Just when I think my body has adapted to all this walking, I have a day like today where my back ached and I was dead tired by the time we reached our destination of Rabanal. I don't understand why today was so hard. The mileage was a little less than yesterday (@ 13 miles), the temperature was about the same (low 80's), and the majority of our walk was in the sun, as it was yesterday. The only difference was that we climbed a little higher than yesterday (@ 1300 feet), but nothing unusual. Whatever the reason, I was more than ready to be done by the time we reached our hotel in Rabanal.
The town of Rabanal sits part way up Monte Irago and, although quite small (@ 50), continues a centuries old tradition of caring for pilgrims before they hike the steep path up and over the mountain. One way of attending to pilgrims is via prayer and monks at the parish church of Santa Maria invited pilgrims to attend Vespers tonight, which they sang as a Gregorian chant. The church is quite small and unadorned, a simple medieval church from almost a thousand years ago. As the monks sang, I could picture a simpler pilgrim listening to the same Latin chants in the same church so many years ago. I hope it fortified them as much as I felt it fortified me for the climb over Monte Irago tomorrow. It was a beautiful service and I'm so glad we were able to attend.
We are now only 10 stages, 10 days and 149 miles from Santiago. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we will you in ours. Vaya con Dios.
Buen Camino
An exterior view of Astorga's cathedral as we left town this morning
Becky and I walked this section of road in 2016
on our way to the Iron Cross
Our first lunch on the Camino in 2016 was at
the Cowboy Bar in El Ganso
Jerry and a falcon named Julie
The Way of the Crosses
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