AFTER a pleasant start on last Saturday, July 16, the first day of my return from the Europe-Australia trip, I found that the so-called jet-lag took a hold. So it was a struggle until about Thursday. Fortunately, I seem to be back on track in terms of my sleeping pattern. I can now look forward to the Beyond Borders Benefit this weekend.
I gained ‘Credential’, a Latin text, authenticated by stamps, that you have completed at least 100 Kms of the pilgrimage to Santiago. In fact, people walk different ‘official’ routes to Santiago, some as long as 1500 Klms.
In my case I started in Leon (Spain) and walked the length of Galatia to reach Santiago then proceeded to Finnesterre to the southern most point of Europe. In many ways that last 97 Kms was the most peaceful and quiet but it was still wonderful to turn a corner, one of many, and spot the water for the first time.
In all I walked about 430 Kms, nearly the equivalent of 11 Marathons. Sore feel, blisters and other ailments are normal but I was spared most of them with the exception that, on the last day, I rolled my right foot and still wear a weakness in that area.
It seems I will need an x-ray to determine the issue. But I feel blessed that this was all the damage I wore. The rest was tough, I would say ‘arduous’, but rich in blessings. The main demand for me were the climbs, the hills and mountains, some of which stretched up to 7 kms of constant climbing that tests your cardio condition and your muscle tone.
Little wonder that you have ‘puffed’ calves and, in some cases, burns from the sun. I avoided the latter by wearing long pants and a full body cover, three shirts, including long-sleeves.
In some ways it was an experience from wandering to journey. A little like the Bible where Abraham just pops up, so God just occurs to the pilgrim, rather like the hamlet around the next turn in the map.
Walking draws one into a solitude that becomes, over time, normative. This solitude becomes precious and disturbances become irritating. So when people ask whether you meet people I tend to want to say that I would prefer not to meet them, so enamoured do you become of this solitude.
There are many blessings for the pilgrim. They are all unexpected. A small church; just arriving in time for Mass; beautiful wild flowers; rainy cool days with long stretches alone and sometimes with climbs.
Then there is walking to the Cathedral of Santiago and the Pilgrim Mass; the burning of incense and the swinging of the Botafumeiro, the large container of incense, originally to fumigate the pilgrims. The Cathedral holds about 1000 people but do not bank on a seat, time itself is a journey.