At this point, we have walked about 300 miles. Some days I couldn't tell you what town we were in the night before. It all runs together. But I can tell you that two nights ago we were in Leon. A big city with a massive and impressive cathedral. We spent two nights there and took our first real rest day. We spoiled ourselves a bit and stayed in a hotel. What luxury we had with long hot showers and towels. Towels!  And to sleep in and not have to pack up and find another place to sleep for the night. I fell asleep those two nights with a beautiful view of one of the towers lit up at night.

Despite being there for nearly 48 hours, the 5 of us split among 3 rooms, not bound to make our decisions together, we found ourselves mostly together, eating meals together and hanging out in one of our rooms. It is so strange to me, someone who needs an almost exorbitant amount of alone time, that when time for that finally came, I wanted to know what everyone else was doing. I preferred the company of the camino family. I would gladly give up my alone time to be with them.

Colleen and Linda

The community aspect of the camino is what hits me most profoundly. Apart from the four I have been walking with from the start, there are many others that you may bump into from time to time that you have already met. We may walk with someone a day or two, lose them, and see them a week later. But someone that you have only met once before suddenly becomes an old friend the next time you see them. And you greet as old friends, so excited with huge smiles.

Recognizing that we who do the camino all do come from a certain amount of privilege, the nature of the walk allows for a certain amount of instant depth with others. We are all on a journey, have pain of some kind, sharing sleeping quarters and showers. You don't know who are the doctors or lawyers or shopkeepers or people who have quit their jobs. There is no need to be defined by where you rank in the real world and so walls between us are not erected. This openness allows for such special depth to happen among people.

Jousting bridge in Hospital

And I have been humbled by the generosity and support I have felt by this community. Whatever you need, it will find a way to you. I have felt extremely cared for and loved by people I have known for less than a month. I am trying to figure out how to bring these community aspects home. How to enact them at home and create spaces of openness that allow others to engage in this way as well.

One exciting piece of news is that I was able to change my flight back to the US. I now do not have to rush to Santiago and can finish 3 days past Santiago in Finisterre. I didn't feel ending at the foot of a gilded church would be sufficient for me. It wouldn't feel finished. But walking to the waves crashing on rocks, to a place that literally means "the end of the world," where the others I have walked with from day 1 will finish, that will be a sufficient end.

How they fix blisters in Mansilla :-)

So after 300 miles I continue on. They say there are 3 stages of struggle: physical, then mental, then spiritual. I am definitely on the mental part. After 4 or 5 days of straight and long roads, sometimes not reaching a village until after 10 miles, it becomes a little weary. Walking isn't always pleasant. It is a mental struggle to remind myself that I want to do this. Because sometimes it just feels crazy. But tomorrow the land gets hilly again, and hopefully we are not too bombarded by wind and rain. The camino holds much magic, and there are miles to go. Tomorrow's magic: a chocolate museum :-)