Day 10 To Najera
“ what we do now echoes in eternity“
-Marcus Aurelius (From Meditations)
Day 10 | Sept 18 Desination = Najera 601km to go. Short 16km day for recovery before a run uphill for the next 3 days. Endless vineyards and time to process or simply to soak it all up
Severe weather shelter. Clearly has gotten much use as both a shelter from storms and heat as well as a place to rest, rehydrate, and gather thoughts before moving on. Lots of spontaneous 'wall' art and contemplative graffitti
1 km of trail art… a dozen or so beautiful paintings randomly on the side of the road with a beautiful pastoral backdrop of a second canvas
Me, always trying to capture the moment. Ah, the joys of adolescence, running with your tribe, and being free spirits with few worries in the world.
My new Najera Hip$taA friends in front of 11 century monestario Santa Maria la Real ( of course it's real) which I toured -mostly built 1422 - late Gothic style. The cloister was heavily damaged and vandalized in 1809 during the war of independence. All of the heads of the 1 m tall figures were shot off during this time no doubt during a drinking party. They skipped one because he was a favored countryman. I hope and pray these kids never have to go to war.
The Benedictines are long gone and the Franciscans also moved on 3 years ago -after a 500 year ‘run’ at it. I think something is amiss & changing out there for such an ‘abandonment’ - Online church vs. this. ....and now this is just a tourist site. Really !?
Inscriptions indicate buried here are a succession of kings & queens of the region. They all ended up side by side here! … Pastor Bob was right… eventually "it all goes back into a ‘box’" - Pretty nice ‘boxes’ though (make mine a simple pine one but with nice dovetail joints 👻)
This vine might be 75+ years old. I'd love to have a bottle of this vintage!
I hope I look this good at 75.
Beautiful color, sweet, ready to jam, and…. knarly 😎
La Poema del Camino (on some metal fence siding along the way):
Polvo, barro, sol, y lluvia, es Camino de Santiago.
Millares de peregrinos, y mas de un millar de anos. Peregrino, quien te llama? Que fuerza oculta te atrae?
Ni el Campo de las Estrellas, ni las grandes catedrales. No es la bravura navarra ni el vino de los riojanos ni los mariscos gallegos ni los campos castellanos.
Peregrino quien te llama? Que fuerza oculta te atrae?
Ni las gentes del Camino, ni las costumbres rurales. No es las historia y la cultura, ni el gallo de la Calzada, ni el palacio de Gaudi, ni el castillo Ponferrada. Tod lo veo al pasar, y es un gozo verlo todo, mas la voz que a mi me llama, la siento mucho mas hondo. La fuerza que a mi me empuja, la fuerza que a mi me atrae, no se explicarlo ni yo, solo El de Arriba lo sabe ! Buen Camino ! ____________________________________________________
Dust, mud, sun, and rain, it is Camino de Santiago!
Thousands of pilgrims, and more than a thousand years. Pilgrim, who calls you? What hidden force attracts you?
Neither the Field of Stars, nor the great cathedrals. It is not the bravery of Navarre or the wine of the Riojans or the Galician seafood or the Castilian fields.
Pilgrim who calls you? What hidden force attracts you?
Neither the people of the Camino, nor the rural customs. It is not history and culture, nor the rooster of the causeway, nor the palace of Gaudi, nor the castle Ponferrada. I see everyone as I pass by, and it is a joy to see everything, but the voice that calls me, I feel it much deeper. The force that pushes me, the force that attracts me, neither I can explain it, only The One above knows it!
Buen Camino !
* 3 years later 9/18/2024. this post popped up in my eJournal today! Thoughts; wow, I wish I were back on this day right now. It was an incredible 1st Camino where each day presented surprises- visual and mental -unlike anything I’ve experienced. The camaraderie of ‘my tribe’ will forever be stored in my mind. The Camino is full of friendships of shared experience. This along with the clarity of thought with the cadence of simple uncluttered days enables wonderful contemplations today.
