We have been having a wonderful Camino filled with ups, downs, funny moments, poignant moments, beautiful scenery, new friendships, lots of walking, and sore feet. Every day, we venture from charming Spanish town to charming Spanish town.
In almost each place we have commented that we wished we could stay longer. We finally got a chance in Palais de Rei when our sore feet caught up with us. Between the three Carroll's, only one of us has tootsies that are still in pristine condition, and without naming names, it's not me or John. So we decided to take the day off. (Luke was in complete agreement with this plan).
We took a taxi from Palais de Rei to Castaneda, our next stop on the Camino. Is there some kind of rule that taxi drivers have to be speed maniacs? Above is a blurry photo I took out the window of our taxi as it tore down the highway, not slowing down for curves. "I feel like I'm on a roller coaster," said our friend Tina who rode with us.
After surviving the death-defying taxi ride, we got to stay at Hotel Pazo de Sedor, which is in a converted 17th century mansion. Below is the lobby.
Many beautiful flowering trees and plants are on the grounds.
Father Michael and Luke in pilgrim garb, getting ready to welcome tired travelers.
After we got settled, we walked into Castaneda and grabbed a bite to eat.
I want to give a shout out to John. A couple of pilgrims haven't felt well on our trip and he has been of great assistance to them.
Ha! After I wrote the above and paired it with the photo, I realized it seemed like I was making a joke that the sheep were pilgrims. But John's just taking their picture and he really did help our pilgrims.
I think John embodies these words from the Letter of James, written by the Saint to whose shrine we are traveling: If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty,' without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? In the same way, faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead. James: 2:15-17
We look forward to walking the Camino tomorrow.
John was a blessing to our sick pilgrims! I got to witness him being the hands & heart of Christ with compassion and skill. His presence helped calm not only sick pilgrims but also concerned friends.
ReplyDeleteYes, John is a doctor in his bones. It is really more like a vocation for him than a job. He is happy to help.
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