An amazing walk today. Left Logroño about 8 am after breakfast and a big hug from the hospitaleras.
I had my rain gear sent from Santiago to Bercianos because last year it was hot and dry until I got to Galcia and even then only had one partial day of rain and another day with a smidgen of rain. So when the skies started weeping in Saint Jean I picked up a rain pauncho that had been left and in Roncevalles I picked up some rain pants the same way in Roncevalles. By Puente Reina it looked like sunny skies were here to stay, so I left the stuff for a future pilgrim. Then last night in Viana we had heavy showers, thunder, lightening, and temporary loss of electricity. So I was a little concerned when there were dark clouds on the horizon as I left the albergue. It was clear where I was and I thought, as long as those dark clouds move faster than me, I'm OK. The amazing thing is, they did. Every time I looked at the horizon there were dark clouds, but when I looked directly above me there were puffy white clouds and blue skies.
Along the way today there were tons of snails. I was being very careful not to step on them and sending up a little prayer for those that had already been smushed. At one point going up a hill there were hundreds of little baby snails. I must have looked like I was dancing as I stepped this way and that. Then I'm approaching Logroño and I come to Felicia's place there is a man just leaving who didn't look like a pilgrim. Felicia died in 2002 and now her daughter, Maria welcomes the pilgrims and stamps our credentials. So while Maria is stamping my credential, she holds up a bag of snails and explains that they are a gift from the man who just left. Oh dear, I think, she is going to eat them. Muchas oraciones por los caracoles
Just as you enter Logroño there is the municipal cemetery on the right hand side. I love cemeteries. I don't know why, I don't want to be planted in one. But I think they are interesting and peaceful. When I go to Catalina, where I grew up, I usually go have a picnic at the town cemetery and visit my God parents, Sam and Ofie, my mom and lots of other people. I know most of the people buried there. Anyway the cemetery in Logroño had the most unusual grave marker I have ever seen. It was put there by a son for his mother and I swear the son must have been an apprentice to Gaudi or at least a very big fan. There are lots of other interesting things there and a public rest room. But what I call the Gaudi grave marker should not be missed.
I got into Logroño and ran into some people I had met at the albergue last night. This was there last stop, they were returning to Germany. They took a picture of my tattoo with there camera and a picture of me and the bears on the Logroño chess board. And then we said "hasta luego"
I had lunch in Logoño and then left. I spent five days in Logroño last year resting a sore knee, and today it seemed like it took me that long just to get through it. But after I got through the town part with traffic and car dealerships (Toyota, Lexus, and Ford, to name a few) there was a nice park with green lawns that then turned into a biking, running, and walking path with a nice surface and trees. Then after that came Grajera park with a playground and a lake with swans. I sat by the side of the lake and had an Aquarius naranja.
Then I was on to Navarette. Got here, took a shower, washed clothes, iced knee and hip, and got food from mercado (yogurt, jamon iberica, curado cheese (they call it Manchego in the US), olives, and bread for less than seven euros. That will be breakfast, lunch and dinner.) it was at this point I looked at comments on fb and realized my blog from last night hadn't posted. I guess I was having so much fun I forgot to post it.
So I sent off yesterday's post and am really loving all the comments I got. The strange thing, or the irony, if you will, is that I've been pouting on and off because, like last year, it seems that after a few days, it's like out of sight, out of mind. I don't hear from my tribe even when I beg and plead. This year's exceptions are Trish my new BFF who writes me every day, Tonja who I just met before I left at Friday morning women's meet who writes me almost every day, and my wonderful, sweet, loving husband who wrote little snippets all the to me because he knows how much they mean to me (he listened to me bitch about it last year until he finally told me to get over my self. harumf! Why isn't everyone paying attention to me? What, you have lives of your own? but I digress. Then I started wondering why I am so bothered by this. I am the problem. There are hard liners who say they don't even bring their cell phones on the Camino because they want to be unplugged. Why don't I want to be unplugged? Is this an unhealthy attachment or dependency that I have? Who the heck knows? Not me. I do know, or believe that I don't want to unplug from my life at home. There is nothing worrisome or bothersome about life at home. My spiritual feet are firmly planted in the soil of my friends and family in California. The problem might be that I'm only one person who loves two places, California and Spain. If I could be in both places at one time, I would. So while I'm having all this introspection, I realize you haven't responded to my last post because I didn't send it. Oh the irony. ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment