Camino Day 27 - October 3

Today, was a challenging day for me.. We walked from Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca - around 25.5 km. The first part of the day was mostly climbing, and was at times quite steep. Rob asked me at one point if I could see my improvement with climbing.. It is now easier for me.. I stop fewer times and can walk a bit faster, but it´s still pretty hard.. The great part of the climbing this morning was how beautiful the scenery and views were.. Once we got up into the mountains, the views were quite spectacular!

In the morning, we arrived at the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross). It is at the top of a hill, and is a small metal cross on a tall pole. There is a large pile of rocks (and some other things) under the cross.. Many people carry rocks from their home, and leave them at the Cruz de Ferro, as a symbol of leaving something of themselves, and also often as a symbol of setting down burdens along the way. Rob and I had taken small rocks from our yard, and had carried them with us until today, when we left them at the Cruz.. The experience wasn´t quite what we had imagined, as there were a lot of people there when we were, including a large group that arrived just after us, and there was a lot of noise. But it was still a significant place and powerful experience for me.

The hardest part of the day for me came in the afternoon, when we had a lengthy and steep descent. It was also very hot out. The path was very rocky, the rocks varied in size, and some were loose. I found the rocks really hard to walk on, and could feel more pain in my feet as I descended the mountain. Some of you will also know I don´t have great balance, so I found I was putting all of my energy into placing my feet just right and trying not to fall.. The descent took a long time, and by the time we got down, I was really sore, and almost in tears.. 

We stopped in Molinaseca for the night, arriving around 5pm, which is pretty late in the pilgrim day. We had hoped for private accommodation, but thought we´d take about the first thing we could find, because I couldn´t walk much further. We found a hostal (guest house, sort of like a hotel), and were thrilled to find it wasn´t full. We thought we´d landed in the heavens somewhere when we saw our room. It was huge, and the bathroom was just about as big! Nicest bathroom we´ve ever had in a hotel, and one of the nicest rooms.. That made the rough day feel a little better. We ended the day with a nice meal and early bedtime..

I knew going into this journey that some days would be hard, and would be physically as well as emotionally testing.. This was certainly one of those days.. But all part of the journey..

Blessings to you all,

susan