It is good to get an early start each day, especially during a current heat wave, when the temp gets to 90 by noon. And so we leave by six or a little earlier, when it is still dark here,
As with so much else on this trek, it a blessing in disguise to leave before dawn. To hear the rising of the dawn chorus of birds, to watch the landscape appear in its beauty, to feel part of the re-awakening of the world.
For example, on our way yesterday from Atapuerca to Burgos , we were treated to the moon setting…
and the sun rising...
And then, shortly after, as we finished the day’s opening tough climb, a surprise at the top. Notice the sneakers hanging… an extra touch of the human, yes?
Sending love
Sometimes we see messages along the way that help us re-member the heart of this project, which more and more seems like a compression of life itself.
On the back of a very welcome bench under a tree the other day was written, “Don’t think. Just walk.”
This one helped too:
“Your heart is free, have the courage to make it pay attention”
Finally, a reminder of the nature of the landscape through which all our paths pass. The message was written in French on one of the yellow arrows that guide us along our way, this one painted on a guardrail:
“amour eterno“ (“eternal love”)
With love from Santo Domingo de la Calzada…
We stayed at an albergue Sunday night run by a Dutch Christian community based on experiencing holy love directly, beyond creed and dogma. Here is a picture hanging on the wall of their meditation room:
And here is a photo of the church as we left Villamayor de Monjardin the next morning just before dawn:
Every town has at least one church, and many more than one. Their bells sound the hours through the day (and sometimes at night!).
When we arrived Monday afternoon in Sansol, there was a procession in the street in celebration of Whit Monday—the day after Pentecost Sunday—which is a holiday in Spain and other European countries. It is also known as “Monday of the Holy Spirit” and in the Catholic Church is a memorial to Mary, mother of the church. Mary is the figure being carried in the procession we just happened to come across:
