Author: eathomson15

As we left Borgos in the early morning, the stork and moon converged…

Leaving Borgos behind, we entered into a new region, the Meseta – an elevated plateau of mesas and valleys for the next 160kms. It marks the end of the ‘physical’ stage and the start of the ‘mental’ stage. Exposure, heat or cold, few amenities, miles of wheat fields, rocky fields, piles of rocks, windmills in ordered columns, ruins and lots of time with yourself. I’ve been opened minded about this section, trying not to buy into its reputation for being a testing time. My first reaction is the sheer scale and stark beauty of this isolated region. It has no limits. It is breathtaking.

We came across a humble little church on the edge of a remote town a bit after some graffiti. Inside was an elderly, diminutive nun who was stamping our pilgrim’s Passport but who also blessed each of us. She looked me in the eye and gave me a heartfelt blessing and a string necklace of Mary. It was a genuine act of love and I will wear my necklace to remind me of her unconditional love.

The day concluded with a fantastic paella at the albergue in a gorgeously preserved medieval hamlet called Hornillos.

 

 

So today we rested, meaning we didn’t walk for miles, instead we walked for chores and the sights. We are in Borgos, the headquarters of Franco during the Spanish Cvil War.

We did our chores: Washing and shoe shopping as well as seeing sights, particularly the Museum of Human Evolution, followed by the cathedral of Santa Maria (13th century), now a UNESCO world heritage site.

The museum was very interesting. The study of our cousins and ancestors has come a long way since my history lessons in high school. There have been many new discoveries of species of hominids and the DNA record of modern man shows we share homo sapians and Neanderthal genes.  Here are few of our cousins. You may remember Lucy…

 

As for the cathedral, to say it was gaudy and elaborate are understatements. It was an exercise in political and religious power, with chapels added to the original building supposedly to honor a saint like Saint Catherine but were ultimately used as the crypt for the bishop or cardinal of the day. It felt like every chapel or nave which was added over the decades and generations was an attempt to out do the previous cardinal in grandeur.  An exercise in oneupmanship. Lots of dead white guys to navigate around. Nonetheless it was magnificent, particularly the alters, domes and stainglass.

 

Without any authority on which to base my opinion, I have decided the carved, elaborate, wooden alter pieces serve two functions: 1. To cower the simple Christian into compliance by the enormous display of wealth and power; and 2. To teach the stories of the Bible and of the Saints to the illiterate congregations. Very effective.

The dome which delighted me was a rococo baroque number in the Orro Baqui style – the fear of emptiness genre. Leave no space unadorned. It felt like a wild party going on above me. Fabulous.

We completed the day with dinner with some of our buddies who converged in Borgos. It was like a reunion.

We walked today in much cooler temperatures. It dropped from 15-30 to 7-18. It was windy and wet. We walked in the road for a lot of the day so I wore my hi-vis outfit. Dadahh.

The most interesting town we passed through, Atapuerca, is the home to an archeological site of human and animal remains dating back 110,000 yrs ago. The earliest evidence of human habitation in Europe. Named Homo Antecessor, this species of hominid lived at the same time as Neanderthal and homo sapians. Homo sapians won out due to a competitive drive and a better ability to adapt. So nothing has changed! Adapting to climate change will test the species, though! Here is Atapuerca man.

This was a big day. I was worried about walking the distance knowing we were facing a 30 degree day. So we had our packs sent on ahead and just carried food, water and sun hats. We made it without incident. It was more about anxiety than reality.

So during the long walk, I got to thinking…

What matters?

1. My feet
2. A good night’s sleep
3. My knees
4. The little moments with fellow pilgrims
5. Tony says … internet connection 

What doesn’t matter?

1. A bad hair day
2. Farting in your sleep
3. An appropriate dress sense

Reflections

1. Dad would be proud of me. My stocky legs get me there every day. He said I was compact and it has come in handy.
2. Life can be really simple. It is a question of choice.
3. Everybody’s journey is different and individual.
4. Spaniards smoke far too much. And a lot of pilgrims, too! 

The journey to our next town, Belorado saw us cross into our third region of Spain – Castillo y León – the largest of Spain’s regions. This region has been fraught by conflict as it ‘unites’ historic rivalry communities/kingdoms. We walked through sunflower fields which ‘enjoyed’ attention from pilgrims as the heads ripened.

I found my name on a flower! We saw hot air balloons in the distance as the dawn broke; a lone, timeless cross juxtaposed against the modern power line; a road side pilgrim’s rest point; and huge, high big skies. We walked in 30 degrees during the afternoon. The earlier we leave the easier the afternoons in the heat are.

We got to Belorado and chose to stay in another church albergue. The pilgrims staying in the monasteries are gentler and we have met some great people such as Bjorn from Iceland, Ruby from Melbourne, Mara from South Korea and others.

Two notable experiences while in Belorado were

1. Working out what kind of bird nests in belfries.

The answer: the White Stork known famously for the stork that delivers the babies.

2.The other experience was attending the Saturday night Mass and Pilgrim’s Blessing. Only the second time in my life have I attended a Mass. From the rhythm of the prayers, I could pick the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and the Benediction. I also noted that reference to God/Lord is La Senor ( the Mister). I was given an English translation of the Pilgrim’s blessing and then found myself being asked to read it. I read the prayer and the motivation for taking the pilgrimage in church! In front of everyone. I gave it my best shot. It was read in German, French and Italian! We then were blessed with flying holy water! From a silver wand. I got more than a drop of it, more like a dollop. I was blessed!

we had a great time in Belorado.