A Feat Complete with Our Feet

That might be the highest I’ve ever jumped. And we still have our sticks.

Unlike the pilgrims in Medival times, we did not wear those shoes, therefore those are not our feet all wrapped up. Thank you for all your prayers. And thank you to Garry for all his planning on our Camino. If you are ever interested in walking, this is the person to call.

As we have walked this pilgrimage I have thought a great deal about St James, the apostle, a fisherman by trade, the brother of John, and son of Zebedee. He and his brother, John, were called “Sons of Thunder”, however both changed their hotheaded ways by following Christ. James, along with Peter and John, were Jesus’ inner circle. He saw and experienced things many of the other disciples did not.

It’s said James felt some discouragement with his ministry in the Galacia area, so therefore, went back to Jerusalem, and there he was beheaded. The first apostle to be martyred.

I find that very interesting about his ministry. How many times have I felt discouragement of a ministry I’ve been a part of. Have I ever quit? You bet, a few times for sure. How about you?

And yet, here are people, even today, walking the pilgrimage of St. James. His followers, way back then made this pilgrimage to honor this man who showed them “The Way”. What a legacy for a man who was discouraged with his ministry.

What is the legacy Jay and I are leaving for our descendents? What is your legacy going to be? Of course, to leave a legacy, it has to begin with what we exemplify to our families and others we are with on life’s journey.

St James made such a difference in enough people’s lives that they first brought his remains to an area that was important to him, then made a pilgrimage not to worship him, but to honor him. That’s a pretty amazing legacy.

Along with all the pondering we were able to do on this walk, we have had some interesting things to see and experience that haven’t fit in a particular blog. There have been many days we could have written a full blog, but we will save those stories to share when we get home. So, we are showing a plethora of fun pictures after a few statistics.

Top favorite towns: Zubiri, Burgos, Astorga, Portomarin, Foncebadon, Cee/Corcubion, and Muxia

My favorite phrase: “God created whole numbers, man created all others.”

According to Jay’s runners app, 38 days walking, 225 hours, 667.7 miles, 1,364,710 steps.

Other than the pig, we had some other animals posing.

Jay calls that one, “Sitting Bull”

The Sheepherder with his sheep by day. Matador Alfonso Eduardo Angel (Jay) when he’s not with his sheep. Ole!!

We’ve eaten some great foods. Some people say they have lost weight on their walk, we can’t say that. Breakfast is the important meal of the day. We read a list of common breakfasts at one of the bars one day: An American breakfast is eggs, bacon, toast. A Mediterranean breakfast is toast, tomato, and olive oil. A Spanish breakfast is chocolate and churro. Croissants are just a bonus for everyone.

Many salads to balance those breakfasts.

Lunch on our balcony after a great walk into one of our favorite towns, Portomarin.

Toured some old and interesting places in history. Such as “At the end of the earth, Mucia” The statue represents a wound honoring those who helped clean up an oil spill. The chapel in the back is the one in the movie, “The Way”. This is where Martin Sheen releases his son’s ashes into the ocean. The waymarker we are leaning on is the 0.00 representing we have completed our camino.

On the bridge at Orbigo de Hospital in 1434, a knight named Suero, held what may have been the last great medieval tournament. Suero challenged other knights to a joust because he had been scorned by his lady love. Suero won the tournament which released him from his prison of love and his gold bracelet is in the museum in Santiago. Today each year the tournament is reinacted the first weekend in May every year.

The Bishop’s Palace in Astorga.

We’ve seen some beautiful statues and fountains that continually flow which is hard to see for a California-Okie. Save the water!

A few pieces of scripture given to us along the way.

A few extra fun things along the way.

But it’s the people we have met along the way that will stay with us in our hearts. I think St James felt the same way about the people.

There are so many stories to share such as John from South Korea. We really became attached to him right off the bat at a pilgrim’s dinner. Jay asked to see his ID before he would pour him some wine. John then started kidding around with Jay. We miss seeing John.

The three Canadians and a Californian ladies. Our journey each day ended and began at the same hotel quite often. Janice (the one with white socks protecting her feet) was a casualty of the trail with horrible blisters. For several days she had to taxi to the next destination. There she would be to greet us.

David who built a rest station in the middle of nowhere for the pilgrims and had fresh fruits, cold drinks, and a comfy place to rest.

Frank and Emma from England. We saw them quite a bit on the trail. One evening after we had finished dinner and walking out of the restaurant, they called us over to their table to chat. We visited for another 1 1/2 hours. I was told by Frank if I put them in the blog, I had to say they are not Boris fans and they are against Brexit.

And Laila from Iran. She hasn’t been to Iran in quite awhile, however her parents still live there and she sends them money. Laila is a project management consultant and helps build process and procedures for large construction projects. Jay and Laila talked shop for two hours during our walk one morning.

Pamela, from Houston, who used to be in the energy pipeline industry. She will be meeting her fiancé in Paris and getting married as soon as she completes her Camino.

That’s what it’s all about, the people you come in contact with. Taking time and hearing each other’s stories. We’re all the same, just different countries with different languages. Just like whole numbers, we are all God’s creation. And, yes, I even sat with cyclists at breakfast at least one morning.

It has been forty-two days since we’ve been in an automobile. (So far, two months and one week since I’ve driven a car). So we think we can truly say it’s a feat complete with our feet and our hearts. Even though we have completed this camino, it is said whenever you complete one, it is the beginning of another. So, here we go, on to the next. Buen Viaje!

Blessings, and for the last time, Buen Camino. Jay and Kelly