Los Arcos to Logroño (27.6km)

Today was hard for a few reasons. First, this was the longest day of walking yet by a few kilometers. But more importantly, we had to say goodbye to Sean. More on that later.

I woke up having slept pretty well. The three of us had decided to wake up a little earlier than usual, at 6:30, to get a head start on the long day. When my alarm went off, I got up, got my clothes and bathroom bag, and headed outside to the bathrooms. I got ready for the day and then had a breakfast of salami, an orange, and a Clif bar in the common room. Around 7:30, the three of us were ready to head out.

We left the albergue just as the sky was lighting up. That's my absolute favorite time to walk. It's so beautiful and peaceful to watch the world wake up. We started along the path leading out of town and into farmland roads. More grassy hills stretched out on either side of us, with a town in the distance. It was the perfect setting for prayer.

As usual, Margaret, Sean, and I spread out gradually and had time alone in the morning. I had beautiful prayer time. The beauty of the morning made me think about God creating the world, so I meditated on the creation story for a while and how God and Adam would have interacted. Then I started reflecting on the idea of being a father in the future. I thought about the importance of the role a father plays, and also how important and fulfilling being a father is in a man's life. I think that it is the true role of every man, and that to shy away from fatherhood is to shy away from becoming the man you're meant to be. And any man could and should be a father; a husband is a father to his children. A priest is a spiritual father to his church congregation. Even a monk in a monastery can be a spiritual father to those around him, or through intercessory prayer. Reflecting on this gave me excitement for becoming a father in the future. I can't wait to see how God will bless my future family!

We walked spread apart for quite a while, so I got a lot of prayer time, at least 2 hours. That's always a good start to the day. I passed a small town and then finally caught up with Margaret and Sean at the next small town right across on another hill. We had planned on finding a small cafe to get a coffee or some snacks, but none were open in this town. So we just decided to keep moving. The next town wasn't for another 10km, so we ate whatever snacks we had left.

The landscape around us was very beautiful. At the beginning of the day, we walked through large grass fields. Later on, after passing the two towns on opposing hills, we walked through little valleys created by hills. There were lots of trees with little white and pink flowers, along with more olive tree farms and an increasing number of vineyards. We walked in silence for a bit longer, and Sean pushed on ahead. Margaret and I eventually started talking about whatever random topics came up, like our favorite holidays, funny childhood holiday stories, and how we were doing being away from friends and family.

At a certain point, we took a wrong turn and started walking back East, so we turned back and found the main path again. Thankfully I haf caught it before we went too far. A little while later, we came upon the next town. Sean had found us a cafe to take a break at, so we all got coffee and some finger food. It was very nice to take a break, as we had just walked 18 kilometers. We all remarked on how we'd only known each other for a week now, which seems crazy. It's weird how time works on the Camino; a week seems like an eternity and a flash all at once. On one hand, it feels like I've been away from home forever. On the other, I realize that I've only been away for a little over a week, and one week normally flies by at home.

After our cafe break and a quick stop at the nearby grocery store, we continued on our way again. We felt good, and only had 10 more kilometers to go. The three of us talked the rest of the way, and we reminisced about the last week. For Sean, this is the end of the road for now, but it's really only beginning for me and Margaret. I asked Sean what his key takeaways were and how he'd describe the Camino if someone asked him about it. Then he asked me the same question, and Margaret answered as well. It was nice to hear their thoughts on our experience so far, and to have it all synthesized. I kept on remarking how weird it would be to walk without Sean, since we've all been together since day 1. I really will miss him. We click really well and he's a super fun guy, very easy to get along with.

During the rest of our walk, we talked about what we typically talked about. We compared cultures and traded slang words, talked about the differences in Michigan vs California vs Ireland, and just asked random questions and had a good time. I enjoyed every moment we had with him for our last few hours before he left.

As it always does when deep in conversation, time flew and the last 10 kilometers became a blur. We were soon at Logroño, a very sizeable city along the Camino. We checked into our albergue for the day, which has a group of older men running it. It seemed like they all just hung out together and enjoyed each other's company while running the front desk, and they were always very helpful. The three of us paid and got our pilgrim's passport stamped, then chose our beds upstairs. Sean and I took a shower, and then we were ready to hit the town and get some lunch.

It's Margaret's birthday today, and she really likes pasta, so she chose an Italian restaurant in the town center. The three of us sat inside and enjoyed our final meal as a group. It was somewhat sad but still fun. The pasta was good and the friendship was better. We shared favorite memories and Sean shared his plan to continue the Camino on future school breaks. He's a high school teacher in Ireland, and he had a break this week, which is why he was out here. His current plan is to do a week here and there during school breaks and always pick up where he left off.

After dinner, we headed back to our albergue. We had one last tradition to complete; we each got a vending machine coffee, and I cut up a sponge cake that I had bought earlier at the grocery store. We shared the cake and dipped it into our coffee. It was a great way to end our time as the tres amigos!

Then, finally, it was time to say goodbye. It's a blessing that I got to spend as much time with Sean as I did; he was originally going to return home yesterday. Still, it was sad. With promises to call if we ever visited each other's hometown, we shook hands and he left. Hopefully we will see each other again one day!

After Sean left, I lay in bed reflecting on the trip so far. I said some prayers, and then called Mikayla and talked to her for a bit. That was nice, as always, and it helped to cheer me up. After talking for a bit, I headed to the cathedral for Mass. Margaret joined me. It took some Spanish skills to figure out which room had Mass, but I eventually found it. I prayed part of a rosary, then Mass began. It was beautiful, and so was the Cathedral. It was nice to have more time for prayer and reflection as well.

After Mass, we returned to the albergue. I got ready for bed and wrote this blog post. Then I finished my rosary.

By this point, I'm really missing Mikayla. I wish she could be here with me. It's so weird being without her, and it's only been a week. I typically spend every day with her, so it's been hard. But while praying my rosary, I started to think more long term. In the grand scheme of things, these 5 weeks will have only been a blip in time, but the benefits will be lasting. Even just spending time away from each other makes my heart fonder for her, and grows my love for her. I think any other experience in our relationship grows our love as well, but I feel that this challenge is of particular importance. New experiences grow our love in new ways, and being able to spend time apart will make the time together leading up to our wedding that much more sweet. I can't wait to be able to come back to her with a heart full of the love that God has poured into me on this journey. And it's only been a week! How much more God, as my loving Father, wants to give to me. Just as a human father wants to give his child the world, so does God. But there's one key difference: the world is God's to give! Yet again I find myself praying for a heart open enough to accept God's gifts, in whatever shape or form He deems is fit to give them.

With these comforting thoughts and my heart set on a bright future rather than the sorrows of the moment, I finished my rosary and went to bed. Tomorrow is yet again the longest day so far, at 29km. I pray that God will give me one final gift this day: good sleep!