Santo Domingo to Belorado 23.5 K Day Eight

Left about 7:30 and saw the most beautiful sunrise. As we entered the region of Castilla y Leon, the trail wound through valleys surrounded by hills and high tablelands. This was agricultural land and I was reminded of the bounty of Mother Earth, our life-giver, and decided that today I would honour my mother, my life-giver. We passed many workers out gathering potatoes and I remembered how potatoes were a staple of our diet on the farm. Mom, you loving prepared those potatoes in so many ways and we had so many great times around that farm table. Mom, there is no one more loving and giving than you. I admire your determination to seek what you want from life and I thank you for passing your desire for adventure on to me. Because of your generation and situation in life, you are not able to walk the Camino. Mom, I carry you in my blood and I walk the Camino for you. My strength cometh from Gaia, Mother Earth, from whom all things come. I walk in praise of my mother and all mothers, our life-givers.

Monica and Marilyn picked out a great Aubergue and it was hosted by Agnes and Peter who are the Camino personified. They have already walked the Camino from their house in Switzerland and are now walking back from Santiago. They are in their seventies and they welcomed us with open arms. The aubergue is attached to the village church and it was previously a theatre. The stage is now a kitchen and when Agnes explained that it was still a stage for preparing the theatre of food, everyone decided that we would prepare a community meal. Martin from Switzerland made Swiss Alps Pasta which included potatoes from the garden. As Agnes says, ¨La vie est dur sans confiture; elle est amere sans pommes de terre.¨ What a fabulous time we had preparing food, eating together at the long communal table, toasting with vino, and doing dishes. We then rushed out for the community mass and I really enjoyed sharing the peace with everyone. After mass, the priest took us to a side chapel where he delivered the Pilgrims´ Blessing. This church has been blessing pilgrims since the 800s. The blessing was read in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and English. I was selected to be the English reader and I felt honoured to be a part of such history. We ended this experience with a hymn that Judy brought for such an occasion. As the song came to an end, we heard the ethereal voice of Camino Peter singing a familiar ´hallejah chant´. We sang our way out of the church and into our beds next door, both physically and emotionally spent.