One Year Ago: Saint Michael the Archangel

(from my journal)

Mañeru
Easter Friday / Noon

Seven AM wake-up call and on the Road. Ali and Cliff remained in Puente la Reina. Ali is getting some help for an allergic reaction to her socks. Cliff’s blisters are getting worse, so he’s planning on resting a few days and taking a bus to Logroño.

This morning, it’s Eamon, Petra, Charlie, and I.

A landslide closed part of the Camino, so it was highway walking to here. Café con leche in Mañeru.

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Lorca
12:40

Stopping for lunch with Eamon and Petra. Charlie is pushing ahead.

Walked mostly alone and prayed from Mañeru through Cirauqui – a place called “the viper’s nest”. Lots of mud and up and down as we gradually passed from farm country to vineyards.

A bitter wind. A muddy track that was once a Roman road.

As Charlie and I climbed into Lorca after passing over a wonderful medieval bridge, I heard a familiar voice: Kristof!

He was eating a sandwich in the shadow of the village church. I told him I’d wait for him at the next bar, and here I am.

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I met Santiago on the road today. He has the same brand of backpack as I do. He’s originally from Colombia, but he now lives in New York City.

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Estella
4PM

Four of us walked up and down many hills. We met up with Santiago, and he and Kristof continued on while Eamon, Petra, and I visited the old Romanesque shell of a hermitage dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel.

The interior was cold and still, and many pilgrims over the years have left notes on the old high altar, on the newer “table” altar, in nooks and crannies, on the stone benches built into the walls. They were letters, prayers, and exhortations to pilgrims. They were in Spanish, German, English, Korean, French…

It was profoundly still, and a profoundly moving place full of the expressions of peregrino faith, hope, and love.

We spent quite a long time there before continuing on. We limped into Estella and are staying at the Albergue Parroquial San Miguel, which just seemed right.

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Early in the day today, I got water in my boots, and combined with yesterday’s walk, I feared blisters. I think I’m in the clear, but a there are a number of trouble spots I’ll keep my eye on.

We met up with Carlos at the albergue. Rumours reached us that Cliff and Ali are in town at one of the other albergues.

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Much later.

Found Charlie and Kristof and had a smash-up birthday party with drinking and singing and reciting for both Charlie and Carlos – Charlie is 70 today, and Carlos will be 30 the day after tomorrow.

There were probably twenty peregrinos there of a dozen nationalities. We carried on until just after 9PM and returned to our respective albergues with the promise to meet at San Pedro church just after 8AM tomorrow.

Speaking of which – en route to figuring out at which albergue Charlie was staying, we stopped in a beautiful church at the top of a steep stairway. The exterior was the typical Spanish Romanesque that we’d seen frequently in Navarre, but the interior was crammed full of art, everything form Romanesque style stonework to Baroque altars to primitive paintings of saints and patrons.

I lit a candle at the statue of Saint James and prayed.

Finally, a note about the three San Miguels today – we stopped at the hermitage and prayed and read, we are sleeping at the albergue, and finally we had Charlie’s birthday in a bar of that name. I feel as though Saint Michael has looked over us on our Camino today.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

All the Photos! Day 4.