Grañón to Espinosa del Camino (23.8km)

Today was quite a different day than I've had so far. I walked with the new group that I had met last night, and it was interesting to get to know new people. The dynamic is very different than before, and I still very much miss Sean, but I'm slowly getting used to it. I guess this is yet another place to apply Sean's Chinese proverb. Who knew I'd miss the dynamic of walking with the three amigos so much? But who's to say I won't miss this group now too? Best to be thankful for what I have and enjoy it as much as I can.

I slept in today (I woke up at 7:08 instead of 7:00). I had slept pretty well, only waking up once in the night. I got up and went downstairs, joining a few of the other pilgrims already awake for a breakfast of toast, jam, fruit, and some sweet bread. It was small but good. After eating, I got dressed in my walking clothes and put my bag together. Soon it was 8:00. We all said goodbye to Fernando and thanked him for his hospitality, then headed out.

We all moved in a group as we left. It was Margaret, Sam from Australia, Dan from England, Ava from the Netherlands, Aya from Germany, Miel from France, and me. I walked alone for the first hour or so, taking some time to pray and think. I also called Mikayla for about half an hour. My hands nearly froze over while holding my phone to my ear, but I couldn't be bothered to grab my gloves because they're currently being used for other purposes, such as hanging my still-damp socks from them and also holding various items such as oranges and my beanie. Still, the cold hands were worth every second. I love talking to Mikayla and every day of walking is a day that I am closer to seeing her again! As always, it was a great way to start my day.

After calling Mikayla, I continued walking alone for a bit. It was a brisk 37 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun had only just come over the mountains. The weather has definitely been interesting. It's pretty darn cold in the mornings, but by midday the sun gets intense and you start sweating. Today it was barely 60 degrees but it felt more like 75, and we all realized we were getting sunburnt. The funny thing is, you really only have to put sunscreen on your left side, because that's always the direction the sun hits you from. My left arm is currently burnt but my right is doing just fine. Definitely an interesting dynamic.

Not much came to me in prayer, but that was fine. It was nice to simply walk with God for a little while. After a time, I caught up with the main group and then talked with Miel for a while (his name is "smile" without the s). I learned that he's been walking for two months. He's been walking alone and camping most of the time, and also does odd jobs for places that need it. At one point, in the Pyrenees mountains, someone referred him to a small community that lives in a forest and does everything themselves. They make their own houses, cut their own wood to burn, and pump their own water from a water source on the land. They accept travelers and allow them to stay however long they want. He stayed for a week and loved it, but said he felt he still had more to discover spiritually. It was a cool story!

Miel also told me that he had started the Camino partly in search for a religion. He said that he had initially tried some Eastern practices, but that due to the prominence of Catholicism on the Way, he ended up spending a lot of time in cathedrals and was really drawn to Christianity over time. He said he feels the closest connection to Christianity. That was great to hear! I feel that the Camino really does have a way of drawing people into the truths of Christianity, and it was awesome to hear Miel's story about it. We talked about that for a time, and it was a great conversation.

We passed through various tiny towns, and were mostly following the freeway today. I hate following the freeway, because it's so loud and ugly, but it helps to be talking to people. At least then I'm not being distracted by the noise of the freeway while trying to pray. The towns were very pretty, and filled with cats too. That's quite a common thing in Spain.

After a while, we came to a little town with a cafe. Margaret and Ava were already there, and everyone else wasn't far behind. I got a cafe con leche, a cheese and bacon sandwich, some nuts, and chocolate covered cherries. It was all very good. It turns out, the cherries also had whiskey in them! I had never experienced this, but apparently it's a common thing in Europe. I have to say, they were quite good! There was also a friendly cat around who loved bread. He was fun to watch.

We all talked and continued learning about each other's cultures' oddities. It was fun, especially since we had so many different nationalities between the lot of us. It's also fun to listen to all the different accents. English really is the universal language!

After an hour, we continued on. The next big town was only 5 kilometers ahead, so we were making good time. We passed through various smaller towns again, and this time I walked with Margaret and Dan. Dan is a really cool guy, and he has a very relaxed temperament. He's easy to get along with and fun to talk to, so the 5 kilometers flew by.

Soon, we made it to Belorados. Belorados had sort of a different feel to it. It didn't feel so cramped and compact, as there was more suburb style houses as you got further from the city center. I don't know if it's due to siesta or winter or it's just the nature of these cities, but it's almost always the case that the city looks like a zombie apocalypse has just occurred. There's never a soul in sight, except for at the rare open cafe, and it's always silent. It's an interesting experience for sure.

We walked around until we found a cafe, then Margaret, Dan, and I went inside to get lunch. I got two slices of a ham omelette and a coke for only a few euros. It was refreshing and tasted amazing. We talked about how our day has been so far, and enjoyed each other's company.

After lunch, we rejoined with the rest of the group in front of the church that was, of course, closed. There was a really big mural next to us that was pretty cool. Santiago de Compostela means Saint James of the Field of Stars, and the mural did a beautiful job of depicting that field.

We had only gone 15 kilometers so far, so we figured we should all keep going. After talking for a bit and deciding what city to go to next, we all headed out. The plan was to go 12 more kilometers and reach Espinosa del Camino. By this point, we're no longer following the classic 33 stages. We were advised by Tom from the previous night to try going to other cities that aren't part of the main 33 stages, and to walk more if we felt like it. Some of these days have been pretty short, so we've been taking the advice.

The next 12 kilometers actually passed pretty quickly. The sun was still hot, but a nice thin cloud cover appeared and helped to protect us. We walked through 3 more small towns, and between them more rolling green crop hills. We still followed the freeway, but thankfully at a bit of a distance. I walked in silence for part of it, talked to Miel about some mutual interests for part of it, and then talked more with Dan and Margaret for the last section. We shared with each other why we're doing the Camino, our college experience, our experience with growing up Catholic, and shared some funny childhood stories. It was a great time.

Soon, we had made it to Espinosa del Camino. We checked in to our albergue at 4:00 and I immediately took a shower. Then I worked on my blog in the common area while chatting a bit with the others in the room.

Soon it was 7:00, and time for the pilgrim's dinner. Me, Sam, Margaret, Ava, and Dan all participated. We got wine, salad, seafood soup, lentil soup, chicken, pork, risotto, vegetables, and ice cream. It was quite the meal! It came out in stages and just kept on coming. I ate as much as I could and had a good time talking to everyone. We compared our countries' currencies, talked about the shows we watched as children, and compared our countries' idioms and slang. It was a fun dinner!

Then, it was 8:30 and about time to get ready for bed. I finished writing this blog post and then called Mikayla for a little bit. Finally, I prayed a rosary before bed.

There was one important thing I realized in prayer today. Miel had been talking about how the most dramatic parts of his Camino journey so far would happen when he was the most exhausted. I was thinking about this concept and the thought came to me that this is sort of a parallel to the way God sometimes works in the world. When we are the most exhausted, and therefore the least capable of performing on our own, that is often when God chooses to work in our lives. I think this shows the supreme importance of humility in our lives. God wants to work when we can do no more. When we're reaching our limit and can no longer attribute any more progress to ourselves, God helps us out, so that it is clear that it is Him, not us, who is truly in control. But if we apply this principle to the rest of life, and go about our lives with as much humility as possible, always recognizing that God is the one working through us and that we do nothing through our own power, I think that we will see miracles. Humility is the throne of all other virtues, the prerequisite, the blank canvas that God uses to paint on. I hope to be able to grow in humility through my Camino, so that God can work through me to touch the lives around me.