Today, we walked from Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino (Do you see why I´m having trouble remembering the right place names, and in the right order?). It was about 23.8 km.. It was a chilly morning and a hot afternoon, but a pretty easy and straight-forward walk.. When we arrived in Bercianos, we followed the signs to one of the albergues (hostels). It was a fair walk, and we found ourselves at a building that looked big and old, and a little rough. I think this is what they call a parrochial albergue. We ended up staying there. The hospitalero (volunteer staff) who checked us in told us that the building was 400 years old, but renovated, and used to be run by the church of that community which no longer exists..
This turned out to be a lovely place.. Not the fanciest albergue we´ve stayed in, but such a good atmosphere. There were three hospitaleros working there. One greeted at the door, one did the cooking, and the third was doing odd jobs and helping people with various needs. Three men - one from Germany, one from Majorca, and one from the Canary Islands..
At this albergue, we shared in our first communal meal. I have usually avoided these, because of my food restrictions. But, the menu for this night was Spanish tortilla (eggs, onions, and potatoes), and a mixed salad, plus bread, and melon for dessert. It was a simple meal, but plentiful, and really tasty. It felt a bit like camp, waiting for the dinner bell to sound, and then piling onto long benches at long tables. We enjoyed the visiting over supper as well as the meal.
After supper, we went to the chapel service, which was open to anyone interested. It was much less structured than the mass I had attended a while back. There were readings, the passing of a candle with an invitation to share a few words, a song and prayer. It was much like a vespers service at camp, Naramata, Calling Lakes Centre etc.. The meal (which was at 8pm), and the chapel service which followed were a lovely end to the evening! One of my favourite albergue experiences yet..
I continue to think of you all, and hope you are keeping well..
Blessings,
susan
No comments:
Post a Comment