The dear Camino, no I have not been back since my trip in the spring. But once you have been a Camino pilgrim, it calls out to you. For me, it is an undercurrent, present and flowing along in my imagination and spirit. How wonderful!
And now with the first days of cold weather, the current seems to have come bubbling up to the surface. Added to this, I spent two days at a church meeting, and I got to chat Camino with a few others. One person even said I had inspired him to volunteer at a hostel. Others lament that knees and hips could no longer be relied upon for such a demanding trek. ”Volunteer at a hostel” I suggest, “Such a great alternate way to do Camino!”
The Camino comes back to me at any and many moments and I find myself on the path. Sometimes, a place that I did not realize I had remembered, but there it is, in the Camino memory bank. I love those moments, though sometimes it may be difficult memories of walking in the pouring rain, or struggling up a hill at the end of the day, or losing my way and having to backtrack. And sunshine moments taking a rest by a tumbled down stone farm building.
I have many memories of dear Canfranc Pueblo, the village where I was a volunteer. With a two weeks stay there, the memories are easy to find. I am now on a Facebook page for the community in that area and I get news of events, some chat and amazing photos of the whole area. And, bonus, I get to practice a bit of Spanish.
I have learnt of a big event in the village that I did not see during my stay. It is when the cattle and sheep are moved to their summer pastures and back in the autumn. One day during my stay I did a steep hike up the local mountain to Majada de Gabardito. I was not sure where I was going, or what was there, but there was a formal track and I had seen the name on the map. It was a destination and I was very curious to see whatever it would turn out to be. My path went through forests with the occasional view back down the valley, but then, like a movie, I came around a corner, and there before me, was a wonderful wide open valley surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks. This was the upper pasture. I was thrilled, a Heidi moment for me. (I still love the Heidi books by Johanna Spyri.)
I do not know if the sheep graze up there in the summer or only the cattle. However, this spring and again in the last month an enormous herd of hundreds of sheep were on the move through the main street of the village of Canfranc. (The village is in the narrow river Aragon valley, so it would be sheep on the highway or much safer, all round, sheep along the village street.)
My lovely Canfranc friend, Maria-José, sends me messages on WhatsApp, including great sheep-on-the-move pictures. Social Media does add to my quality of life!
The Camino, on the Way or in a hostel, lets pilgrims experience the countryside, towns and villages, in an intimate, memorable and often unexpected ways. Pilgrims are visitors, but also part of the history and have been on this landscape, in the villages and towns for a thousand years. How amazing that we can still be part of this great movement following the path of the Milky Way. El Camino de las estrellas