Friday, April 19, 2024
This morning the kids did a great job getting ready. So many people, myself included, have been really impressed with the how the kids behave in the albergues. They are generally quiet and respectful. People just can’t believe that the kids keep walking and walking and they hardly complain. This has been a really full week. We’ve covered another roughly 78km or 50 miles this week so far. And we’ve got one more long-ish Day tomorrow to finish things out.
Today we walked with Nidia and Joycelyn again. They are the best walking buddies. I often find myself just wanting to listen in to what they are talking about with the kids. They have had some awesome conversations about a variety of topics -- including gospel topics -- over the past couple of days.
I was really surprised by the beauty of the way today. Hontanas is a beautiful little pueblo nestled in a little valley. River had been dying to play in a park all morning, and I told her we would look for one. The first one we saw looked like something from a horror film, so we skipped it and asked a guy at a bar if there was a park around. He pointed us to a beautiful little park hidden next to the church. It was a perfect place to take a break and visit and eat some lunch and let the kids play. That little park in Hontanas won’t show up in any guide book, but it was just perfect for River today. A real tender mercy.
The next huge surprise was the ruins of the monastery of St Anton just outside of Castrojeriz. The Camino literally leads directly though the ruins -- which have been made into an albergue for pilgrims. We sat for a while there and simply marveled at what we were seeing. It’s one of the most strikingly beautiful spots I’ve seen on this trip.
And finally, there is Castrojeriz itself. The signs say it’s one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, and I believe it. It’s got a couple of nice churches, and a ruined castle that looks over everything.
Nidia and Ian really wanted to hike up to the castle, but my Achilles tendon is giving me some trouble, and we had other stuff to do (dinner, showers, etc) so we didn’t go.
We had a really good day walking. River had an awesome attitude. The only bummer was that the battery on my good camera died, so I didn’t get the pictures of St Anton. But I had my iPhone, and I’m hoping I got some good shots with that.
Today Kimball and I had a great discussion about how walking the Camino is like conversion and discipleship. Sometimes Kimball wants his conversion to be complete and definitive. But that’s not how it usually is. What we need to do is keep walking, and eventually, we will get where we need to be. But it requires a lot of patience, and some trust in God, and the determination to just take His hand and keep walking.
