Journey to the End of the World

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Third, don't go unless you enjoy good health and a strong constitution. And be accustomed to accepting what fortune brings, good or bad, because if you aren't, "you'll surely die on the way." Fourth, you need strong legs, and do not be overly meticulous about what you eat.Fifth, never walk at night, nor with someone whose character you doubt.

Where you find shelter, never be the life of the party or take out coins in front of others; never mention the route you will take the next day.

Albani sewed his money inside his trousers and put them under the mattress on which he slept. One morning he awoke to find his pants, together with one "pilgrim," were missing.Sixth, those especially who wear pilgrim dress and hope to receive blessings in holy shrines must walk with the fear of God. Further, be enterprising, astute, clever like a serpent, and intellectually alert so no one can deceive you; adapt to the customs of the place, and never speak badly of another nation. Also, you cannot be shy about asking for alms-you'll die of hunger. Lastly, you must have a strong stomach for the sufferings you'll undergo in God's service.

May 10, Estella to Los Arcos
It has been an ordinary astonishing day. My usual pattern: About 6 a.m. I shave sometimes, dress, eat breakfast, arrange the pack, and get out on the camino. Sometimes I eat fruit while I walk, but I make no stop during the day except for water. Each village has a fuente, a public fountain or spigot where one can drink excellent spring water.

I pick a destination with a refugio that I can reach in one day, about 15 miles away. When I arrive there, washing socks and other clothes is the first thing to do, so they have the longest possible time to dry before I leave. Then I usually take a shower and look for food. Searching for food in the markets fits the spirit of the camino. If the shelter has no kitchen, I eat the food cold. In a large town, I look for a bar where I can get the sensual treat for the day, a café con leche. After I write my notes, it's time for bed.

Wittgenstein writes that "nothing is more wrong-headed than calling meaning a mental activity!" Meaning is not an occult state inside my consciousness. Rather, it is the physical and social interaction between my historical self and the world around me. The beads of the Rosary suddenly have meaning for me because I really say them in community; that is, I breathe and speak every word along with the pilgrims who preceded me, along with those who share a faith with me. I walk directly into their world.

Buzzards and Kind Souls
May 17, Burgos to Granja de Sambol 

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print