Camino Post #6 - Grapes, Healing Waters, and More Cowbell

 

This afternoon as I write this I am sitting on the terrace of our stay tonight which has the Camino route right below as the Cathedral tower peaks just above the layered red rooftops. The Cobblestone streets are a flow of people as a mix of languages rise up to meet us. Over and over again this experience has felt like a dream and this may be my favorite place I write from. 

This morning met us with rain so we slept in and lingered over breakfast. As much as I love croissants, it was a treat to eat an egg instead. We were fueled on protein instead of sugar, carbs, and espresso for once. 

The rain here is odd. It reminds me of warm snow flurries. You have to squint to see it in the sky but within minutes it begins to gather in layers as drips form and run. As much as I’d pick the sunshine over rain, it is beautiful and peaceful in its own way and less uncomfortable than walking in the heat. 

Today’s walk included vineyard upon vineyard, cornfields, a few small towns, and a cow with a bell around its neck to which my husband had to make jokes about “more cowbell” for the next few miles. The vineyards are heavy with grapes right now and the vines are plush.  John 15:5 was on repeat in our souls today…. “I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit, apart from me he can do nothing.” Our walk today was a reflection on the depth of that common truth. 

We ended in Caldas de Reis, a quaint town known for it’s healing hot springs. We took off our packs and sat near one of the fountains watching as people stopped to put their hands in. The moment was sacred wether or not the waters themselves actually are. As an Evangelical Christian in America, I confess I have a tendency to roll my eyes and wrinkle up my brow at the thought those waters actually heal. As we sat there watching and processing we were reminded that we quickly put God in a box. God can use anything to heal. God can come near in anyway He likes. His power and majesty is not limited to what I think it should be or how I think it should work. It’s Jesus who heals, not the literal water, but if He wants to use the water He can. 

We dipped our hands in the water, asking God for some healings of our own, confessing our tendency to make Him small in the way we believe He can work. Our view of Jesus was enlarged today on the Camino. 

Buen Camino,

Nicki & Paul 

A Camino tradition is to bring a rock from home and leave it on the trail. We left 2, one from our new house and Ava painted one for us, and left them about halfway through.

The cow that inspired “more cowbell” quotes for miles.

We have been enjoying collecting stamps along the route.