"Be still ..."

We've just finished our first stage, Oviedo to Paladin. We spent a day in Oviedo collecting our Pilgrim Credenciales from the cathedral and then went up to the hill above the town to see the two pre-romanesque churches, Santa Maria de Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, which date back to the 9th century. The simplicity and light in the pre-romanesque churches moves me much more than the Gothic grandeur of the cathedral.

This morning we woke early and set out....navigating out of Oviedo by following the shells embedded in the pavement. Once out of the urban sprawl, the walking was largely through flower-filled meadows and orchards. We picnicked next to streams where the children were delighted to find a salamander and we got stamps for our credenciales at a small chapel on the way.

It has been hard and tiring, but gloriously beautiful. 

As promised, this blog would include the words that come to me as I walk. I have fought against these words as they seemed contrary to the whole business of pilgrimage which is surely quintessentially about moving, but these are the words that have been dominant so here they are....

As I entered the pre-romanesque Santa Maria de Naranco church in Oviedo, I was immediately reminded of a hymn I grew up singing....

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around...

This song has been echoing through my mind as I have walked today. Ironically, when the goal has been to keep walking and not give up, I am humming along with " Be still...." . On reflection, I think these words are for the naysayers in my head which jostle for space with " this is too hard, this hurts, I was stupid to even think of spending my summer walking...". 

If only they could "be still".

It has been a beautiful day.  

Leaving Oviedo at 630am.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"If you don't try - You'll just be useless!"

Image
Several people have asked that we provide updates on our adventures this summer.  I have not done this before and am somewhat sceptical of my blogging capacities - but here goes...  I love words and they often come to me from my hazy memories of English Literature studies or from songs or from angsty teenage moments searching for wisdom in musty books of famous quotes on my grandmother's bed on our farm in Zimbabwe.  So many people have said so many good things. So I thought that this walk of ours should rely on the words of others ...and where better to start than the wisdom of my daughter (who was 5 at the time).  Two years ago, I was sharing a hut with Sophie on the banks of Kariba in Zimbabwe and she spotted a baby gecko high up in the thatch and demanded that I catch it.  I told her that I wasn't a specialist at gecko capture and she promptly replied, "Mum you should at least try - If you don't try you'll just be useless!" This has become a bit of a mantr...
Read more

"Heaven in a wildflower..."

Image
In the past few days, we have joined the Camino Frances in Melide and are now staying in a small pension 10 km from  Santiago de Compostela. We have planned for a short walk tomorrow so that we don't  arrive in Santiago too exhausted!  Despite reading about the change in atmosphere when one gets within 100km of Santiago, I don't think any of us were prepared for the mental adjustment required. From weeks of walking in nature in relative solitude, the sudden crowds of pilgrims on the last stages are quite overwhelming. Many people do the last 100km as this is the minimum distance required to get the official Compostela. It is definitely easy to feel judgemental and superior when one sees big tour groups and people shipping their giant suitcases between albergues and lots of shiny, little- used technical clothing! However, there is also a  degree of excitement as everyone gets closer to Santiago and the mood is quite infectious. The path has become much eas...
Read more

" Not all who wander are lost..."

Image
Yesterday we had to choose between two routes: the main one through the valleys or the Hospitales route which follows the ancient Roman road over the mountain pass with no services, villages or water source for 24km. Anyone who knows my husband, knows we were always going to choose the path which goes up the mountains! In the past few days, many pilgrims have been some what incredulous at our children doing the Primitivo at all, and many expressed doubts about the choice to go over the mountains with them. But we know our children love mountains and nature and so took them anyway. The route was astonishingly beautiful but also quite hard. It has a timeless atmospheric feel as you follow the Roman road over the mountains and see the ruins of the old pilgrim hospitals that date back to the middle ages. The children loved it and declared it the best day yet. They found a horse skull, played hide and seek in wind wit...
Read more