Blog update from Madrid, Spain

Well I successfully navigated myself from the Chemarten Rail station in Madrid, to my hotel located close to the Madrid airport. There was one section of my rail trip to Madrid where the train hit 235 Kms/hour. It reminded me of snowmobiling a little!! :>)

I had a reasonable nights sleep, interrupted only by a really good cat (feline) fight in the back alley. It was a doozy!! I had my window wide open to cool the room down. Hotel rooms in Europe have a slot by the door where you insert your key card and that turns the power on to your room. Normally everything is off in the room including ventilation!! Your room is not cooled down until you insert your key. Also, I don't think it's warm enough here yet to have the AC turned on. Open window was the only technology of choice!!

I walked around the neighbourhood around my hotel today and although I didn't see any of the traditional touristy sites, I saw real people doing what they do each day. Car repair shop, bicycle shop, cafe/bar, hardware store, and a dollar store etc. It was really nice and I felt very safe wandering around!! I even talked to a Spanish man who was riding a brand new Harley Davidson Touring Motorcycle. I told him it was beautiful, especially because it was "Yamaha blue"!! He said that was why he bought it!!!

I am still instinctively looking around for Pilgrims, but there seem to be no backpacks in sight. It seems strange and even though I'm very happy to be heading home, there is a slight feeling of emptiness. Where are the Pilgrims??

I headed back to my hotel to use their computers to check-in for my flight tomorrow. It was an interesting experience getting the Spanish desk clerk to help me translate the Air France website which was in French!! Complicated more by a security validation process for my MTS webmail (in Spanish). I "think" I'm checked!! :>)

While I was sitting at the hotel trying to use Microsoft Windows in Spanish, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Doug and Chris, Pilgrims from Minneapolis, Minnesota!! I met Doug and Chris in Burgos and we bumped into each other periodically after that and enjoyed a few meals together. Empty feeling disappeared. Thanks Lord!!

It's a "Sunny Manitoba Day" here in Madrid. Warm while in the sun, but with a cool breeze that makes the shady areas cooler. I will try to bring this back when I return!! It looks like you need it!!!

That's all for today, unless something very interesting arises!!

God Bless!!

Len

Adendum to last Blog Entry

Before I depart from Santiago in the morning I thought I would add an addendum to my last blog entry.  Why not??

One of the very special things about the Camino is the development of your "Camino Family" as you walk across Northern Spain.  I spent some time today listing as many people that I could remember that intersected my life while walking the Camino.  Some were brief interactions and some were much longer; days walking together and experiencing and sharing the adversity of a long distance trek.

After arriving in Santiago, it became a daily activity to walk the streets looking for familiar faces, wondering if your Camino Family had made it to Santiago.  Sometimes you would simply see a face that you recognized and when eye contact was made, smiles were exchanged!  It was really special thing to acknowledge the accomplishment.  

However, there were other Pilgrims with whom you'd become close, and you began to wonder where they might be? Did they already make it to Santiago?  Were they still on route?  Did they have to stop their Camino due to injury?  

Each day, we would meet people on our mental Camino Family list and we would celebrate their arrival with hugs and high fives!!  Questions would then be shared:  Have you seen this pilgrim or that pilgrim?  The list got shorter each day until only a few were still missing in action.  I am happy to report that most of our Camino Family have arrived in Santiago.  More hugs and high fives!!

Just to give you a glimpse of the international flavour of my Camino Family,  here is a snapshot of those who crossed my path.  I may have missed a few:

Alex (Brazil), Suzy (Bavaria), Ursula (Germany), Luc (Belgium), Federico (Italy), Gaetano (Italy), Sara (Australia), Sue & Jen (Canada, Nova Scotia), Dana (USA, San Diego), Kevin (England), Jack (Holland-Dentist) , Carol (Brazil), Dallas (USA Bar Harbour Maine), Lee (Singapore), Charlotte (Denmark), Kelly (Taiwan), Billy (Australia), Cody (USA Louisiana), Doug & Chris (USA Minnesota), Natali (Brazil), Jacques (Belgium), Giacomo (Italy), David (Italy), Dave (Australia), Vicky & Brian (USA & Ireland), Vicky (England), Cora (Holland), Peter (Holland), Pastor Nick (England), Laura & Manuel (Spain), Carmen (Spain Barcelona) , Denize (Brazil), Mr. Kim (South Korea), Ann Kathrin & Monique (Germany), Janet, Janice, Barb, Jennifer, Braedan, & Frazer (Alberta, Canada), Thomas (Germany), Ulla (Estonia), Eva (Latvia), Ruth (Australia) (WWW), Valeria (Argentina), Emilio (Mexico), Vicente (Barcelona), Johnny (Czechoslovakia), Robert (Germany), Markita (Germany), Juergen (Finland)

M, Rueben (Australia), Mercedes (Spain Madrid)

We also met people from Romania,  Lithuania and South Africa.  Except for the Arctic and Antartica we met people from every single continent!!

Anyway, I just thought you might be interested in the "community" aspect of the Camino.  Community on the Camino is real, and some friendships that I've made will no doubt continue after returning home.

The picture is me at Kilometre Zero at Finnistere on the west coast of Spain.  (Note:  We rented a car and drove there.  It would have been another three days walking!!)

God Bless

Len

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Another Update from Santiago de Compostela

As I promised, I thought I'd better provide one last update from Santiago de Compostela.

I have enjoyed walking through the town here, strolling through souvenir shops  and buying a few things.  I don't have to carry them long distances now!!

The Cathedral here is under major renovation.  As you can see in the picture below, much of the Cathedral is covered in scaffolding. It is quite a spectacular building when you consider when it was built.  They didn't have the construction technologies we have today!!

I have one more day here before I head to Madrid for a couple days.  Then to Paris for one day and then home.  It is time to head home.  

We have decided that the definition of the Camino is like "hibernation without the rest"!!  You can rest your mind and soul, but you must keep working hard to get to Santiago.

I have been blessed while walking the Camino in so many ways.  Some I may not realize for years to come.  However, one of the biggest blessings is meeting my walking partner Alex (from Brazil), in the forest while descending into Ronscavalles in the afternoon in Day #1.  We both thought we were lost, and we were both running pretty much on empty. We survived and have been on the trail together everyday since.  Not always walking side by side, but always meeting up at the end of the day.

We have both agreed that we have been blessed by God on this journey.  Sure we got wet a few days, and we were both dealing with physical ailments due to the daily pounding we were inflicting on our bodies, but we really sensed God's presence along The Way.  What else could you really ask for.  It's what I really wanted.

When we began our last push into Santiago on May 13th, Alex shared with me that he felt the Bible verse for the Camino was Proverbs 17:17.

"A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

I think this sums up my Camino pretty well.  I have gained a new lifelong friend and he and I helped each other through the adversity we faced on the Camino.  It was not a walk in the park.  We also met God each day along The Way.

This last picture captures my Camino.  I have a deeper understanding of all the things I carried along The Way.  Not just the physical things you see in the picture (which I carried 800 Kms), but also the spiritual things that were on my heart when I left Winnipeg on April 5th.

Thanks for following my journey.

God Bless!

Len

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Update from Santiago De Compostela

Well it has been nice making the transition to tourist in Santiago and I actually have some more Camino things I'd like to share with you.  However, tonight's blog entry will be a little bit different.

You see you just can't pull up stakes and walk the Camino without the solid support of your Family on the home front.  This is extremely true for me.  You see when I felt that I really needed to do the Camino, my best friend, my partner, my wife, Janet, said I should start planning.  Janet encouraged me to pursue this dream.    She was very supportive.

Many people on the Camino have asked me if this walking the Camino was the best decision of my life?  Quite honestly, I have had a few "best decisions".  

The "best decision" was accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour.  We were all designed by God to follow Him and Jesus is really "The Way".   Of this I have no doubt, as Jesus has proven himself in my life over and over again.

However the next best decision I EVER made was to stand before God, my family and my friends and pledge my life in matrimony to my wife Janet. On May 16th, 1981, we began a journey that has been such a blessing to me it is hard to explain or put into words.  It has been an incredible 34 years Honey!!!  I have felt your presence each day of my Camino journey.  We are "One" in the Lord.

The love I have for you Janet is very hard to put into words. I have thought a lot about how I might express my love for you Jan over that 35+ days and I think that for now, while I am still physically separated from you, I hope you don't mind me stealing some words from Mr. Clint Black.  I think Clint sums up you and I very well:

"These times are troubled and these times are good
And they're always gonna be, they rise and they fall
We take 'em all the way that we should
Together you and me forsaking them all

Deep in the night and by the light of day
It always looks the same, true love always does
And here by your side, or a million miles away
Nothin's ever gonna change the way I feel,
The way it is, is the way that it was

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Well this old world keeps changin', and the world stays the same
For all who came before, and it goes hand and hand
Only you and I can undo all that we became
That makes us so much more, than a woman and a man
And after everything that comes and goes around
Has only passed us by, here alone in our dreams
I know there's a lonely heart in every lost and found
But forever you and I will be the ones
Who found out what forever means

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Truer than true, you know that I'll always be there for you
That's what I had in mind, that's what I had in mind,
When I said I do"

Happy 34th Anniversary Honey!  I'm sorry I'm not there to celebrate with you, but I'll be home soon.  I promise!!

Thank you for holding down the fort at home while I've been away.  You're better than the best!!

Love You!

Len
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Tourist in Santiago!!

Well my friends, on Wednesday May 13th we were awoken very early by many Pilgrims wanting to hit the trail early for the final push to Santiago de Compostela (5:00 AM!!). What do you do in that situation?? Well, you get up too!!

I was dressed and packed up by 6:00AM, then searched out a place for my traditional Pilgrim breakfast (orange juice, toast & cafe con leche). After breakfast I searched out my walking partner who was actually staying in a different Albergue. Fortunately, I found Alex also having an early breakfast too. We were on the trail, in the forest, at 6:50 AM. I was in shirt sleeves by 7:30 AM!!

We had 19 Kms to go to get to Santiago. I have to say that my adrenalin kicked in; we had a destination to get to!!!

We walked into the Main square in front of the Cathedral at 11:30 AM. Here is a picture of one happy Pilgrim!!



As you can see, the Cathedral is under renovations at the current time.  

I lined up at the Official Pilgrim Office and have been awarded my Compostela and also received a certificate identifying my official Km distance (775 Kms)!!  

I now get to shift from Pilgrim mode to Tourist mode for a few days.  Changing my airline flights looks unbelievably expensive???

I have purchased a T-shirt that identifies that I actually completed 779.5 Kms!   See they still can't get the Kms right!!  :>)

I will provide some blog updates over the next few days as a tourist.  It turns out that we've arrived as the Santiago Ascension Festival is kicking off.  Not sure  what this is all about, but there is LOTS happening here.  I'll keep you posted!!

God Bless!

Len

Hello from Pedrozo

Well we have made some more progress since my last update. We left Palas de Rei and headed West! We've always been heading West. We pushed hard yesterday and made it to Arzua. 28 Kms. Our paths have crossed numerous times since Ponferrada with a group from Alberta, two grandmothers, their daughters and a Grandson and Granddaughter. We took a few breaks with them and they made the 28 Kms too. One of the Grandmas is 77 years old!!

We left Arzua as a group and have all arrived safely in Pedrozo. I walked with Grandma Janet for quite a while today and we had a wonderful conversation. She is Anglican, but we are Brothers and Sisters in Christ!! I have been praying for unity along The Way and the conversation today was a real blessing for me.

We are talking about walking all the way to Santiago tomorrow. As you can see in the picture, we are not that far away!!

God Bless

Len

Second update from Palas de Rei

I thought I would give you a quick update on our Km progress. As I've shared before, there is some question as to exactly home many Kms we have left. As an example, yesterday we stopped at two mileage markers which were approximately 1/2 Km apart, which both claimed to be the 100 Km milestone. Here are some pics of those markers:

Now that we are in Palas de Rei, we have approximately 60 Kms to go. It is funny when you consider that we have a 2+ days of walking, but only a 1 hour taxi ride!!

We will not be riding!!


God Bless

Len

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