Camino – Day 27

Today was an up and down (mostly down) sort of day. Not in terms of my mood. That was solidly in the “up” camp all day long! But in terms of the topography. From where I spent the night it was about 2km to the top (Cruz de Ferro) at 1,505 meters. Then another 4km down a bit and back up to roughly the same elevation. Then over the next 13km the path dropped about 900 meters (about 2,700 feet). It was a lot of downhill, some of it quite steep, over some loose rock terrain. The backs of my calves are telling me that I put them through their paces today. And, the whole morning was absolutely stunningly beautiful. The colors at sunrise, the mountain vistas, the cloud shrouded peaks, even the ridiculously steep path – every moment of the morning was an experience of awe and wonder.

And then, after about four and a half hours of walking (almost 20 km), I arrived at the lovely town of Molinaseca. It is another of the charming old world communities with the narrow winding streets. You enter the town over an old stone bridge featuring multiple arches. I found my way to the  Albergue Compostela, which requires turning off the narrow street into an even narrower alley, which twists and turns until it opens up onto a small square right in front of the old stone church. On one side of this square is my albergue.

This life I am living is amazing. Every day offers new wonders and delights. It is, in many ways, a simple life, supported in part by centuries of pilgrimage tradition which has put in place a vast network of inexpensive albergues and good food options, along with a well marked and well maintained Camino path on which to walk each day. And I am incredibly grateful for all of it, along with a body which continues to carry me over all of the kilometers. It is an experience which continues to shape and transform me, and, I suspect, will continue to do so for years to come.

What will tomorrow bring? I do not know, because I haven’t yet walked my way onto that part of the path. What I can tell you is that in this moment my heart is full, and that is enough.

Buen Camino!

Here is a link to today’s photos – https://photos.app.goo.gl/iipdfhZv21YyKZ166