Camino Frances: Day 5

Today was another opportunity for the HoCo pilgrims to experience many of God’s wondrous creations! 

This morning on the Camino started with a gradual uphill climb leaving Ventas de Narón that was especially peaceful and reflective, especially during a cool, early morning mist. 

This section of the Camino is perfect to experience both the rhythm of walking and, also, for considering the importance of our spiritual journey. It is, I think, the quieter stages of the Camino that will benefit and stay with me the longest.

Today's route passed through small settlements and towns with slate roofs, mossy stone walls, and old horreos (raised grain stores). Places like Ligonde that we encountered midday feel almost untouched by time.

Ligondeto has deep Camino roots, and like other towns, traditions that date back centuries. We marveled at and entered historic and beautiful churches, strode past cows and sheep that were feet away from the path, and heard barking dogs. 

As described in earlier posts, all Camino pilgrims greet each other with a friendly "Buen Camino!" I also enjoy it when locals smile and offer their own "Buen Camino." That happened several times today. 

The sense of layered history through centuries of the Camino remains striking. Are we walking through a quaint farming village ... or have we stepped back in time?

Some of the HoCo group took a detour this afternoon to a former monastery that was built in 1184. The monastery was later de-commissioned and became a parish church, called the Iglesia de San Salvador. It is considered one of the finest Romanesque churches connected to the Camino. 

perience and opportunity. 

The monastery/church has deep ties to the Camino pilgrimage and the Order of Santiago which protected pilgrims in the Middle Ages. And it also was used as a burial place for the knights of the Order. 

The church features an amazing number of well-preserved frescos, depicting biblical narratives and scenes of Christ, The Virgin Mary, and Archangel Gabriel, among many others. 

When we arrived at the church, the door was locked, but word quickly traveled to the nearby caretaker that a group was hoping to get in today. And, thankfully, the caretaker quickly arrived! 

A spirited gentleman in his nineties not only let us in and politely welcomed us, but explained (in Spanish) the depictions in the frescos and his own personal history at the church. Our host has held the key to the large gothic doors to the church for 55 years, following a tradition his parents started. This was truly a unique experience and opportunity. 

Once back on the Camino, the path softened into forests and shaded tracks before we reached Palas de Rei, our day four stopping point for the evening. At this stage, we join all fellow walkers in feeling both physically exhausted and, at the same time, emotionally attached in our own way to Camino life.

Between Ventas de Narón and Palas de Rei, the Camino stops feeling like a route on a map and more like a world of its own.

We anxiously await day 6!

– Erik Kirkhorn