Day 6: Portomarin to Palais de Rei

We climbed up these stairs when we entered Portomarin the day before and back down them when we left town the next day. Repeating part of our journey made me think of the medieval pilgrims who after they successfully traveled all the way to Santiago had to turn around and walk home. No one wonder some of them settled along the pilgrim route.

Our days settle into a familiar routine of walking. Step after step. Fourteen miles today. We are deep into the Galician region today. What we think of as a country is really a group of regions that existed before they were united into a country. People in Spain are more likely to identify themselves from the region they are from--Galicians--than as Spaniards.

As we walk, we see the ubiquitous cows.

And sheep too. Have I mentioned the sheep?

There are towns.

And closed up windows.

Trees that are hundreds of years old.

Above is a Spanish corncrib known as a horreo. Horreos are elevated to keep critters out of them.

We see interesting looking crosses and monuments on the Camino. 

We stop for rest and refreshments from time to time.

Here are a couple of our favorite pick me ups: chocolate and beer.

But sometimes the refreshment from the physical breaks doesn't last long and the road seems long and narrow.

We try to ignore our fatigue and the pain in our feet.

We think about all the thousands of pilgrims who have walked the Camino. We think about all the work and love and faith it took to build the churches on the Camino. We pray.

The Pilgrim Prayer by Thomas Merton

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end. . .

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will

does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does

in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this,

You will lead me by the right road, though

I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though

I may seem lost in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.