Day 27 To El Acebo de San Miguel
Day 26 Oct 5 Destination = El Acebo de San Miguel / 240 km to go
“I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Last night I opted to go to a restaurant with a higher rating than the one across the street minor detail it was 600 m down the road basically 100 m outside of town. I got there at eight which is when they start serving and guess what nobody in the dining room! Hmmm. I decided to sit and think about eating in the bar area when in walk three friends that I had met a few days ago! Awesome ! This is a fun frequent occurrence on the Camino. And in getting to know them better one of them shared she is on her second Camino simply because she wanted to do it again for personal reasons. The other simply up and decided in August that she simply wanted to do it and with the backing of her family so here she is. We had a great time sharing our personal lives and the good dinner of awesome bread, gazpacho soup with langostinos and pounded lemon chicken and the ubiquitous and ever present patata braves -french fries! What I didn’t plan for was that at 9:30 it’s pitch black outside and I had 200 m walk to get back to town in complete darkness and back under the street lights 😳 up to my albergue.
A morning walk gives the body a chance to forgive the trials and tribulations of yesterday, to shed its rubbish and mental clutter.”
– Terri Guillemets
Big day. La Cruz de Ferro is the zenith of the Camino (altitudinally speaking) tomorrow and is encountered halfway through today’s 17 km stage
A lot of poetry on ‘the Way’. I always try to read, translate, and understand what someone has taken the time to say in words or poetry. I need to continue to slow down in my life to look for the obvious signs (and not obvious ones) and messages all around me and ponder possible ‘intent’ for me.
LA CRUZ de FERRO slate translation;
La Cruz de Ferro is a cross located at the highest point along the Camino de Santiago. It is located 8 km up the road from here.
It is formed by a wooden post about 5 meters high, crowned by an iron Cross. At its base over the years, it has been forming a huge pile of stones.
A legend tells that when the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was built, it was asked of the pilgrims to contribute by bringing a stone. (Here at the cross) The tradition is to throw a stone on the heap, brought from somewhere by the pilgrim.
It is done with your back to the cross, to symbolize that the place or thing in your life (represented by the stone ) has been left behind. At that moment you can give thanks, let go, some ask for the forgiveness of sins, or simply ask for the desire to travel a BUEN CAMINO (a GOOD WAY in your life )
Fabulous trekking on this magical trail with a heavy mist blowing from left to right uphill. How many millions have trekked this Way in the past? Will you be one of them in your future? I truly hope I travel this Way one more time in my life.
In the clouds
My trail, hidden in more ‘nube’ y ‘niebla’ today
On and on, more magical (private) moments in time that I don’t want to end….
My Oboz had great grip on the beautiful canvas of this wet shale. My shoes and socks were color coordinated. The colors - saturated.
A geologist could never do the Camino - ‘paralysis by analysis’ of all the beautiful rock, formations, & strata
I’m not sure I could pull this off with my full suspension Trek Fuel EX mountain bike. But no shortage of those doing trying to do just that 🚴 ! (With effort). You get off when you need to, walk, then back on, and ride. No shame in that. He moved by me in silence.
At last, Cruz de Ferro. Millions of stones. Millions. Left behind.
All with intentions, hopes, dreams, remembrances, and forgiveness.
My stone came from a beach on Bear Island in the Apostle Islands (US National park in Lake Superior). Inscribed with what ultimately became my theme of my first Camino.
Thoughts composed, I went to the far side of the heap, faced away, tossed it over my head, and walked off. No looking back - just like Lot. Thanks (a) Lot 😎, Lot (LOL)
All in all a beautiful dia de otoño (fall is just starting here, I am thankful for having chose a early ‘otoño’ camino)
Communal dining is shut down in most of the hostals. This is a ‘group’ dining at a (rare) local spa/hotel (Albergue La Casa Del Peregrino at the upstream ‘edge’ of town in Molinaseca). Note girl in foreground- she is out of Canadian school doing family Camino from Pamplona. 15-20 km per day ! 😳. She struggles in math so they do math on the way, daily. My bunk neighbor Stewart from UK is on right with headband. Camino #2
This was a very memorable evening with an incredible group Pilgrim meal. Ensalada was to die for, heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, etc. and fresh fish. Ice cream, and all the Vino Tinto you want -total - 12€ ! And, as always, wonderful camaraderie and conversation. God willing, I’ll be back. (12/27/2023 update - I am reviewing this day as my brother and sister in law gave me wonderful watercolor print of Cruz de Ferro obtained from gift shop here - I’ll cherish it.)
Spontaneous Camino friendship with Frank. On Camino # 5. Two times on the Frances, Norte, Portuguese & now again the Frances. Thousands of kilometers over the years. He is clearly aging backwards due to Camion ‘magic’! I only knew him for a few moments on this very relaxed evening, I’ll never forget these amazing Camino memories that I hope remain ‘carved’ in my mind. The aches and pains of the day are quickly forgotten! Frank had no advice for me. I didn’t ask. he didn’t tell. Lived in the moment.
El Acebo, kind of an alpine vibe. View out the back door of the Albergue La Casa. Don’t know where this camino lead. but it was downhill into the Valley south of Molinaseca.
Tonight I’m staying in a parroquial run by the local parrish back up the street a few hundred meters.. It’s fine. It is a very basic inn. Tops of all the bunks have not been cleaned since the Covid shut-down. (mouse poop). It is a ‘donativo’. Whatever your heart moves you to pay. Leave your poles, mochila, and muddy shoes downstairs! Our hosts were smokers and the downstairs was fumigated. (Prolly kept the Covid out). Smoke rises. And a dear heavy set pilgrim (spitting image of Smoky the Bear ranger clearly will win the 2021 Camino snoring championships tonight - the building shook ! Oof-dah ! That being said I would have never met Stewart (bottom bunk opposite me) from UK if I didn’t choose to stay here. (He wrote 200 pages in his first Camino journal, became a Christian 4 years ago and is on Frances Camino # 2 now). We discussed our faiths during breakfast the next morning in beautiful Molinaseca. Hope to see you again someday, Stewart.
“Ultreia” !
