Start: Villapedre
End: La Caridad
Distance: 12.58 miles (20.25 kilometers) and 1,114 feet (339.5 meters) of ascent.
Quote: “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” ~ Victor Borge
Musings: The weather today was mostly cloudy and cool, with just a few sun sightings. Great walking weather. We were in the countryside all day. Tomorrow, we return to the coast and stop for a rest day at Ribadeo. (Yeah!). We also say goodbye to Asturias and it’s glorious coastline and enter Galacia, which is the province where Santiago de Compostela, our ultimate destination on this pilgrimage, is located. And after Ribadeo, we will say goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean all together and head inland on our final stretch to the cathedral in Santiago.
I have one story for today, and it comes from Carol. We walked in the morning with our now old Camino friends from New York, Helen and Tony. For much of the morning, Helen and I walked together some distance behind Tony and Carol. At one point, Carol was concerned that she and Tony had gotten too far ahead. She asked Tony if they should wait. Tony told Carol not to worry, just to listen. Carol paused and listened and told me she could hear us laughing together in the distance so she knew we were fine and not too far behind. There are lots of lessons here from this one short story on the Camino—about caring for one another in community, pausing to listen, and the reassurance of friends’ laughter. But mostly, I think it’s about the laughter and how much we indulge in it here on the Camino. Laughter heals. Laughter creates community. Laughter breaks down barriers. Laughter puts troubles in perspective. Laughter helps us conquer our fears. And the great thing about laughter is it never needs to be in short supply. Laughter self-generates. The more people laugh—well—the more people laugh. So go to a comedy show. Tell a funny story. Let loose a good guffaw at the next dad joke you hear. But let’s all try to keep the giggles going—both on and off the Camino.
Until tomorrow, here are the photos from today:
This sweet creature came running to the fence when I walked by and definitely asked me to take a photo!
This is Ayya. She’s a wondering Buddhist nun, who is walking the Camino. We’ve been leap-frogging each other on the Way for a few days now and walked together for a short while this morning. She starts very early and walks until late at night. She’s mostly camping either with the permission of private property owners or in church courtyards. Photo credit goes to Helen!
Crossing the railroad tracks . . . .
Including this picture to show the hedge on the left side of the trail. It runs at least 1/4 mile and is composed entirely of hydrangea plants. Can you imagine hydrangeas growing so well that you could turn them into a 1/4 mile long hedge? Must be a Camino miracle!
I have no idea what this flower is but it’s stunning. If someone knows, please tell me!
Short update! Our Camino kid, Sarah, made it to Santiago today and sent us this picture! So proud of and happy for her!!
Laughter is the best medicine!
If there’s one thing I miss in retirement, it’s all the laughter I had with kids most days. Definitely a common language for all ages! Grownups could use a daily dose of giggles. Takes your mind off any aches, internal or external 😎