{"id":62225,"date":"2013-04-29T10:38:26","date_gmt":"2013-04-29T17:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/god-and-men\/"},"modified":"2014-03-27T22:42:09","modified_gmt":"2014-03-28T05:42:09","slug":"god-and-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/god-and-men\/","title":{"rendered":"God and Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve made excellent progress the past two days through the undulating farm and forest lands of Galicia. We’ve certainly had our share of weird weather en route, from sudden hailstorms to today’s gale-force winds, but overall it’s been sunny and cool.<\/p>\n

In my experience so far, there are three basic kinds of people walking the Camino: pilgrims, tourists, and hikers.<\/p>\n

Most people, of course, have all three tendencies at some point or another, but they tend to revert to type eventually. One hopes that all will become pilgrims in the end.<\/p>\n

Early on in the Camino, pilgrims predominate, with hikers probably coming in second. Since Sarria, however, we’ve been overwhelmed by all three in (as far as I can tell) roughly equal numbers. It’s kind of a shock to the system.<\/p>\n

I should explain about Sarria. <\/p>\n

The Cathedral in Santiago only issues a Compostela <\/em>certificate to those who have walked at least 100 km. Sarria is the town closest to the 100 km milestone, so the vast majority of those walking the Camino start there.<\/p>\n

On an average day, you might see 40 to 50 pilgrims, more in the cities. In the last two days since Sarria, we’ve regularly seen groups <\/em>of 40 pilgrims. For the first time, it’s crowded here. The albergues are full.<\/p>\n

We’ve seen German walking clubs, Scottish tour groups, and American day-hikers. The entire tenor and tone of the Camino has changed.<\/p>\n

They’re all fresh-faced and eager, with not a smudge on their new day packs and no mud on their shoes. They’re boisterous and they walk fast, carrying their poles rather than using them.<\/p>\n

Some of the Germans even have pressed pants.<\/p>\n

As I said, quite a shock to the system.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, my body broken by Navarre and Rioja and my mind broken by the Meseta, I am exquisitely conscious of my soul being built up in Galicia.<\/p>\n

For one thing, churches are open. For some reason, in Castille y Le\u00f3n, it was impossible to find an open church. Here, it’s very different.<\/p>\n

For another thing, I’m seeing representations of the Blessed Sacrament everywhere – it’s depicted on the coat of arms of Galicia. Every place sign, every government or tourist office, every trash can<\/em>, has it.<\/p>\n

At first, it was difficult not to resent the people I’m meeting now, but this morning I realized it’s the parable of workers in the vineyard<\/a>, and my attitude turned around immediately.<\/p>\n

\"20130429-193934.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"20130429-194014.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"20130429-194036.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"20130429-194059.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve made excellent progress the past two days through the undulating farm and forest lands of Galicia. We’ve certainly had our share of weird weather en route, from sudden hailstorms to today’s gale-force winds, but overall it’s been sunny and cool. In my experience so far, there are three basic kinds of people walking the Camino: pilgrims, tourists, and hikers. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-gbD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":84012,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-catholic-galicia\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":0},"title":"One Year Ago: Catholic Galicia","author":"Thom","date":"29 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Palas de Rei 29 April 2013 We\u2019ve made excellent progress the past two days through the undulating farm and forest lands of Galicia. We\u2019ve certainly had our share of weird weather here, from sudden hailstorms to today\u2019s gale-force winds, but overall it\u2019s been sunny and cool. Galicia\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The 12th century Iglesia de San Nicolas in Portomar\u00edn at Dawn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/11679506793_a1e4e245bb_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/11679506793_a1e4e245bb_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/11679506793_a1e4e245bb_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/11679506793_a1e4e245bb_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":84010,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-finding-our-groove\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":1},"title":"One Year Ago: Finding our Groove","author":"Thom","date":"28 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Portomar\u00edn 28 April So many pilgrims now. That sentence was, in fact, my entire journal entry for today. Starting in Sarria, the number of pilgrims on the Way increases by tenfold. I saw more pilgrims today than I probably had on the entirety of the Camino so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Starting out in Sarria.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14041275052_3467eea9cf_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14041275052_3467eea9cf_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14041275052_3467eea9cf_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14041275052_3467eea9cf_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90134,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/a-walk-in-the-woods\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":2},"title":"A Walk in the Woods","author":"Thom","date":"07 October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We left the village of Samos as the clocks were striking 8 AM. First, the monastery bells, then a moment later the clocktower at the town hall, and finally a distant church. Most of the day\u2019s walk was through a tapestry of forest and farmland. It was absolutely lovely. Magical.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/img_7832-e1539634404805-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/img_7832-e1539634404805-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/img_7832-e1539634404805-768x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/img_7832-e1539634404805-768x1024.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":84007,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-and-rest\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":3},"title":"One Year Ago: \u2026And Rest","author":"Thom","date":"27 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Sarria 27 April Some highway walking, followed by a beautiful walk in the forests of Galicia. Lots of rain. Francine, having had very little sleep due to a drunken Englishman snoring and occasionally shouting in his sleep,\u2026Read more \u2192(Originally posted to Pilgrims on the Way.)","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14048432323_24916f9a2e_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14048432323_24916f9a2e_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14048432323_24916f9a2e_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/14048432323_24916f9a2e_b.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90212,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/consolations-and-graces\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":4},"title":"Consolations and Graces","author":"Thom","date":"14 November 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s one month since we arrived in Santiago de Compostela as pilgrims for the third time. Every pilgrimage is different. You\u2019re a different person with different concerns and worries and joys each time. And the Lord gives you different graces and consolations each time. It normally takes me a month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-10-06-12.18.29-HDR.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-10-06-12.18.29-HDR.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-10-06-12.18.29-HDR.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-10-06-12.18.29-HDR.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-10-06-12.18.29-HDR.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104416,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/update-on-our-camino-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":62225,"position":5},"title":"Update on our Camino Plans","author":"Thom","date":"11 February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, it seems opportune to post an update on our Camino plans, or lack thereof. Back in 2018, we started making plans for a 2020 Camino. The basic idea is that I would start in Saint-Jean, and Francine would rent an apartment in Burgos\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2462-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2462-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2462-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2462-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2462-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62225"}],"version-history":[{"count":2056,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83194,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62225\/revisions\/83194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}