connections

It´s amazing how connected you can feel with pilgrims that you may never even talk to or get to know. Every day you know that they have experienced the same hardships and triumphs as you have, trekked through the same grueling heat, and arrived exhausted at the same albergue. From Jaca to Monreal (4 nights) we stayed with the same core group of pilgrims. The language barrier made it difficult to get to know them well but I still felt a sense of comraderie. I was sad to say goodbye in Monreal as we all went our separate ways.



Another connection I´ve made is with the landscape itself. Walking each and every step through the country makes you appreciate places in an entirely different way. You see the gradual change of the land as the kilometers go by and watch as places that once seemed so far away become close. You notice the little things that would go unnoticed if you went by in a car - the numerous ant hills with hundreds of busy ants working away, or an old stone wall that lights up as the sun hits it at just the right angle. When you walk the equivelent of a 20 minute car ride in a day, you notice so much more and appreciate every step you take. I never realized just how long a kilometer could be, or how many steps you can take in six hours.



I have also connected with the route itself. Sometimes I stop and think about how many people have walked the same path that my feet our on and it overwhelms me. I think about the pilgrims who saw the same view as I do hundreds of years ago. I feel part of something so much bigger than just my own journey and am strengthened by this unity. The path itself is beautiful in many parts. It varies from goat trail to paved road to country lane and many other things, each of them with their own good and bad aspects. Many of the small towns we go through seem untouched by time. I am in love with the old stone buildings that have so much history and beauty.



Despite all of these wonders, the pilgrimage has not always been easy. There have been some low points physically and emotionally which have challenged me. The bad is far outweighed, however, by all of the good that continually envelops me. I´m glad that I have undertaken this journey with such good and caring companions, and I look forward to the many days yet to come.