Day 14: Vilanova de Arousa to Padron (7.5 miles)
Walking the Camino
Less activity today, more reflection. What was to be a short brief become not that :) Read if/when you have some time and energy.
We took the ferry up the Rio Ulla to Padron this morning, thus closing the "Variente Espirituel" portion of our journey. Here we rejoined all the other pilgrims traveling north by the various Camino Portugues routes. Today was more like a rest day than a travel day, with only a few kilometers walking.
The ferry ride provided a nice opportunity to lay our packs down and spend time with new friends. The New Zealand ladies were on the boat, as was "Chicago" and his sister and her friend, a lovely couple from the UK we've chatted with the last couple of days, Tracy from South Africa, a group from Italy we've seen a lot of recently, and several others we've encountered along the way.
It felt a bit like a reunion. But with different people we've had different experiences with in different places. Some of them connected to each other, and some connected to others we hadn't met.
I pause here to recall others we encountered earlier in the way. Atlanta and her son back on Day 0, the couple from South Africa we almost joined on an inland detour, Houston and his very patient wife, Christina of the woods, sweet, spunky Natalie and her mom, Dutchie and Israel, "Baby Family' with the stroller, Mike the banker and his daughter Kelly, and others.
We enjoyed sharing the way with you.
When we got off the ferry, Jess and I found a cafe in Padron with six or so of the new lot, sharing family photos and more about our lives. Chicago (John) and I have both done disaster relief work. His sister and her husband were missionaries in Africa. So much common ground.
Wouldn't we find more of that in each other if we created more time and space to connect? That's one thing the Camino does. Different people, different backgrounds, different "why's" walking the same path. Sharing the challenge, sharing resources, and sharing stories. A Brazilian pilgrim we met said, "The Camino connects the world."
I imagine some will have just this moment of connection, while others will stay connected and perhaps even create new stories together.
Personally, this was never about making new friends, though I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people. My life and my work have connected me to many people, places, languages and cultures.In a way, this journey has felt familiar, an extension of my normal life. In other ways it has felt completely new. The pace, the long stretches of silence, the disconnection from technology, the distance at times from other people, from all the busyness and all the noise.
The simplicity.
UK guy talked about it on the ferry. "You don't really get many chances like this, to break the routine and to move at a different pace." That's the thing for me. Breaking the routine, taking a fresh look at what really matters and what doesn't. And who really matters.
It's been such a blessing to walk with Jessica. She's good company and a great travel companion. I can only think of a couple of times we crossed wires. I won't remember those. What I will remember are the many, many conversations, from silly to sound to profound. And this shared experience full of stories we'll relish for many years to come.
Jessica and I talked a few days ago about how each of us is still discovering our why. Some come with that already fixed. Remember "Forgiveness" and "Whenever there's a change needed?" Others, like us, believe the journey itself is worth taking. Beyond that, we've opened a space now. Let's see what comes in.
And what, perhaps, goes out.
I am drawn to the simplicity. Not through distancing and detachment. Just the opposite, in fact. Simplicity to create more space for more important things. I know what those are for me--faith, family, friends. Also new experiences, learning new things. And creating. What could that look like?
Perhaps I'm moving towards my why. In any case, today we explore a monastery and tomorrow we take the road to Santiago.