Sunday, May 23, 2010

Pilgrims´ Progress

DSCN1920 

Many have said a modest person is one who could carry all their important possessions in a backpack, or in my case, a set of panniers. The last few days have convinced me it was a pilgrim who said that first. I also carry a set of panniers on my pilgrimage of life. Sometimes I add things or carry them just becasue. It could be what other people think of me, for others, it could be a consuming lifestyle that´s out of control. Like all heavy loads, there comes a time when so much weight keeps me from moving forward. That´s why I sometimes like to stop and ask myself if I´m carrying around burdens that I don´t need. What do I have in my panniers that I don´t need. 


There are of course burdens I can load into my panniers that don´t weigh me down.  In fact, they can even make my load seem lighter.  I´m speaking of memories, and today I thought I share a few of mine from the past couple of days on el Camino



DSCN1876
First is the four American girls sitting next to me here in this internet cafe.  They´re printing off fake IDs so they can go out clubbing.  I wish I had my camera with me, I´d send a photo to their daddys. 


DSCN1893
Next is the priest we met along the way who stamped our credencials.  He called us ¨eagles soaring to Santiago. and told us if we asked Santiago when we get to the cathedrial we could get any blessing we desired.  Then there was German pilgrim who helped Mags lift her bike three times over a rock wall because the trail between the walls was too muddy. 


DSCN1899 
There are all the pilgrims I see each night walking so gingerly because of sore legs, blistered feet and aching backs.  The albergues where we stay the night all smell like Ben Gay and stinky Europeans.  Incidently, I should say that most of my experience with Europeans has been in hostels, so you´ll forgive me for thinking they all stink all the time. 


DSCN1939
At one albergue the hostess asked if we were married before she would let us have a private room.  She was a sweetheart.  Another host at our first albergue gave us his dinner because we arrived too late to buy something from the cafe in town.  He saw that we were going to bed hungry and brought out his own dinner for us.  Muchas gracias Igor. 


DSCN1946


Last is a memory of regret.  In some ways I feel like we´re going too fast on this pilgrimage.  The way all of our physical needs are met by the albergues and the pilgrim restaurants, it allows us to meditate and think of the meaning of our pilgrimage.  But we´ll be finished soon, and I sometimes think I´ve loaded too much unecessary stuff into my panniers to unload it all before we arrive in Santiago de Compestela.  



2 comments:

  1. The pictures are worth a thousand words...but no knickaz in the pictures?? Pilgram Puleeze.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow. Looks like an amazing trip so far, however a surprising shortage of reporting on the local food.

    ReplyDelete