk on water.

I don’t think I actually walked on water through today’s 19km as much as I waded.

And that’s only a surface appraisal: opposing winds and waves challenge more than merely physical conditions.

This morning’s wind was in an inconsistent mood: at one point gentle and then all of a sudden blustery!

I walked for a while with ‘K from California’ and as I mentioned, each peregrino has a story. Hers was remarkable! K had walked the first half of the Camino last year and now had returned to complete her final portion to Santiago. And it seemed like everything that I had prayed would not happen to me, had happened to her.

Her checked packsack had not arrived at Madrid airport; IberiaAir didn’t even have an idea where it was?!

But rather than just wait there, she’d gone ahead to Leon, where we’d also started, with only her light carry-on.

She didn’t even have the basics to start walking: no change of clothes, runners, raincoat, or personal toiletries, etc., but the nuns at the convent where she stayed gave her everything she needed to continue.

Then she went to buy additional items and discovered her credit card had been compromised and had to cancel it.

But those were not her biggest issues: she was walking the Camino to find her faith restored.

During last year’s segment, she’d walked a number of days with a young American woman from Phoenix who’d then suddenly disappeared. Later, through other peregrinos’ FaceBook reports, K found that her friend indeed had gone missing and police were searching for her. Unfortunately, 5 months later they found her body; she had been lured off the Way, robbed and murdered near Astorga. Police finally arrested a young Madrileno (man from Madrid) whom locals had noticed frequenting the area. 

So now K had returned to finish the Camino not only for herself, but her murdered friend. I admired her bravery!

However, we became so distracted in our talking and walking that we lost track of following the yellow arrows!

We’d somehow taken a turn off the main route and now other peregrinos were coming from another direction from a village we’d just passed through and … I couldn’t see Michael anywhere!

I figured maybe he’d stopped in the village for breakfast and a café con leche, so I needed to retrace my steps.

K decided to keep going, but I turned back and good thing I did!

I found him just a short ways under a restaurant shelter, waiting for me with both his cup of cafe and one for me too!

What a good son! What a lost dad!

Another benefit of turning back: I finally met the ‘old man’ who’d kept on showing up. He was probably one of the only ones older than me on the Camino and he didn’t walk very fast.  We’d smile, wave and pass him, but then later in a town further along, we’d see him again and he’d smile, wave and pass us.

Now here was my opportunity, so I stopped, introduced myself and met Javier, a Basque from Bilbao, a region of northern Spain known for its independent spirit. He’d already walked the Camino 22 times– always alone!

Well-educated, he spoke very good English: ‘Walking the Camino has taught me to live consistently,’ he stated.

‘I can see that.’ I agreed. And he didn’t really have to say anymore: his walk revealed even more than his talk.

The rain stopped for a while and we stopped for lunch; but right after we’d reached the restaurant, it began afresh. Sheets of rain poured down!  Drenched peregrinos rushed in, fleeing like refugees from the deluge! We tried to wait out the storm before venturing to finish our last 4kms, but it never let up and finally, although it was still pouring, we decided to brave it. But the wind and rain only intensified and the storm unleashed its full fury on us!

The wind blew so hard it pushed the rain at us horizontally and threatened to blow us right off the road!

However, we overcame and in just over an hour, arrived at O Pedrouzo and found an albergue with a heater so we could dry out! I crawled into my sleeping bag to get warm, we had supper and played our 3^rd chess game: I think I won the tie-breaker!

We also changed our plans for the next day’s journey. Rather than stay overnight just outside Santiago, we decided to walk the extra 5 kms right into the city. It  would mean a longer day walking, but it also meant we’d arrive  a day earlier, on Easter Sunday even, and hopefully to a hotel with a dry, warm room!?

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Day 11:

Our hotel room was warm at night, so it was harder to leave in the  morning.

Also, it was Good Friday and they told us a procession from the church would start at 9, so we took our time.

In contrast to the Palm Sunday procession we encountered in Ponferrada, this was very small and somber.

My verse seemed appropriate: ‘count the cost’. (Luke 14:28)

Whereas the context usually refers to whether we are willing to commit our all to follow Christ through all the pain and persecution this decision involves; I felt this time it rather referred to focus on ALL it cost Jesus when He paid the ultimate price of our redemption, forgave our sins, defeated death and established His kingdom here in earth.

When we realize HOW MUCH it cost Him, we will no longer quibble about how little it comparably costs us.

It didn’t take very long till the single float and its following 100 elderly people wound their way quietly into the maze of narrow city streets and disappeared.

But my verse stayed with me and gave me much to ponder during the entire day.

We continued walking through more fields and forests of pine and giant eucalyptus, up and down rolling hills.

It was a moderate day: we’d only planned to walk 14 kms, one of our days’ shorter distances.

Even the rain remained a moderately slight drizzle for most of the time.

However, one unique highlight: as we were walking down the forest path, we heard a flute playing in the distance.

It was hard to tell where the music came from, but it seemed to be up ahead, so we kept walking, drawn by its light and pleasant melody. Then we turned a corner and discovered a lone fellow with a donkey tied alongside him.

He was not only playing in the middle of nowhere to no one in particular, for it seemed we were his only audience;

but the scene had an added peculiarity: he’d written ‘Buen Camino’ = ‘Have a Good Time on The Way’ on his donkey’s side. Just in dye, pen, or more permanent paint, I don’t know?  But it was a reminder that you never know what to expect when you turn a corner on the Camino. We listened respectfully, walked by and all the while he kept playing; he didn’t skip a note and his donkey didn’t flinch!

By the time we reached Arzua, our day’s destination, the rain was falling harder. Thankfully, we’d finished our walk just in time to not get drenched. Our albergue for the night was called Don Quijote; everyone needs to at least one night in a place named after this romantic hero while in Spain! We had supper at a local restaurant, found a specialty cheese, chorizo = sausage and vino shop and played another chess match.

A peaceful day on the Camino.

In fact, that night I dreamed I found an ice cream shop on the Way that had named a flavor especially after me

and then put this sign on it: ‘The  BEST ice cream in ALL the world!’

I was definitely feeling fulfilled! 

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Day 10:

There’s a certain joy in the simple routine and discipline of having to wake up every morning, regardless of how you slept or feel… and walk.

It’s more than just successfully getting out of bed. It’s learning to put one foot in front of another and keep on going in that one direction to that one destination you’re headed for, regardless of your circumstances.

That’s the heart of pilgrimage: you learn to follow Christ through His Word + Spirit, one step-day at a time, trusting Him, practically applying faith and love in action.

And eventually the beautiful truth of His harmony and simplicity dawns on you!

That’s why early mornings are so significant and often the most enlightening time of the day.

I’ve become quite a night owl since Erica’s no longer here with me. I get reading or watching something, time passes and suddenly it’s well past midnight before I’m finally ready to sleep. But the Camino challenged this habit;

we were usually so tired we went to bed early and woke up early because we had another day’s walking ahead of us.

This morning I especially appreciated the sunrise. A cold mist again blanketed the landscape when we started out. Everything seemed cloaked in a mystery awaiting revelation. A silent, cold darkness permeated, but a backdrop of light anticipated the revolution of the sunrise and when it came, it was glorious: just like Christ’s Resurrection must have been to the world’s spiritual darkness!  What an Awakening!

Our dorm was cold when we awoke, so we had a lot of incentive to get going, get the blood flowing, and get warm!

We planned to walk 23km today: the longest stretch on our last push all the way to Santiago and my verse:

Phil 4:19 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ was in my spirit and I truly felt: ‘I can do this!’

It’s not ‘God only gives us as much as we can handle’, but He gives us as much as He can handle through us.

I’ve been definitely learning how to draw on His strength more to carry me through.

I really don’t have time to listen to all the objections of my flesh. I need to focus on drawing from the Holy Spirit to finish what we started and I am confident He will be my strength to the end… and that gives me more hope and joy! And eventually we walked through a carpeted countryside of farms, fields and forests in brilliant sunshine!

We stopped for breakfast and another coffee at Palas de Reis and then walked steady throughout the afternoon.

We passed a restaurant called Zwei Deutschen = 2 Germans; we looked for our 2 friends,  but they didn’t come?  

But we did find Quatro Espagnols = 4 young Spaniards out for a good time together, walking from one bar to the next to drink, play their guitar and sing. And they were really good singers, out enjoying a good time together!

Finally, over one more bridge and into the suburbs of Melide, our day’s destination.  It seemed like a long walk through the city, a very different town from the previous empty villages; lots of people filled the streets and shops. Maybe everyone was getting ready for the holiday tomorrow?  

We found our posada, decided to splurge and got a place with a heater!

When I got my giant blister on our 2^nd day walking, an Irish peregrino had very kindly given me something called a compede = a heavy-duty bandaid that adheres right to the skin -- and this finally came off today.

It took the skin right off too, but it had done its job and thankfully kept my foot clear from infection!

For supper we ate paella = the Spanish national dish of rice and whatever seafood is available; but we were quite disappointed: the little they served was expensive and not that tasty.

But it was a different story for dessert. We found a churreria packed with customers, (always a good sign) dispensing what soon became our favourite Camino treat: churros = deep-fried and stretched-out donut dough dipped in thick hot chocolate! Not the best for a gluten-free diet, but The BEST hot chocolate ever! 
And then I found my own car... here in Spain, but I didn't have my keys so.... I had to keep walking!

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Day 9.

It was hard to crawl out of a warm sleeping bag into the cold, but ‘early to bed, early to rise’ and we had to start early to get through our planned 22km today. I left my bag again for the transport service and we started walking, without even a coffee! Through a lot of  farmyards: dairy operations: Holstein, Charlebois cattle and the farm smell was strong in the air. I remembered Matthias’ warning: ‘Don’t drink the water when you get to Galicia!’ and now I knew why: the groundwater and many open fountains along the way must have a lot of fecal contamination.

After a couple hours, we crossed our biggest bridge and river yet to Portomarin. We could see the town from a long distance, especially its 12^thCentury Romanesque square block church in its centre. It had originally been down in the valley, but was moved and reassembled up the hill stone by stone after a dam built below flooded the area.

We tried to shop for breakfast, but we knocked on a sign-said abierto = open, but really-closed store, only to have the owner come running after we’d moved on.  So we got some fruit, yogurt and cheese, sat down outdoors to eat and suddenly: our 2 Deutschers = German friends appeared! One was not well, so they’d stopped for the night and didn’t look like they were going to go too far today either. Sickness will do that – even to a peregrino!

We finished coffee and then began a steady 8 km climb uphill. Now we met 2 groups of Chinese students and 3 older Barcelonans, must have been in their 70s, who literally charged up the hill ahead of us and kept right on going!

The wind grew steadily stronger and colder as we climbed and when we reached Ligonde, we were tired and our albergue was truly a welcome sight! The door was open but nobody home, so we put our stuff in the dorm.

Someone drove by and told us: ‘Isabella will come!’ So we waited and waited until …inadvertently the door closed behind us and suddenly our stuff was locked in and we were locked out – in the cold!

And that’s where my verse came in: ‘Let us run-walk with patience the race = Camino set before us’ (Heb 12:1). Impatience comes naturally, patience comes through trials and tribulations and just when you think you’ve got it, you find you need more.

I became unreasonably impatient. My pack was nowhere to be seen; Isabella, whoever she was? was nowhere to be found; and now the door was closed and locked tight and we were outside!

And that’s when I learned again to put the 2^nd part of the verse into practice: ‘looking unto Jesus.’

We prayed.

Then Michael went to check on another albergue up the road. After 20 minutes, he returned – with my packsack! 

Things were looking up! Finally, after I guess I’d learned enough patience for this day, Isabella showed up too.

She opened the door and our problems were solved. Amazing what power a key has! The water was caliente = so HOT we even washed our clothes, hung them on the line outside and the wind was so strong, they dried quickly! She phoned ahead to arrange for tomorrow’s pack pick-up and when we returned after supper at a nearby bar-restaurant, she also left us in charge of  her whole albergue because we were the only ones staying that night!

‘Just close the door behind you,’ she said. After our afternoon experience, we knew that this door closed and locked!

It was even colder than the previous night, so we crawled into our warm sleeping bags early.

The moon shone so bright through window, I thought it was already daylight at 2am!

Suffice it to say: it was a long night.

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela Day 8:

Beyond a doubt, this was our most beautiful day yet on the Camino!

The morning opened with a cold mist permeating everything, but the fog gradually gave way to brilliant sunshine and it felt like spring again! New hope and vitality filled my heart!

We planned to go from Sarria to Mercadoiro today, only 18 kms, very close to Matthias’ recommendation, and

totally manageable compared with how far we’d walked other days. I left my pack in the albergue foyer for the transport service to pick up and, free from its burden, we started walking through the city, up100s of stairs!

One thing became quickly apparent: many more peregrinos were joining us this morning!

They were everywhere: it was like ‘rush hour’ on the Camino! Sarria was 120 kms from Santiago, about a week’s journey by foot, and this being Semana Santa = Holy Week, many Spaniards were starting here to complete a mini-pilgrimage.     

We walked through a mix of farms and forests. Streams overflowed all around us: spilled over the walls and onto our pathway. Sometimes we crossed the waters by centuries-old bridges, stepping-stones or simply waded through. The trees, giant oaks and chestnuts, exuded character and seemed to speak out of the mist. Susan from Paraguay called them ‘talking trees’. I likened them to Tolkien’s ents in The Lord of the Rings and fully expected them to pull up roots and start walking with us.

The mist burned off, the sun shone clearer, and as we walked, I felt how much Erica would have enjoyed this natural beauty and suddenly really missed her company, her presence with us. At times, the Camino’s natural beauty verged on perfection, but this only seemed to make her absence all the more prevalent in my mind. Like how can there be such perfection when she is no longer here?!

Again tears flowed as memories quickened and past and present came alive together.

‘But,’ I heard the wind in the trees say, ‘This is for healing: the leaves of the trees are for healing the nations…

and for you and your family!’  

And that’s how and when Revelation 22:2 became my verse for the day!

As we walked through this morning, I felt Erica walking with us as I’d not known before, somehow still here, among the talking and walking trees of life, together with me on this pilgrimage to heal.

And that’s when the Spaniard, who’d still been sleeping when we left early, biked past; and the 2 German guys too.

In fact, I awakened to the fact a lot of other peregrinos were passing me. Was I slowing down again? The only guy I’d passed was a very white-haired 75-year old grandpa, probably the only guy older than me on the whole Camino!

So… time to move a little faster?!  

No… time to inhale a deeper breath, take it all to heart and enjoy these God-moments of life!

As it turned out, we had more than enough time! We even stopped for lunch and arrived at our next albergue early. My pack arrived safely. We settled into our room – had it all to ourselves! No caliente = hot water for showers, and  when the sun went down, it got cold and our stone albergue room grew even colder, but Michael found a space heater  and warmed ours up. After supper in the dining room, we even scrounged some cardboard and wood, built a much-needed fire and Michael and I played a game of chess, something we hadn’t done in a long time. 

Like I said: it was the most beautiful day!