Hello friends and family!
I’m not counting which day it is anymore, because we’re on the Camino! It’s been really nice to be on the trail, where the only numbers are how many kilometers we’re walking and how much cafe con leche costs.
Before we got on the trail from Rabanal del Camino, the very sweet women at the albergue made sure we ate PLENTY of bread - laughing when she got a resounding NO to the offer of more. We had a big day today, walking about 25km with some very large hills (mountains by MN standards). One of the very large hills lead to Cruz de Ferro, or “Cross of Iron”. Nanette told us a little bit about the history of the cross. Although there’s a cross there now, it was actually said to be a spot of good energy by the Celtics first. It’s a cross that sits on a tall pile of rocks that are left there by pilgrims on the way. Pilgrims will often start their journey with a rock in order to symbolize carrying weight of some sort, that may be more than just physical. How I understood it is at the Cruz de Ferro, people can drop their rocks, stones, any heavy burdens they may have. Many in our group walked in silence up to the cross. It was a very meaningful experience for me. I was so excited to toss that rock! It was also really cool to see just how tall the pile of rocks had gotten. People for years and years have left a lot of things at that cross! And of course our wonderful guides, Alex and Justin, were waiting for us with snacks and moral support at the top.
The walk (mostly) down was foggy and cold - and it stayed like that for a long time. By the time we got to the second checkpoint, I think the fog was getting to our heads and the steep downhills we’re getting to my knees. When we finally took a break from the cold for some lunch with a very kind woman, I decided to take care of my knees by riding on the bus. We are so lucky to have such awesome people with us on this trip to take care of us! Roberto is the bus driver, and he is so great. He drove us down the crazy winding road to Molinaseca without a problem, all the while letting Claire R and I sing to the songs on the radio (and laughing about our beautiful singing). He is so kind and friendly always. I was sad about missing out on the trail, but it’s pretty hard to stay that way when we have Roberto!
Molinaseca is a small and cute place. I think it is so beautiful here! Except for that the beautiful hills we are surrounded by we have to climb eventually...
Tomorrow is another exciting day - we get to see a castle! Stay tuned for the next blog post! This trip is so incredible, I’m loving every minute of it.
<3 Sammi
I’m not counting which day it is anymore, because we’re on the Camino! It’s been really nice to be on the trail, where the only numbers are how many kilometers we’re walking and how much cafe con leche costs.
Before we got on the trail from Rabanal del Camino, the very sweet women at the albergue made sure we ate PLENTY of bread - laughing when she got a resounding NO to the offer of more. We had a big day today, walking about 25km with some very large hills (mountains by MN standards). One of the very large hills lead to Cruz de Ferro, or “Cross of Iron”. Nanette told us a little bit about the history of the cross. Although there’s a cross there now, it was actually said to be a spot of good energy by the Celtics first. It’s a cross that sits on a tall pile of rocks that are left there by pilgrims on the way. Pilgrims will often start their journey with a rock in order to symbolize carrying weight of some sort, that may be more than just physical. How I understood it is at the Cruz de Ferro, people can drop their rocks, stones, any heavy burdens they may have. Many in our group walked in silence up to the cross. It was a very meaningful experience for me. I was so excited to toss that rock! It was also really cool to see just how tall the pile of rocks had gotten. People for years and years have left a lot of things at that cross! And of course our wonderful guides, Alex and Justin, were waiting for us with snacks and moral support at the top.
The walk (mostly) down was foggy and cold - and it stayed like that for a long time. By the time we got to the second checkpoint, I think the fog was getting to our heads and the steep downhills we’re getting to my knees. When we finally took a break from the cold for some lunch with a very kind woman, I decided to take care of my knees by riding on the bus. We are so lucky to have such awesome people with us on this trip to take care of us! Roberto is the bus driver, and he is so great. He drove us down the crazy winding road to Molinaseca without a problem, all the while letting Claire R and I sing to the songs on the radio (and laughing about our beautiful singing). He is so kind and friendly always. I was sad about missing out on the trail, but it’s pretty hard to stay that way when we have Roberto!
Molinaseca is a small and cute place. I think it is so beautiful here! Except for that the beautiful hills we are surrounded by we have to climb eventually...
Tomorrow is another exciting day - we get to see a castle! Stay tuned for the next blog post! This trip is so incredible, I’m loving every minute of it.
<3 Sammi
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