A Community Makes the Job Easier

Earlier this week, we may have been a little awed by this experience, but by Day Five we figured out our routine. If we left early in the morning, we could avoid the hot afternoon sun and get to our destination just in time to enjoy a classic long Spanish lunch followed by a nap.



With our new plan in place on Wednesday, we left Villafranca del Bierzo just as the sun came up. We were amazed at the fond Coto farewell the city gave us as we made our way to Herrerias. The day was filled with many beautiful sights including sheep, mountains, incredible vistas and a Moor fortress. The trek seemed much less demanding than the previous two days, but I think we pilgrims are getting stronger! Still, we needed an “easy day” of 13 fairly flat miles so we could prepare for O Cebreiro, which I pronounce OH-SO-BEAR-OH. That’s not correct Spanish, but it is what it had become in my mind.

We decided to take O Cebreiro in the early morning while it was still dark. We had only two small flashlights — another demonstration of our inexperience. In any case, up we went, scaling about six miles and 1,600 feet in elevation. As daylight began to break, the mountain revealed many surprises. I understand if you’re still skeptical, but we are beginning to seriously wonder if there are not things truly inexplicable about the Camino. The first sign was Chuck’s flashlight landing on a rock that said, “Love One Another.” Seriously, it was completely dark outside, and there were at least a million other rocks where that light could have landed. Our new friend from Poland, Maria, the only real experienced hiker in the group, joined us and brought some new energy to our band of brothers. I’m not certain why, but we became a better community, and ultimately O Cebreiro was not so OH-SO- BEAR-OH. Maybe it was our common prayer to Santa Maria.



I’m a planner, and all my life I’ve tried to anticipate the destination –in this case, it was the view from the mountain’s summit. However, as we tackled the last two miles , a cloud descended and produced a magical physical and visual experience. Then, we turned the corner and what did we see? A hobbit house, of all things (See my previous hobbit-themed posts!). Local villagers used to live in stone huts with thatched roofs called pallozas. Bilbo and Frodo would have felt right at home.

In the center of O Cebreiro, there is the Santa María la Real church, founded in the year 836. It is believed to be the oldest church on the entire French Road of the Camino de Santiago. Inside the church, there is a treasured 12th-century golden chalice which is the focus of a local miracle. We were blessed to have Padres Reynaldo, and Miguel celebrate mass with us in this special place.

Today we met a pilgrim who started walking in Normandy France and a couple from Boulder in their late 70’s early 80’s who walked 12 hours yesterday. And at the end of the day the cloud disappeared and we saw that view after all.
Camino lessons:
1. A community can makes the job easier.
2. Plan, but enjoy the ride, God may send you something better than what you could have ever imagined.
3. Santa Maria is a fierce advocate
So far, we have taken 255,384 steps on the Camino. More to come.
Buen Camino!
