We "have to" walk to San Martin

It is a relief to get out of the big city and back to the small Camino towns.  It seemed like we walked forever before leaving Leon as the city has stretched into neighboring towns as suburbs.   Crossing the bridge out of Leon,  the rule thd bigger the river, the bigger the city held true.

Once again,  we were plagued with slow packing and multiple early morning stops for coffee, then food,  then drinks.  Believe me,  all were necessary to keep us going, especially Marion who needs snacks or coffee to give her a little boost of energy.   By mid morning,  we hit our stride and were knocking out miles at a decent pace, ending the day by 12:30 after 16 miles.

On deck for tomorrow is 15 miles into Astorga,  the chocolate capital of Spain.  For some reason, our guidebook recommended stopping in a town after 13 miles followed by 18 the following day to get to Astorga.   It makes no sense to split the days and is just one of the many frustrations I have with the guidebook.   Although the layest edition,  it is terribly out of date with many new albergues and cafes opening recently.   On the positive side, the guidebook author does add thoughtful insight that helped me today.

One of his questions that he poses to the reader is if this is just a long walk or a pilgrimage.   The answer is a long walk to many, but to us, it is a pilgramage.  With severe pain in my right ankle from tendinitis,  I would simply rest a day to recover, but the pilgrimage aspect keeps me going.  I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to walk at all today.  Those were some of my first words to my wife, Gisela,  this morning.   Her response was a simple,  we have to walk.

This reminds me of a homily our priest once gave as why we attend mass, bevause we have, because we have to or because we have to.  The first "have to" is because a parent makes a child go to church.   The second "have to" is because it is a sin not to go to mass...a comandment to keep the Sabbath holy.  The final "have to" is because our soul seeks the nourishment that mass provides.   We all need to discern which "have to" drives us to church and for me it is the final one.

Walking the Camino is the same.  We met a brother who "had to" walk the Camino with his sister as an escort.  Many are on a long walk through Spain.  But many simply have to complete the pilgrimage.   We "have to" walk.