Hope on the Camino—Day 17

The Hungarian Gal Gave Me Hope

It is always interesting to see who you’ll meet and what you may learn from them. Little did I know that the first person I meet today will give me hope.

Today started like any other day. I doctored my blisters, ate my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and took my bag to the lobby. I started to walk. It was still dark and few pilgrims were on the Way. When I reached the outskirts of Burgo I met Andrea, a gal from Hungary.

A Cure for Blisters

Andrea wore sandals. There was no doubt she was a pilgrim. The tell tale signs were there: backpack, walking sticks, and clam shell. We were waiting to cross the road, and I asked her, “I see you are wearing sandals, how do you find it wearing sandals and walking for 20 km?”

Andrea wore sandals because she had a blister on her pinky toe. She wore sandals for the past few days and it was working wonders for her blister.

We walked together for the next 9 km. Andrea worked in a hotel in London. She has a MSc in Biology from her home country. And her research had to do with mosquito wings. We had a very interesting conversation.

No Cell Reception

Andrea and I parted ways in Tardojos when she stopped for a coffee break. My feet hurt and I wanted to get to my final resting place sooner rather than later.

When I reached Hornillas Del Camino I reached for my cell phone to call my accommodations for the evening, which was in Isar (3 km off the Way). But … no cell reception. I almost cried. It meant walking 3 km on a blister ridden foot.

The Irish

I started my trek to Isar, reluctantly I might add. To my surprise, I met the Irish couple from a few days ago. They were staying at the same place I did for the evening. The Irish folks and I had a good chat and when we reached the halfway point to Isar a van past us … it was the hotel coming to pick us up.

Iglesia San Martin

Dewey standing in the Pulpit where clergy have shared the Good News since the 12th century

The highlight for the day was the visit to Iglesia de San Martin. Our tour guide’s name was Nati (short for Navidad). Nati opens the church for 10 minutes each day at 5 p.m.

San Martin dates back to the XII century and has gone through many renovations since then . Nati also had a huge key that fitted into the door lock. She claimed that it was the original lock and key; whether that was true or not I do not know, but it was a huge key. I also had the opportunity (permission) to go and stand in the pulpit in the sanctuary of San Martin. I shared a space clergy have used for more than 900 years to share the Good News. Amazing.

Domingo de Amberes built the Altarpiece that is in San Martin today. He built it between 1558-1564. Pedro Ruiz de Camargo and Juan de Cea of Burgos gilded and painted the oak of the Altarpiece in 1595. The iconographic images that we see in the altarpieces depicts the mystery of the redemption. In the Altarpiece we see the life of San Martin and the roll of the Virgin Mary (in the Catholic tradition as mediator).

The centuries has not been kind to this work of art. Moisture seeping from the stones led to a white rot fungal infection. Wood boring insects also added to the challenges of preserving the Altarpiece here at San Martin. However, restoration work has saved this piece of history, at least for now.

And so the day has ended … with hope

Did you also experience hope in this adventure? After I spoke with Andrea I had hope for a cure; lefty would be relieved of his burden. Even after there was no cell reception, hope was restore when I met the Irish couple and when the white van picked us up. When we visited the church of San Martin, once again, hope was seen with the restoration work.

Hope is an important theme in our lives as well. It is in Jesus Christ that we have hope as we walk on the Way. In Christ we have hope for a balm that will ease the blisters in our lives. In Jesus Christ we have hope of restoration … a life with God. In Jesus Christ, whom we meet on the road, we have hope.

My journey on the Camino de Santiago started in September 2017. At the time I wrote blogged entries with pictures whenever I could. Now, three years later, it is time to revisit the journey; I am re-posting the entries with a few updates. Enjoy.