Day: October 7, 2014

Wynette. In Hontanos.

Wynette and Charlie. This place is beautiful. Completely deserted. In San Antón, near Castrojeriz. Notice that the highway goes through the arch.

We walked around to the back and found these three arches:

And a view of the bell tower through a window :

As far as we could tell, this is the only inhabited house in San Antón:

Charlie and Wynette. On the edge of the village, far from the center of town. Above, approaching the church, ruins of castle high on hill in the background. Then closer:

We were told it is rarely open so weren’t able to go in.

In front, a rose window:

On the front wall of a church in Castrojeriz.

The first one was in Navarra, now we are in the Burgos region of Castillo y Leon. But there are still plenty of falling down buildings along the Camino. Here is another one, kind of beautiful in its ruination.

And a ruined hay barn, close up.

We are in Castrojeriz, a picture book town, see next post.

Wynette. The nature of the Camino is such that most people cannot dawdle much. Most people have fewer than five weeks and a goal to get from St. Jean to Santiago (500 miles) completely on foot. They have to start early each day and cover the miles fast to be sure to get a bed at the end of the day. I think that is such a cool thing to do. If I were younger or much fitter I would have loved to have that goal even though it would be a huge challenge.

Charlie and I have eight weeks and I am not up to the physical challenge of 15+ miles a day, so we’ve chosen to do a different kind of Camino. We are trying to be aware when we are rushing, whether when walking or packing or getting ready in the morning or doing the afternoon chores: charging phones, doing laundry, choosing and reserving next place to stay, maybe shopping for food and cooking a lunch or dinner. (Hard life!)

Sometimes we rush because we want to get out early to beat the heat or enjoy the early morning light, but mostly out of habit and when there is no good reason. When we are feeling rushed we might not stop to put on jackets even if cold. Or take them off when hot. Or tighten a shoelace. Or fix a hot spot that might become a blister. Or admire a church or bird or flower or view or a garden, building, cairn, or message some creative person left behind. Or chat with another pilgrim. (In this case it is usually they who are rushing past us.) Or chat with a local person. Or explore something interesting just off the path.

We both read a nice book about the Camino by Joyce Rupp named Walk in a Relaxed Manner. At first I thought that was a strange, awkward title but now I like it and it is my walking mantra. It sounds contradictory, but I know one can walk in a relaxed manner and still enjoy a brisk walk. One can get a lot done and still be relaxed. So, we are having fun exploring this.