Friday May 18th .. Sunny and warm .. 20 kms … 13 miles
“Always God is with us. And, in the long run, that is all we need to know” ~ David Watson
Morning …
Today was a short day, only 13 miles! I know that sounds like a lot of miles, but on the Camino 13 miles is like a day off. Because it would be a short day, we decided to leave a little later and didn’t head out until around 8am. So nice to take our time.
Bathrooms in the hostel are quite simple. Usually you have 2-3 shower stalls, 2-3 toilets and a couple of sinks. It all depends on how many beds are in the hostel. Since this Albergue was attached to a sport center, the bathroom was basically like a locker room. We had a few showers, a few sinks and toilets. It was nice because there were only a few other pilgrims at this Albergue.
We had gotten into the routine of buying a small breakfast the night before and eating that before stopping down the way to get another breakfast to satisfy our energy needs. This first small breakfast became a routine for me. A yogurt with granola and honey and a banana. I had started carrying the granola and a small honey with me and just buying the essentials in the evening. We shared this amongst us taking turns in buying the larger stuff and sharing the carrying duties with whoever had the room in their back packs. We made a good team!
Today, was an easy morning to be excited about! Our first stop…
Vino Fountain!!
The plaque on the wall reads: “If you want to go to Santiago with strength and vitality, of this great wine have a drink and toast to happiness.”
This is something you don’t want to miss. Most pilgrims put some vino into their shells and take a drink, but since we arrived at 8:30AM, I decided to fill my water bottle… well not fill it. I didn’t want to be that person, so I filled it about half way!
It was only a short km from our Albergue, so we arrived with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. What an experience!
I emptied my water (don’t worry I drank most of it) and in went the Vino!
Don’t judge me. Haha
I checked the map prior and we only had 2 miles to reach our first café and our second breakfast. The other plus was the morning sun wasn’t hot yet, so my body had time to get more water.
Walking ..
The rest of day was pretty easy with a few hills. It was a hot, so we took many welcome breaks.
The Camino is amazing. Just when you need that break you round a corner and there is a little café! Today, we came to one in the middle of wheat fields. Basically, in the middle of nowhere. They had made a café out of trailers! It was a perfect stop for us… and a much-needed break.
You have to enjoy every part of the Camino! The walk, the breaks, the evenings. Every single minute is priceless. And isn’t that how we should think of every day, no matter where we are. Enjoy every little beautiful thing…God is there.
Korean Lesson
So much happens as you walk. Especially when you come from all over the world. So today, Sue and Minh were teaching Cale how to speak Korean. Quite entertaining and quite fun. Laughing is a great way to pass the time.
We filmed a little piece!
Los Arcos
We arrived in Los Arcos at 2:30! A perfect arrival time. It was the siesta hour so the town was quiet.
And we had plenty of time to shower, have lunch, laundry, siesta, grocery store run and time to explore Los Arcos. I really wanted to visit the church.
Church of Santa Maria
If you like the idea of contemplating different artistic styles in the same building, make sure you visit the church of Santa María in Los Arcos; it is also one of the largest churches in Navarre. Los Arcos, has the privilege of being home to this monumental and richly decorated building. It was built and renovated between the 12th and 18th centuries, so you can enjoy Late Romanesque, protogothic and even Renaissance and Baroque architecture there. {more}
Dinner
Tonight, Minh and Sue were cooking! I was so excited for their meal! Good news, Los Arcos had plenty of grocery stores and we were able to get everything they needed. Now time to hang out at the hostel, siesta, play card games and have dinner.
So you are probably asking, what did they cook?
“Eggs in hell”
Card Games
We became known as the Card playing group! We were teaching each other different card games and having a blast in the evening. We met so many wonderful people, who joined in and played the card games.
Also, whoever cooked didn’t have to do the dishes, so if you didn’t cook you were part of the cleaning crew. Like I said, we were a good team. We respected each other and enjoyed each other’s company!
Hostel: Amigos del Camino de Santiago, 70 beds, 6 euros
Another nice thing about the hostels, is you start to see the same people. So even if you don’t walk with them, you see them every night. When each of us arrived, everyone would cheer and would be so happy! Such a supporting, heartwarming community!
So now it’s been 6 days of sleeping in hostels. I can say I am way more relaxed. It also helps that even though you don’t know everyone, most of the people you have seen along the Camino. Also, to stay in a hostel you have to be a pilgrim. So your pilgrim passport is very important.
When I go to sleep, I place my personal belongings in the bottom of my backpack and my backpack is usually at the end of my bunk like everyone else or next to my bunk. Everyone is very relaxed about their bags and belongings. I think our thought process is who wants to carry extra weight.
But for now, we have eaten, cleaned up and its time for bed. Tomorrow we will start early because it will be our longest day so far and we will be walking into a large city. So, until tomorrow.
Buen Camino!
My journal:
Friday May 18th .. Sunny and warm .. 20 kms … 13 miles
Do we believe that God is with us? or are we waiting for a grand experience to awaken us to God’s presence? ~ Step by Step, Camino journal
Looking for that new horizon. Stepping away from the known so I can learn from the unknown. Leaving my comfort zone, leaning on God! He is all that matters!
Seeing Jesus in others along this Camino! The community of pilgrims is amazing. The way the world should be. Always speaking to others with kindness and caring for others.
