After watching Team Spain dominate in their World Cup match against Saudi Arabia (and after walking upwards of 16 miles in the blazing sun) we rested easy in Villafranca del Bierzo last night before setting out early again this morning to try to beat the heat.
Luckily the first two-thirds of our journey was in the valleys of the mountains on the way to Las Herrerías de Valcar. While this meant we had shade for a good portion of the walk (which helped a little with the sun and overwhelming humidity), it also meant the majority of our walk was along roads, which can get a little monotonous. To help motivate one another, we stuck together as a group as we walked the way today, taking steady inclines and bouts of tough mental terrain together.
Traveling with a group of 30 in this way is quite the sight as we move along the Camino. You could hear shouts of “to the right!” echoing off the mountains as we made way for cyclists and fellow walkers along the way- each getting a unique joy of hearing dozens of high school girls chirp out “buen camino!”
Because of the heat, breaks were tantamount today (and will be tomorrow too as we climb over the mountains we drew close to today). Sights of logging, stray cats, and teeny tiny towns filled our landscape today. This even meant grabbing lunch at a truck stop outside a small town because the combination of Monday schedules and siesta meant we couldn’t guarantee there’d be food to be found if we traveled on. Have no fear though! A local co-op set up a produce stand so fresh fruit was on the menu along with Spanish fare and lots of cold water.
Arriving in Las Herrerías, we nearly doubled the population of the town. For that reason we are staying at two sites in town- one on the “outskirts” and the other in “center city”- both charming, as with the little village.
As we move into tomorrow we ready ourselves for the up & down of cresting the mountain that will lead us into the Galicia region of Spain. It also marks the halfway point of our walking days. With feet feeling stronger and people learning their limits and the rhythm of the Way we’re making our way. Surely God is journeying with us… we simply pray that we might be attentive to where God is leading us!
