Olive Trees and Lavender

21 April 2013

Francine´s second day, and the Benedictine connection continues.

We were misinformed about the local Mass schedule, and it briefly appeared that we would have to wait until 10am for a Mass, meaning we wouldn´t be on the road until 11 or later.

Fortunately, we were told that there was an evening Mass (7pm) at our intended destination, so off we went.

It was a rough day, and we reached El Ganso – our intended lunch target – only at 2pm. We started with a broad, easy path between a blacktop road on the left and a horsepath on the right. Eventually, everything sort of merged, and we were walking beside the highway.

This is, for me, the most tiring sort of walking. Asphalt just doesn´t do it for me.

The views, though, were spectacular. The mountains got larger and larger as we approached them.

Francine had the same sorts of pains, adjustments, and random stops that I suffered through on my first days. I did my best to help her and encourage her.

As we gained altitude, it was easier to get out of breath, so we had to adjust our pace accordingly.

We arrived in Rabanal about 4pm, expecting to find a 7pm Mass, only to discover that this was not the case.

At 7pm it was chanted vespers with the local Benedictine monks. Francine volunteered me to read, so I sat in the choir with the monks and two other laymen. Each of the three of us read the short reading in our native language: German, Spanish, English.

Afterwards, we had dinner with Smith and Terra, and a geeky Irishman named Mark.

Then Compline, then bed.