#35-Walking the Camino-May 26, 2016

33rd day of walking

de Salceda a Amenal, taxi to Lavacolla

Book 7 miles 

Map My Walk 9 miles, 3 hours

Fitbit-32,644 steps, 9.33 miles

You have to have a bit of history to understand this one. On May 8th (ahhh, check calendar --that was about 19 days ago) we stayed at a municipal albergue. It was quite crowded and we were rain wet. There were two tall Germans near me-yes crowded. When I went to put my bag in the stuff sack I couldn't find the little bag!!!  I was very sad. I have been sad for nineteen days. I had to use a gallon ziplock plastic for packing the sleeping bag. That is not backpacking cool. So today, we're packing up, and on the floor underneath one corner of the bed. was---the stuff sack!  As Ryan would say, a tender mercy on the Camino. So I am thankful that my stuff sack found its way back to me. 

Good deed-I'm giving up on this. 

Getting closer to Santiago. And .... A new motif 

Random pictures today - no silage or flower themes

A mini decorative Horreo suitable for mailbox adornment. 

You can see yellow corn in this one

Sun to our back. We couldn't help it. 

Yellow daisys

Flowering Palm. Maybe different from another one previously posted

This was fun. We were entering a little town and there was a little "Welcome Wagon" like rest area for pilgrims.  There was a motion sensor that started a recording (you have to hum the music) "somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me, somebody stands on golden sands" and so forth".  We felt very welcomed!!

I would like this water feature

Our hotel for the evening was further than we wanted to walk so we took a taxi for 

About five miles to Lavacolla. The Latin word for Lavamentula means "wash private parts". Don't get squimish-this is history. Medieval pilgrims seldom if ever bathed along the journey, and ridiculed Muslim and Jewish enthusiasm for personal hygiene.  Apparently they took advantage of the small stream in town to cleanse themselves.  In the afternoon while Dad had his toes elevated, I walked down to the stream. It did look refreshing.  I heard a lot of laughing coming from behind bushes and thought, "Do you suppose there is some skinny dipping going on?"  No - didn't look.  Yes I did - just people sitting by the water. 

This is our hotel. It's always a bit confusing to be waking forever on the Camino in the woods (granted not wilderness in any shape or form) and suddenly come out into the present modern world and check into a comfy place. 

Two rooms/a bedroom and a sitting room with tv

View from our window. We're really close to the airport and this is long term parking. 

While the Camino de Santiago reached its zenith in the Middle Ages, in the 16th century the pilgrimage road was rapidly declining into obscurity. This may have been sparked in part by the Protestant Reformation, with its emphasis on salvation by grace alone and skepticism of indulgences, penance, and relics. Several wars in Spain may also have been driving a wedge between Spain and the rest of Europe. 

The Camino remained in obscurity for over 300 years, with pilgrim hospitals crumbling or being repurposed. In the 1980's,a parish priest and an accomplished scholar, Don Elias Valina Sampedro, began to bring the Camino back to life. He published the first modern guidebook in 1982.  In 1985 Don Elias was officially commissioned with developing the modern route. The first albergues were created. He and his students painted the earliest yellow arrows to help all of us Mormon pilgrims hold on to the Iron Rod.  In 1993 the Camino was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.