Day 5 Carrión de los Condes - Moratinos: Onto the Peaceable Kingdom

The Spanish Mesa - Lessons of simplicity in sameness

Mental Lessons of the Mesa

The Way of Saint James is a very personal journey and for me I intended to learn and re-learn life lessons of spirit, mind and body. It dawned on me that the Mesa was rich with the opportunity for mental growth. Today would offer a unique opportunity for such as I started with the longest distance between villages; 17 km / 11 mi to Calzadilla de la Cueza. The typical distance between villages / pueblos was a touch under 5 km / 3.1 mi. or an hour or so of hiking.

Today I had a Destination - NYE at The Peaceable

Is It Always the Journey?

A common theme of the Camino or any adventure is that "It is the Journey, not the Destination that is most important." Each day before I started my Camino trek, I prayed the same prayer and intended to focus on the journey each day not the distance to Santiago or my nightly destination. The intent was to live entirely in the present. Today was a bit of a challenge in that regard as I very much had a destination carved in stone. 

Before I left, I was issued a hearty invitation to stop off at The Peaceable Kingdom from dare I say a bit of a Camino legend, Rebekah Scott. 

Rebekah Scott, an erstwhile USA newspaper journalist, pulled up stakes in June 2006 and moved with Paddy, her wise-ass English husband to The Peaceable Kingdom, a farmhouse in Moratinos, a rural pueblo in Palencia, Spain.

I felt an immediate kinship with Rebekah and Paddy before I ever met them in person. They had a wanderlust. They lived in several foreign countries. They loved dogs. They offered good food and wine. This was where I would celebrate NYE.

Shelter from the Wind

Back to the Mental Lessons of This NYE Day

New Year's Eve (NYE) can be a day of reflection of what has happened to you in the recent past and where you want to go in the future. That reflection is enhanced when you are walking 7 hours on the Camino especially over The Mesa. The 3 things that come to mind along this stretch is Flat, Treeless and perhaps even Monotonous. However, viewed from a different lens the very sameness and desolation here is impressive when you are able to remain in the present while reflecting on your recent past and where you want to go in the future. Remaining in the present allows you to give thanks and praise for all your blessings and trust that the Camino (eg Life, Universe, God) will provide. You will be alright.  

The lesson therein is to remain in the present while reflecting but without unnecessary dwelling on past events that cannot be changed or worrying about future events that you cannot control. The present is all you have.

Entering Moratinos

Moratinos Plaza Mayor and small Church of Santo Tomas

Some 30+ km / 20+ mi and 7 hours later I arrived in Moratinos.  I was energized by the walk but also a little deeply fatigued from the cumulative effort and was in need of an active rest day. I thus planned only a 10 km / 6.2 mi effort for January 1 and a bit of a wild night for December 31. Wild being relative in a tiny pueblo of about 20 people.

I found my way to The Peaceable Kingdom and was welcomed by Paddy and his K9 concierge crew. Rebekah had gone to the USA so it would just be the two of us sharing food, excellent conversation, eclectic music and a fair amount of wine.

The Village Bodega (Wine Cellar) dating from Medieval times

Oak barrels inside the Village Bodega

Paddy made me a wonderful omelette that was more American than Spanish for lunch. I needed that and devoured it. I was burning around 4500 cal per day and then the wine which was in and of itself an adventure. We took the 5 dogs for a walk through the village to a Bodega (Wine Cellar) that was beyond fascinating to me.




This was very old and I thought of all that had entered to break bread and share wine before me. We grabbed a few dusty bottles of what would be spectacular wine that would be shared by a warm fire with excellent conversation about life, travel, the Camino, world problems, our NFL teams and other such stuff over some great classical and classic music.

Me and Paddy on NYE

 NYE Celebration Pueblo Style

Paddy decided to take me to a local albergue run by a German couple for an authentic German dinner accompanied by more Spanish wine of course. Besides the Bavarian cuisine, we also watched a large and festive concert celebration from Berlin via TV. I thought about my next adventure; running the 40th Berlin Marathon in September 2013.

Thanks to Daniel and Martina for a wonderful dinner and evening at their nice and newly opened albergue  Hostal Moratinos that is also open all-year.

Paddy adjourned back to the Peaceable at a respectable hour leaving me to wander through the village on my own. I did so with a bottle of champagne and stopped along the deserted and drizzly Plaza Mayor. I danced by myself in the light of the nearly full moon to my favorite track of one of my all-time favorite records Joan Osborne's Dracula Moon with the rain falling down. A very cool and somewhat surreal moment on my Camino.  

Alas, I made my way back to The Peaceable as the clock approached midnight to ring in the New Year with Paddy and the Peaceable pups pictured below.

I sincerely thank Paddy for the incredible hospitality, great food, better wine, my dog fix and a comfortable bed. The Peaceable Kingdom was my favorite stay on The Camino with the Parador in Leon (one of the world's foremost hotels) ultimately to come in a respectable second.

My Tunes for the Day

From the considerable collection of The Peaceable Kingdom music library comes The Band - The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down. I loved listening to this during the afternoon and quietly late at night with some wine. It certainly will be a Camino memory.  

Day 4 Frómista - Carrión de los Condes: Single Step Forward to a Life in the Past

The Way of Saint James after my 5 km "warm-up"

Trust Your Intuition and Your GPS

I started this morning looking forward to a bit of a short day of 19 km / 11.5 mi which was good because my backpack was noticeably heavier. It was Sunday and everything in Spain is closed on Sunday. You want to eat. You want to drink some wine. You buy it on Saturday and carry it with you. And since the concept of buying food while being concerned about the weight was totally foreign to me, I bought a little more than I needed. 

I left my hostel and heading in the direction of a sign saying "P.Camino de Santiago". I went about 2.5 km / 1.5 mi when a little voice in my head said "Are you sure you are going the right way?" No sooner than that, a cyclist comes out of the morning fog and exclaims "No esta Camino de Santiago." along with another paragraph or two in Spanish that I did not get outside of the words "Derecha" (Right) and "Izquierda" (Left). I got the message I was going the wrong way. I pulled out my Samsung Galaxy, turned on the GPS and verified I was not heading West. I turned around and 45 minutes later I was seeing yellow arrows and way markers. My short day was not going to be so short after all. Oh and there was also a persistent head wind blowing. And there would be all day because today's route was pretty much straight along a highway on a mesa with no protection from the wind.

Sunday Ghost Towns

Templar Knight Castle / Church in Villalcazar de Sirga

So I am walking into the wind carrying close to 13 kg / 30 lbs and though I am going to walk through several villages for such a short distance I notice something. They are all eerily void of human life. There are no cars. There are no open windows. There is nobody out walking. Most all these villages date from the 11th century but were essentially decimated in the 18th century by war, famine, disease and emigration that these maladies bring. I presume the Spanish economic crisis and Winter season is the primary reason they are near ghost towns today.

Medieval Bridge Leaving Villalcazar

These villages have many Pilgrim miracles associated with them. Many are associated with healing. My favorite has to do with a showdown between Saint James and the minions of Hell itself. Apparently the Pharisees and Jews hired a magician Hermogenes whose powers were of the Devil to use witchcraft and magic to fight the Saint's miraculous powers. Hermogenes first subcontracted the work out to his mortal assistant Philetus who crossed this bridge en route to Santiago and alas was converted to Christianity after witnessing the Apostle working miracles. Hermogenes decided to take ownership of this key project objective if you will. He enlisted demons to bring Saint James to him. Alas, the demons took Hermogenes to Santiago. Once in Santiago, Saint James treated Hernogenes well, set him free of demonic oppression and gave him a blessed walking staff as holy protection. Hermogenes, like Philetus before him, was a convert. He burned his library of sorcery as sign of his true conversion. This is the subject of many a classic painting.

Subtle Reminder that there is a long way to go

Still a long way to go

After passing the last ghost village the Camino offered up one of the first road signs with a mention of Santiago.... and that I still had 463 km / 287 mi to hike. I only had to cover 6 km / 3.7 mi more today. One step at a time... One step at a time...

A Welcome Site: Pilgrim statue at entrance to Carrión de los Condes

Entering Carrión de los Condes

After a day that was longer than I anticipated, filled with km after km of flat, indistinguishable terrain, empty villages and persistent headwind I finally came upon my destination. I was proud of myself for having the mental fortitude to keep putting one foot in front of the other after my early morning directional snafu.

Medieval Bridge over Rio Carrión to Monasterio San Zoilo

I also was a bit worn out having to carry the extra weight and eager to take my backpack off and take a hot shower. I explored almost 30 minutes for a bed and only found closed hostels. I sat down on the Plaza Mayor (Town Square) and checked a website so see if this city was large enough to have a listing. It had a monastery dating from 10th century that was now a converted luxury hotel. That was a modern day miracle to weary pilgrim such as myself.

The only catch was that it was 1 km / .62 mi from the town square and I had no guarantee it would be open. It was and I soon found myself in a very nice room at an even nicer price. I showered and enjoyed my dinner of wine, bread and the 3 C's (chocolate, cheese and chorizo). I had no problem falling asleep but had no idea what a harrowing adventure awaited me.

Did I Regress to a Past Life?

Once in a deep sleep, I commenced a very vivid dream. I was living during Roman times and my Dalmatian Suzy Q and Basset Hound Sweetpea were both with me except they were my children. We were going about our daily business in a market. I was a Roman of some means but I enjoyed visiting the market myself; I took in the sights, smells and people watching. All of a sudden, there was a great commotion and people were running for their very lives. I distinctly remember the panic and terror. I took cover in a sheltered area of the market but soon discovered that in the chaos that my children had become separated from me. Soon the immediate threat appeared over and I began searching for my children to no avail. Stories were emerging that a wild tiger had escaped and ran rampant through the market. Eventually word spread that my children were found. I was elated until I came upon the reality that they were found among the victims. I languished in deep despair and ran through the scene in my dream state over and over wondering what I could have done differently to spare them from that fate. I then awoke in a deeply traumatized state. I even checked the internet to see if there was a tiger attack anywhere in the world and perhaps I heard it on the television before I fell asleep. Obviously, there was no real life tiger attack that made the news.

And Then an Apparition?

Shortly thereafter, I experienced a second startling event on this night. I saw a near full-body apparition float across my room from the hallway to the cloisters outside. The apparition appeared as a monk dressed in a robe consistent with medieval times. I don't recall being frightened as much as startled and amazed. The apparition made no contact with me and carried on as if I was not there. Yes, I looked outside and saw nothing. 

Wood carving in San Zoilo

I really do not know what to make of the events that night except they happened and remain an indelible memory of my Camino. I left the next morning to a beautiful statue of the Archangel Michael giving me the a-ok sign. Symbolically, he was facing west towards Santiago.

My Tunes for the Day

My taste in music is quite eclectic. Marina and the Diamonds. It was new to me. The tune had a perfect beat for a hiking cadence and is excellent ear candy. So easy to fall in love with Marina especially a bo like myself who likes the look of danger.

Day 3 Castrojeriz - Frómista: Trust That The Camino Will Provide

El Camino leaving Castojeriz

Trust That The Camino Will Provide

I slept well despite experiencing the reality of Albergue life; Spanish cyclist guy who violated even the most liberal standards of decency by literally hanging out without pants and showing his junk, passed gas like he was the only one there and snored through the night. Morning brought a modest breakfast and microwaved instant coffee. It however was accompanied by some wonderfully quirky opera music. Alas, despite being a former Chicago Lyric Opera Season Ticket holder, I did not recognize the opera and was remiss in inquiring as to the title. Regardless it was a nice way to start the day.

That morning would bring about a test of faith and reinforce two of the guiding principles provided to me by my Guardian Angel; Trust that the Camino (eg Life, God) will provide and Do Epic Stuff. Some of my friends seemed to be under the mistaken impression that a Winter Camino brought easy access to nightly accommodations as if i could freely choose from a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. If only it were that simple. The reality is that I left each morning truly not knowing where I would find a bed or a meal. The Spanish close down between Christmas and Epiphany (25 Dec - 6 Jan). Many accommodations make their living off the Camino and also completely close during the winter months.

I planned to travel 26 km / 16.2 mi to Fromista that day. I was made aware that there was no albergue open in or near Fromista. Fromista is a large village / small town so I had no assurance that a hotel would be open either. My choices were to walk a short day of 10 km / 6.2 mi where accommodations were available or trust that the Camino would provide.

I decided that I should trust that a bed and a meal would be provided. After all, this was one of the lessons I was willing to re-learn along the Camino. I said my Daily prayer where I invited the Divine on my Camino and began my longest day to date. I felt really good.

My First Up

The Mostelares Summit and beautiful mesa

As I exited Castrojeriz I thought about that castle and its bloody history of battle and conquest between Christians and Muslims. I shook my head that history certainly has repeated itself over the centuries. Zealots who misused faith to war against others over "whose" God was the right one ignoring that God instructed people of all faiths to "Love thy neighbor as thyself.".  He did that in the Bible and Qur'an.


I left Castrojeriz and discovered my first climb; a 1 km / .62 mi ascent of 12% grade called Mostelares. I adjusted my trusty Leki trekking poles for Up mode and put one foot in front of the other until I reached the summit. There I was rewarded with a 360* view of the beautiful surrounding mesa as well as many rock cairns. I contributed a rock to the one shown. I also noted that the skies showed inclement weather on the horizon.

A Memorial to a Modern Pilgrim who died in 2009 on El Camino

Do Epic Stuff

Once over Mosterlares I saw my first of many memorials left to modern pilgrims who died on El Camino. I felt moved to leave a dried rose, rock and Xmas decoration from my recently deceased grandmother's funeral. I also said a prayer for her as well as the deceased pilgrim's soul.

The memorials to modern pilgrims, the photo memorial of the two pilgrims in Castrojeriz as well as the many medieval cemeteries for pilgrims all drove the point home; Life is short people. As my Guardian Angel told me "Do Epic Stuff". So you know all those things you want to do. Do them NOW! 

A few km down the Camino pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, I happened upon a used condom and wrapper on the trail. I was like "What and who the hell?" Note this was near a country road so the ones getting it on were likely amorous locals and not pilgrims. Or who knows, they say everybody who walks the Camino has the opportunity for a love affair but it is up to them to accept or decline. Oh well, I smiled and walked on.

A Medieval Bridge in the Countryside

The Pons Fiterie bridge dates from 11th century

After passing the village Itero del Camino, I came upon a bridge built specifically for pilgrims.... of the 11th century. I stopped for a break to ponder all who have crossed this bridge before me and obviously to take some pictures. At that time, the Pope commissioned what is thought to be the first travel guide ever written The Codex Calixtinus is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript formerly attributed to Pope Callixtus II. It was anthology of background detail and advice for pilgrims following the Way of St. James. I laughed a bit at its description of the land beyond this bridge.

"The country is full of treasures, gold and silver, fodder and vigorous horses. It has plenty of bread, meat, fish, milk, honey and wine. On the other hand, it is full of evil and vicious people."

I guess it was also the first ever Yelp too!

Colorful bus depot in Itero de la Vega

 Bad Weather

Like I said, it's not a Camino until you encounter sleet and rain that blows sideways. It was not a surprise that I got this for about 15 km / 10 mi in the Spanish winter. I found a colorful shelter and brought out my Gore-tex and backpack cover.

15th Century Iglesia de Santa Maria in Boadilla del Camino 

Out of the Rain, Off the Camino?

Once I entered the small town of Boadilla the rain ceased but the temperatures were now around 2*C / 35*F. I stopped for an excellent pizza and warmth before my final 6 km / 3.7 mi but soon found a lack of yellow arrows. 

Sweet, gentle dog that reminded me of my LaSalle ('04-'08)

 I asked my Guardian Angel for guidance that I was on The Way and a dog emerged from the fields and remained by my side for about 1 km / .62 mi. He seemed sure of the way and led me out of Boadilla. I felt good about the direction. I gave him a biscuit, thanked him and made a few attempts at a photo. He clearly had never had his  picture taken and was wary of my camera.

Unmarked Road Out of Boadilla

I followed this road noting that if it was not the right way I could return to Boadilla and take a taxi to Fromista. It was a beautiful walk and as I came to the end of the road about 1.5 km /  1 mi later I discovered it was the right road. I smiled and was looking forward to a good meal and a private room.

I was walking 1.5 hours longer than any day so far.

11th century Iglesia de San Martin in Fromista

Entering Fromista

Two words sum up Fromista's medieval importance; Wheat and Pilgrimage. Modern Fromista is a small town but still with crop storage and pilgrimage as its main reason for being. I was happy to arrive.





How did my trust work out? I found a hotel but was told they were closed for the winter. There were 3 other hotel / hostel possibilities. 1 was closed. They other had a sign that it was open with instructions to call a number for a room. I called the number and after waiting a bit someone arrived.... to tell me they were not providing rooms during the winter. I had invested an hour looking which seemed longer when I really wanted to get the backpack off my back, take a shower and warm up. I went to my last possibility  rang the bell several times and waited patiently pondering alternatives. Finally, a woman wearing a robe and bath towel opens the door. She is very welcoming and provides a small and simple room with a shared shower. Not 5 minutes later, a few cyclists show up and within 30 minutes the entire 8 rooms she had were full! I was thankful.

Across the street was an absolutely amazing restaurant. I enjoyed a wonderful meal and a private bed.

I trusted that The Camino would provide. It did. I was content that I again followed a guiding principle put forth by my Guardian Angel and was rewarded.

My Tunes for the Day

Hallelujah means Praise to God. I certainly enjoyed music of all types on my Camino. One of my favorite New Age / Spiritual tracks was Sanctum Sanctuorum by Constance Demby. It really took me to my Sacred Space of this; a Sacred Journey. Like myself, the artist lists Sitges as one of her favorite Spanish towns. She lived there. I visited there.

Day 2 Hornillos del Camino - Castrojeriz: The Good Samaritan Experience

Dear Lord, Archangel Raphael in Charge of Travel / Pilgrimage & My Guardian Angel Jakob,  Please come with me and grant me safe passage on the Camino this day. Bless me with energy, health and strength. But most importantly bless me with sight that I may truly see what I am supposed to see, hear what I am supposed to hear and feel what I am supposed to feel on The Way of Saint James. Amen

Starting off Early and Energized

I liked that prayer and decided to make it a daily morning ritual. Energized by the events of Day 1, I awoke early and was on the Camino by sunrise at about 9:30 am. I tended to my blister and it was a non-issue. I had a little "morning hurt" but other than that was well-rested and ready to take on the 20+ km / 13 mi over rolling hills I had planned that day. As I exited Hornillos, I saw a cross on a hill to my left. I took that as a sign from my Guardian Angel that he was with me and I felt warm, empowered and not at all alone.

The Parable of The Good Samaritan in 2012

Rock cairn and Templar Cross near San Bol

My Guardian Angel said one of my life guiding principles was to open my heart and reach out to others. Essentially, Love thy neighbor as thyself as told in Luke 10:25-37. To me, this is the essential tenet of the Christian faith. It is simple and at the same time all-encompassingly powerful. It also crosses all faiths.

I was given the gift to live this on Day 2. Along the way, I saw Salvatrice about 1 km / .6 mi in front of me over flat areas but not another soul until off in the distance I saw a man with a bicycle walking towards me. People can do The Camino on bike and horseback too.

Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out money and gave it to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The man stopped. I wished him a "Buen Camino" & he began telling me a tale in Spanish. I understood the gist but inquired "Habla Ingles" to which he said no. OK, I will give this a shot I said to myself. He told me a story of how he was on Pilgrimage when he was mugged in Leon, had his gear, wallet, money & credit cards stolen. He had been going for days with no money for lodging or food. Leon was 8 days walk and a good 4 days bike. He needed to get to Burgos which was 1-2 days away.

I listened to his story and simply asked "Donde quiere para mi - dinero, movil, comer, bebir" (What do you want from me - money, mobile phone, to eat, to drink?). His expression changed from worry to gratitude. I gave him enough money for lodging and food. He thanked me profoundly and we went our way.

Yes, I did the human thing and gave him and his bike the once over to see if his tale passed the sniff test. It did for the most part but I also figured if the alternative "he was out in the middle of nowhere using a ruse to beg for money" was true he needed money far more than I did. Like a Good Samaritan, I had mercy on him and I met his needs. He was grateful and I too felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Shortly up the road, I passed a rock cairn with a Templar Cross. I interpreted that as a divine sign that I was acting with my life purpose and then felt an even greater feeling that I was sanctified by acting in obedience to the Word of God in my life.

Some people do the pilgrimage frugally and simply by intention. I decided that my intention would be somewhat the opposite. The Spanish were in an economic crisis. I would spend money as generously as I could with local businesses to help then out.

And to complete the story, I arrived in Castrojeriz and heard a pilgrim talking about passing this person by and blowing him off saying "He had problems of his own." Further, I happened upon Salvatrice who told me she passed by and saw me helping the man out. Salvatrice left before me. I saw her in front of me for a better part of the morning until she disappeared over a hill. I never once passed her. I never saw her pass me. Point 1 on why I think she most likely was an angel.

It's Medieval, Primitive and I Like It

Entering Hontanas with its 14th century church

One feeling I noticed as I walked in the countryside going up to 10 km / 6.2 mi between any sign of village life is how warm, safe and inviting I felt as I saw a village on the horizon. These villages dated from the 10th century. I reminisced how the medieval pilgrims must have felt then. They were tired, hungry, thirsty and perhaps lonely and the sight of a village offered lodging, food, beverage and fellowship. This represented hope, safety and comfort in medieval times and the same thing to a pilgrim in 2012. I therefore felt a kinship with all who had walked The Way before me.

God's Messenger to Me: Dogs

A friendly dog greeted me at San Anton

My Guardian Angel told me that dogs had a special place in my life journey. I sensed my Guardian Angel had quite the sense of humor in driving the point home. As I entered each village that day a dog greeted me with a smile and a tail wag. That also happened with regularity at every village and important town along The Way. This was a nice touch that made an amazing journey even more amazing.

The History

San Anton ruins of a monastery, church and hospital 1146

Today was an amazing day as I passed many tangible medieval ruins for the first time on The Way. I left Hornillos and found myself on the Spanish Mesa. It was truly like walking through a postcard and about 2.5 hours later I entered the town on Hontanas which had an amazing church dating from 14th century. Once I left Hontanas, I happened upon a field where I paused to reflect "What was this? And when was it what it was? What would it have been like to live here at that time?" 

Minimal Ruins from a 12th century village Valdermoro 

It turns out this was once a village documented in the 12th century. Apparently this remnant of a structure was once San Vincente church which would have been the focal point of the village. The village was in a beautiful wilderness. I imagined the villagers of the time taking note of the beautiful countryside assuming they had time to do such a thing between daily hardships and constant worry of a Moorish invasion. I hope they did.



Shortly after the mesa hillside that once was Valdermoro came the impressive ruins of San Anton. I came upon these with no advance knowledge and thus the discovery was even more awesome. It dates from 1146 although the building ruins date predominantly from the 14th century. It was quite an impressive complex including church, convent, hospital, mill, orchard and accommodations for pilgrims. An interesting note is that San Anton was at its peak during a time of a plague caused by barley poisoning. The disease could be cured by eliminating barley, increased intake of wine and vigorous exercise (eg pilgrimage). Apparently, we modern pilgrims aren't that different than those from medieval times in wine consumption and exercise!

Entering Castrojeriz

Beautiful 14th century church entering Castrojeriz

13th century Vigen del Manzano Church in Castrojeriz

After San Anton, Castrojeriz was a pleasant and short walk. It was a beautiful town with a church and convent as you entered the town and an imposing castle high atop a hillside. This was an important town dating from 912. The Romans fortified it to guard the road to their Galician gold mines. It served as a protected way station and commercial center for pilgrims. It was the home of powerful counts. In 2012, I merely hoped it had accommodation and a good meal.

I first was looking for a small hotel where I could shower and enjoy some privacy. Lo and behold, no hotel was open here so I found the local alberque. The place had a bit of rules which I was made to read and sign; things like doors locked / lights out by 10pm, lights on 7:15am and a few others. No big deal and I kind of chuckled a bit at the rules imposed on an 3 grown adults in the middle of winter in a town with not much going on at 10 pm anyways.

The Sant Estaban Castrojeriz Albergue was nice and had an interesting albeit story attached to it. These two amazing pilgrims brought photographers along to document their journey. The albergue was filled with amazing photographs of them. Sadly, the two were killed in a train crash from Santiago to Madrid the day after they completed their Camino. It gave one pause to be thankful for each moment and live in the present for tomorrow is guaranteed for nobody.

I decided to at least stake out a good meal and found an award-winning restaurant with an amazing roast lamb on its menu. I paid something like 25 euro / $31 for a 4 course gourmet dinner including a rock star bottle of wine. I dutifully made it back to the albergue before 10pm and fell soundly asleep.

My Tunes for the Day

This was a favorite that I added to my iTunes mix. I was walking alone and the beat is perfect for a trekking cadence to keep one moving. I also listened to this for the entire Camino and never got tired of it. I often sought it out for my first song of the day.

Day 1 Burgos to Hornillos del Camino: Miracles Do Happen

Miracles Do Happen on El Camino de Santiago

“When you walk across the fields with your mind pure, then from all the stones and all growing things, and all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to you and become a holy fire in you.” - Ancient Hasidic Saying

I started my Camino with no expectations as I was advised to do. I also started with the intention to meet and converse with my Guardian Angel. I met him on the very first day and had an amazing conversation that was the same as if i was talking to a human friend. With reflection on events that happened further along in my Camino, I also have very strong reason to believe I encountered 2 other angels on my first day who were sent to guide me along The Way.

We all have personal Guardian Angels attached to us personally for our entire life. They love us unconditionally and want the very best for us. This is a nondenominational phenomena and they assist people of every belief. They have a purpose to enact God's will one person at a time. Angels understand that if each one of us is peaceful then we'll have an entire world of peaceful people! 

Can I prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my Guardian Angel talked with me or that I encountered angels? Of course not. But if I can "imagine" that I did experience all this, then where does that come from? I am certain that I have a life spiritual energy - a soul. I also am highly certain that the most likely scenario is that we are not alone in this infinitely vast universe and it was created by the Divine - God.

My Guardian Angel was with me daily. He gave me signs and answers to the spiritual matters where I asked for guidance. The other two appeared from time to time along the Camino when I needed a little help or encouragement. I would like to share the events and also provide you with tips on how you can have a relationship with your Guardian Angels.

I was inspired not to discount anything that happened to me on The Camino and thus leaving this experience out of my story would be essentially renouncing that Angels exist.

How to Encounter Your Guardian Angels And Have a Relationship With Them

I have no unique special gift, talent, training or divine privilege that grants me the talent to hear and talk with my Guardian Angels. All are capable and deserving of Heaven's infinite love and assistance on earth. To call on your Angels, you simply mentally or verbally tell God of your intention to call on them, directly ask them to come to you or visualize them with you.

All angels have names. Your personal relationship with your Guardian Angels will deepen as you learn their names and speak with them regularly.

In a quiet moment of meditation, think or vocalize the request "Angels, please tell me your names." Note which name comes to you as a feeling, thought, word, vision or sign.

Next say to your angels; "Please send me a physical sign in my tangible everyday world that I will notice to help me validate that I experienced your name correctly." You'll then see or hear something perhaps in conversation, on TV, in casual reading and so forth. Let the Angels amaze and amuse you with the creative ways they use to help you validate their names.

And then talk. Ask for assistance. Your Angels have infinite resources. Do not limit them. I always qualify my request with "I need x or something better." The Angelic typically has higher aspirations for us than we humanly can conceive.

And yes, there is a very simple method to make sure you are really speaking to an angel. Divine guidance is always uplifting, positive, inspiring, motivational and above all loving. Angel messages always have a theme on how to improve something in your life. Finally, the Divine generally drives the message home through repetition and different media until you take the advised action. For me, if I hear, see, think or feel a message three times or more, it's a sign. 

False guidance is the opposite of this; negative in tone and feeling and a one-time sales pitch (Think SPAM)  to see if you will take the spiritual equivalent of a Nigerian Email Scam.

How I Encountered My Guardian Angel and The Messages I Received on Day 1

I left Burgos with the intention to encounter my Guardian Angel. I prayed to God and my Guardian Angel although I did not know his name at the time. Once L left the city and entered the countryside I repeated the prayer only this time also asking my Angel to tell me his name. At that moment, I heard a name very clearly in my mind. I also felt a warm and positive energy surrounding me. I asked for the name again although this time I was talking in a friendly casual manner as opposed to the "Dear God, Do Thy Will." holy tone I tend to use in prayer. The response I got was "Yes. It's me. I am with you right now. You have my name right too." I then asked for a visual sign to confirm what I felt and heard. I did not walk more than 100 - 200 m when I looked to my right and saw a rock cairn with two crosses. My Guardian Angel's name was on one of the crosses.

I do not have to tell you that I thought that this was going to be one very cool Camino de Santiago experience. I was blown away. I also got the sense that this was one high spirited Angel with a gnarly sense of humor too. We'd totally get along!

That evening after a simple dinner and a little wine by the fire, my Guardian Angel gave me 10 guiding principles for my life journey. They were:

• Love yourself.
• Open your heart wider. Allow that love to spread forth in soothing, all-encompassing light to others.
• Allow yourself to be free and trust that you will be provided for with abundance.
• Knock on More Doors. Opportunity Awaits but you have been timid to chase it at times.
• Live simply and with gratitude.
• Do really epic stuff in your life. Be wild and have fun. Don't give a rip if anybody thinks you're freakin' crazy.
• Dogs are your Angelic messengers. They are how God shows He loves you so always have them in your life. They are also your ministry so help them where you are able.
• It's perfectly OK for you to seek out a really good meal with exceptional wine. It a life experience that is good for your soul.
• You've lived before. Knowledge is given to you lifetime after lifetime by the life itself. Enjoy.
• Your Camino de Santiago. Yes, you need to get ink to commemorate this life affirming event.

Some of these are universal. Some of these are specific to me. The important thing is I felt warm, loved and positive hearing these and putting pen to paper.

My Other Angel Encounters on Day 1

So back to my Hornillos del Camino experience. I am tired and cannot find a place that looks even remotely open. My only option appears to be to walk 10 km to the next village. This is 2.5 hours in the dark. I am unsure if I can follow the path. I sit on a bench to drink some water before I take off on what appears to be the only choice. I pray for protection. I get up and start to walk when I hear someone from behind yelling "Peregrino.... Peregrino.... Pare. Regresa" (Pilgrim. Pilgrim. Stop. Come back.) I am not sure who this person is exactly. It was the only person I saw in this village but he motioned for me to come back to the church. We walked into an Alburgue with a warm fire going. I walked right past this place and it looked desolate to me. So I had a place to sleep for the night. This was a very welcome relief. He introduced himself as Salvador from Barcelona. Another woman was there in the Alburgue. She introduced herself as Salvatrice from Rome. Salvador took me to a modest bar / market where I was able to purchase food and wine. We all had a simple meal, broke bread and drank some wine. I stayed up the latest and went to bed after recording the guiding principals given to me by my Guardian Angel and watching the embers from the fire die.

I did take note that both of their names meant Salvation. I also noticed some slight quirks about them and their mannerisms that made me think these might be angels. With perspective and noting some odd happenings led me to believe I very likely encountered angels.

Of course I will tell you more about my encounters with them over my Camino.

Day 1 Burgos to Hornillos del Camino: A Spiritual Awakening

Burgos Cathedral - Start of My Camino

How did I get here

It is said that nobody arrives on El Camino de Santiago by accident. That certainly was true for me. I was divinely called to do this mystical trek through Northern Spain and committed to do so "when my job in Bermuda ended." That unexpectedly happened in late November 2012. So here I was blessed with the all too rare combination of health, fitness, money and time. The divine messages and signs to go now increased. I listened to God and His Angelic realm. I ceased my job search. I threw caution to the wind and planned my Camino in under 2 weeks. Did I also mention that for some reason God called me to do this in the dead of winter where it is said "One has to be insane to plan a Winter Pilgrimage"? So I left Bermuda to attend my 100 yo grandmother's funeral in Ohio. I boarded my plane to Madrid on Christmas Eve. I arrived via bus to Burgos, Spain on Christmas Day. I would rest 2 days and then start.

Excitement mixed with a healthy amount of fear

El Cid Points The Way in Burgos

That is how my Camino would start. I tried to reassure myself that I had the athletic street cred to do this. I definitely had the gear. I told myself that I hiked to Mount Everest Base Camp and El Camino was only 1 week longer not to mention there was no altitude involved. I did this all over 2 Spanish breakfasts. Note that Spanish aren't big on breakfast so 2 of their breakfasts equals 1 American. Regardless I was procrastinating by eating until I faced the inevitable and started my Camino at 10:30am. At 10:35am, I was removing layers in front of the grand cathedral as I was overdressed for 4*C / 40*F. That is when El Cid took over and pointed the way to Santiago imploring me to begin the long journey with that first step. I did just that.. At that moment I prayed a simple prayer.

A Yellow Arrow - One of Many that would guide me over 500 km / 320 mi

Dear Lord, Archangel Raphael in Charge of Travel / Pilgrimage & My Guardian Angel,  Please come with me and grant me safe passage on the Camino this day. Bless me with energy, health and strength. But most importantly bless me with sight that I may truly see what I am supposed to see, hear what I am supposed to hear and feel what I am supposed to feel on The Way of Saint James. Amen

The City Walls of Burgos - Symbol of Making Myself Vulnerable

Liberate Yourself: Life is Simple

I was on my way and soon nearing the City Wall of Burgos where Pilgrims left the safety of a city for the wilderness of unknown risks and dangers. From here, I would start each day having no idea where I would eat that day or sleep that night. I would also be entirely reliant on yellow arrows to guide me on the correct path for the next 516 km / 320 mi. I was making myself truly vulnerable in spirit, mind and body before God. Few people are willing to do just that. It was liberating. It also was a bit daunting. 

The Way marked in the Spanish countryside outside of Burgos

I was intent on doing something very simple. Walk forward and pay extremely close attention to the way markers to make sure I was following the correct path. The metaphor for life could not be more clear, could it? One of the first lessons of my Camino was "Life is very simple. We just insist on complicating it."

The Rock Cairn

My first of many  rock cairns. I added a rock from my fav Bermudian Beach 

You will see many rock cairns on The Way. These are Celtic in origin and serve as a shrine to those who will pass by those that have passed this location. In Greek mythology they also used as tribute to Hermes, the god of overland travel. I added a rock from my favorite beach in Bermuda and put my hand on the cairn as I prayed for all the good energy of those who came before me. A pilgrim who passed this way inscribed "Serenity" on a stone and that was certainly part of the good energy. 

The History

Church of Santa Maria in Small Village Rabe de las Calzadas

Today's walk is rich with cultural significance. Burgos dates to 884 with origins in the Castillian kings' desire to defend their kingdom against the Muslim conquest. The Cathedral in Burgos is considered the finest Gothic Cathedral in Spain and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I would agree. It is also the burial site for Spain's greatest military hero El Cid and his wife. The two villages of note, Rabe de las Calzadas and Hornillos del Camino also are important. The church dates from the 13th century. Hornillos, as its name suggests, was once a site of a smelting furnace and it dates fom the 12th century. In 2012, both villages have an aging population of about 50 people. In fact, the woman who ran the Municipal Albergue where I stayed told us she was the youngest woman in the village yet she was a grandmother.

Arrival in Hornillos del Camino

About 5 hours and 20 km / 12.4 mi after I left Burgos, I arrived in the village where I intended to spend the night. It appeared to be a ghost town. There was no sign of anything open. There was no sign of human life. I was tired. I was a bit achy. I had a blister. It appeared I also had no place to sleep which was a bit unnerving as the sun was soon setting. I had no idea if it was possible to follow the path in the dark. The next village was 10 km / 6.2 mi which was about 2.5 hrs with a backpack. And I had no guarantee that the next village would be no different than Hornillos.

I sat down on a bench to rest, collect my thoughts and then weigh my options. It was then that I experienced one of several mind blowing miracles and divine interventions on my very first day on the Camino. Those will be explained in my next blog post. Stay tuned.

My Tunes for the day

I decided to bring my iPod Shuffle along, I listened to music some and walked without music some. I intentionally added some random, new to me, tunes along with familiar trekking favorites. One was Lana Del Rey's new album. I did not listen to this once before I started walking. This was an awesome track for a personal spiritual pilgrimage when you are all by yourself with just your thoughts and yellow arrows! The lyrics sound like they were written by an old soul and really resonated with me. I listened to this every day for my Camino. I never tired of it. Now it reminds me of my pilgrimage.

What will be waiting for me out there?

Every person on earth has their own philosophy & spiritual belief system. In essence, they have their own reality I suppose. I am sitting in my hotel room in Spain about to undertake a Christian pilgrimage that has been done by others for 1000's of years. The Camino de Santiago (The Way) is said to lie directly under the Milky Way therefore on a ley line reflecting the immense energy from the star system above. This causes emotions and experiences to be more heartfelt & intense.  The result is clarity of thought, experience and memory. In simpler terms, miracles happen out on the Camino. I am very open to the spiritual aspects of life and thus am receptive to whatever comes my way over this month of walking, thinking and meditating. However, when I commence walking, I will do so with no expectations whatsoever. Regardless of what happens, I am very much aware that nobody finds their way onto the Camino by chance.
That said, I must confess to some trepidation at the thought of leaving a very nice hotel and walking out of a city into the countryside with nothing more than faith that yellow arrows and scallop shells will navigate me to Santiago. Buen Camino.

My Camino's First Step

I have officially embarked on an adventure described as a pilgrimage of a 1000 lifetimes. I am hiking The Way of Saint James or El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I will arrive in Northern Spain on December 25 to walk in the same footsteps as people from St. Francis of Assisi and Charlemagne to Ferdinand and Isabella to Dante and Chaucer. The Way is a very personal journey and doing so in winter will make the pilgrimage even more spiritual as I will be alone with my thoughts & intentions for the better part of a month.

Officially, the Camino is any passage in Europe that leads to the city of Santiago de Compostela - essentially though it starts at your doorstep! The first step of the journey is to select a rock from your home and take it with you to the Cruz de Ferro (iron cross). Traditionally pilgrims have left that rock here along with a note and a prayer of thanksgiving.

This evening I walked my Dalmatian Suzy Q and Basset Hound Sweetpea down to watch the sun set on our special beach in Bermuda. Together we took that first step.