My coming pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

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I begin in Pamplona on Thursday. I'll be travelling very light, but some of the luxuries I am taking are a digital camera, a cheap notepad for journalling and (if I can find it) a pocket-sized book of the Gospels. Unfortunately, English print books are very expensive in Leuven.

I would like to share some of my experiences here. Not everything, of course, but we'll see what happens.

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 01, 2003

Answers

Dear Gene Chavez,
If I'm not mistaken, you (having journeyed to Santiago) have some advice for our good seminarian?
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 01, 2003.

Hi, John et Skoob---
My wife & I were there, joyfully, in the Jubilee Year 2000. A great experience; as you'll find out. Our penance before receiving the plenary indulgence for pilgrims was, sadly, paid by having Iberia Air messing us up royally, and losing our luggage for a couple of days. Lol!

Advice? Take umbrellas. Have masses said in the cathedral; the more the better, for your deceased loved ones. Santiago is a great saint; he's really there, I feel.

Wait till you see the Botafumeiro, a sight so beautiful. AND, you'll place your hand into the solid rock handprint left by millions of past pilgrims, which has been hollowed out of the solid granite. Amazing! Keep in mind, one hand among those of a myriad saints, was the hand of Saint Francis of Assisi, who made the same pilgrimage to Santiago Compostela. You will actually walk in the footsteps of Saint Francis! As well as leaving your own handprint over HIS!!! IMAGINE?

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), July 01, 2003.


Incidently, Skoobuoy,
Pamplona's fiesta de San Fermin starts the 6th of July and lasts a week. One of the prettiest cities in Spain. They have the running of the bulls there that week! My wife was there in March on a job assignment. They have a world-class university in Pamplona. Another fantastic city is Burgos; not that far from there. The home of El Cid Campeador. Are you going to love your pilgrimage! If you could see these other sights, it would make you VERY happy! May God accompany and bless you!

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), July 01, 2003.

You know, Eugene, it's funny... as I was packing today, I looked up and saw the small St. Francis woodcarving on my wall, and I wanted to take it with me, but I immedtiately thought to myself, "What a stupid idea; what does St. Francis have anything to do with St. Santiago?"

Now I know. :)

I have a poncho, and actually used it today--it's great! I think it'll do. Hopefully there are places in cities where I can post here in Greenspun.

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 02, 2003.


Skoobouy,

I hope you can find some place to post, too. I would love to hear how the pilgrimage is going.

Pax et Bonum.

Thomas

-- Thomas (tcdzomba@excite.com), July 02, 2003.



Hello! (I'm not going to embarrass myself by writing my broken 'tourist Spanish' here). I've just completed my first 100 kilometers, from Pamplona to Logroño. My feet are like hamburgers at this point, since I haven't exactly adjusted to walking 25km a day. :) I'll write again soon, just wanted to let you all know that I'm healthy and happy, that Spain is very nice for an Arizonan this time of year, and that I will probably never get the hang of Castilian Spanish. (It just feels too wierd saying 'Platha mayor' and 'Grathias'.

All is well! Pray for me!

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 07, 2003.


Skoobury,

Your feet are like hamburgers? Surely they should be more like Paella!!

Glad to here you're enjoying the climate. Recently mainland Europe, Italy to be precise, had temperatures of 47 degrees celsius! The last time I was in Spain, two years ago, we sweltered in 40 degrees celsius heat... the church was the coolest place in town. Perhaps God was working in mysterious ways to keep me in there!

If you get the chance to visit Barcelona, you ought to go there and see the Cathedral, and indeed the city itself. It's absolutely beautiful.

The Scots have a Seminary in Salamanca, in Spain, which has been there since the 1600s (in Spain since then, but orginally elsewhere, Madrid I think). This was because it wasn't allowed to have priestly formation in the UK ...some little thing called the Reformation got in the way of it!If your feet totally give up on you, just pop in there and finish your formation in sunny Espana!

Keep us all posted from your pilgrimage...good to hear from you.

God bless

Sara

-- Sara (sara_catholic_forum@yahoo.co.uk), July 07, 2003.


Vayas con Dios, Skoobouy! Hopefully you can post some pics?

Pax Christi. <><

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), July 12, 2003.


maybe afterwards. I have quite a few.

-- skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 14, 2003.

I hope you are having a good time on your pilgrimage. I was in Santiago de Compostela back in '82, and was in awe during mass at the cathedral there. I didn't know that St. Francis of Assissi was also there! Wow, I put my handprint over his. Amazing.

Looking forward to your posts. Wave hi to Asturias as you pass it - my grandfather was from there, and I have loved ones who live there.

mj

-- Mary Jo (maryjomw@aol.com), July 18, 2003.



Update from the Camino!

Right now I happily type away on a computer that looks like it's been in the sun a little too long--the keyboard's number pad is melted-- but Internet here is a relative gonga (€0,90/hr) so I'll happily write some more impressions.

I'm in Sarriá, and about 119km from Santiago. If I pushed myself I could do that in three days, but six days is fine. Last couple of days I darn near killed myself--30, and then 50, and today 25. The 50km day was a mistake; I slept in Pereje (just after Villafranca), decided that Cebreiro wasn't enough walking for one day, so I aimed for a hostel at the Alto de Poio (how do they differentiate that from pollo, "chicken"?). Anyway, the hostels were filled up, as were all the rooms from there all the way to Triacastela.

Spiritually, the Camino has given me fabulous gifts, both in my time alone and in time spent with new friends. Bar none, everyone I've met on the Camino has been very kind and generous, although everyone has also been very different. The pious Catholic, unfortunately, is a rare animal on the Camino nowadays, which is nigh overrun with "sportsmen" and "spiritual" types. Indeed, the most solidarity I've found in terms of fellow travellers has come from a couple of Irish Protestants, a Baptist and an Anglican, both of the relatively 'high church' variety, both of whom had almost nothing but good things to say about Pope John Paul II. For about three days I found solace in their vigorous devotion to Christ and their interest in counter-culture. Together we compared religious experiences and talked about Scripture and lamented contemporary wholesale cheapening of life, sex, and family. A highly ecumenical set of days, although I've outpaced them just in time to avoid clashing on Catholic vs. Protestant issues, which were beginning to rear their ugly head.

Before them, though, I found company with a group of basically 'enlightened' people my age, with whom I share many views about the world--fiscal liberalism, a certain anti-corporate attitude, and a general sense of "living in the middle" of a world, needing to find a center amid confusion.

Unfortunately, most of these folks (especially the English speakers, whether Canadian or American) have completely bought that same aforementioned totalization of sex (amongst other things), and more often than not I had to tolerate an earful of complaining about numerous topics (too much gold in Spanish churches, no ordained women, the Pope's expensive car, Humanae Vitae outdated, blah blah) and some of them were so far gone that the very idea of being a 21 (!) year old virgin made them say (in South Central California fashion, "Like, ohmyGod!"

Please pray for me and pray for all these people, but especially pray for one individual I've met named Peter. Peter is Belgian, and Catholic, and he has walked here from his hometown (!) because he loves his God and faith. Alleluia!

My camino has been a mix of many mental, emotional, spiritual, anf physical challenges. Some days I spent hours trying to wrap my mind around the challenge of presenting an authentic Catholicism to a generation of overly self-comfortable sex-sick liberals. Other days I spent trying to cope with foot problems (more on those later). Other days I was thrilled to find meaning and love for Christ woven through the scenery--the fields and forests and ruins. Galicia is especially beautiful.

I have to go, but I have more to write. Stay tuned! God bless, and pray for me.

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 24, 2003.


Hi Skoobouy,

Thank you for sharing your experiences! You're in our prayers.

God bless you,

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), July 25, 2003.


I'm here! I'm here! I love Sant Iago, friend of God, brother of Jesus, and loving Apostle to all! I love Christ, who has led me lovingly here, and I love Mary, Mother of God, who has answered my prayers, watched me and prayed for me all the way. God, I love you I love you I love you!

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), July 28, 2003.

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