{"id":83911,"date":"2014-04-05T09:05:34","date_gmt":"2014-04-05T16:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-saint-michael-the-archangel\/"},"modified":"2014-04-15T08:42:31","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T15:42:31","slug":"one-year-ago-saint-michael-the-archangel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-saint-michael-the-archangel\/","title":{"rendered":"One Year Ago: Saint Michael the Archangel"},"content":{"rendered":"

(from my journal)<\/p>\n

Ma\u00f1eru
\nE<\/span>aster Friday \/ Noon<\/p>\n

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 Logro\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

\"Morning<\/a><\/p>\n

Morning in Puente la Reina<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"We<\/a><\/p>\n

We happy few: Charlie, me, Ali, Cliff, Eamon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Evidence<\/a><\/p>\n

Evidence of old Anti-Clerical Vandalism in Puente la Reina<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Puente la Reina for which the town is named<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This morning, it’s Eamon, Petra, Charlie, and I.<\/p>\n

A landslide closed part of the Camino, so it was highway walking to here. Caf\u00e9 con leche in Ma\u00f1eru.<\/p>\n

\"Walking<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking to Ma\u00f1eru<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Lorca
\n12:40<\/p>\n

Stopping for lunch with Eamon and Petra. Charlie is pushing ahead.<\/p>\n

Walked mostly alone and prayed from Ma\u00f1eru 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.<\/p>\n

\"Approaching<\/a><\/p>\n

Approaching Cirauqui<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A bitter wind. A muddy track that was once a Roman road.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Old Roman Road<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As Charlie and I climbed into Lorca after passing over a wonderful medieval bridge, I heard a familiar voice: Kristof!<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n

Estella
\n4PM<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hermitage of San Miguel<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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…<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

It was profoundly still, and a profoundly moving place full of the expressions of peregrino faith, hope, and love.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n

We met up with Carlos at the albergue. Rumours reached us that Cliff and Ali are in town at one of the other albergues.<\/p>\n

\"Walking<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking the streets of Estella<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Estella\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Estella<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Much later.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

An Unexpected Party<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Charlie's<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlie’s 70th Birthday Flan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/a><\/p>\n

San Pedro: the Church on the Hill<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Santiago<\/a><\/p>\n

Santiago in Estella<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I lit a candle at the statue of Saint James and prayed.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n

Saint Michael the Archangel,
\ndefend us in battle.
\nBe our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
\nMay God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
\nand do thou,
\nO Prince of the heavenly hosts,
\nby the power of God,
\nthrust into hell Satan,
\nand all the evil spirits,
\nwho prowl about the world
\nseeking the ruin of souls.
\nAmen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All the Photos! Day 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(from my journal) Ma\u00f1eru 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 Logro\u00f1o. Morning in Puente la Reina […]<\/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-83911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-lPp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":87137,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/we-are-mighty-and-god-is-good\/","url_meta":{"origin":83911,"position":0},"title":"We are Mighty, and God is Good","author":"Thom","date":"03 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Today we took another short day with Emilio and Katie, from Zariquigui to Puente la Reina, only 13 km. We tackled Alto de Perd\u00f3n first thing, and it was much easier than I remember. Of course, back in 2013 it was raining and the path was more of a river\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83909,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-long-climb\/","url_meta":{"origin":83911,"position":1},"title":"One Year Ago: the Long Climb","author":"Thom","date":"04 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Puente La Reina Easter Thursday \/ 7pm Arrived exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally. 9pm Showered. Clothes washed. In a bar looking forward to food and wine. I\u2019m utterly wiped out. My feet are numb and my shoulders ache. This is the day my pilgrimage actually began. Fortified and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fortified and Ready to Start Walking!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8728147999_23c74025fe_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8728147999_23c74025fe_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8728147999_23c74025fe_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8728147999_23c74025fe_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87140,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/mud-mud-and-more-mud\/","url_meta":{"origin":83911,"position":2},"title":"Mud, Mud, and More Mud","author":"Thom","date":"04 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A day of rain and mud. We left Puente la Reina about 8 am, and it was raining by 9.\u00a0\u00a0 We walked with Emilio and Katy. Second breakfast in Ma\u00f1eru, and lunch in Lorca. Sadly, most of the churches we passed today were locked up. Between Ma\u00f1eru and Ciraqui we\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\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/img_7571.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83970,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-a-bus-a-bridge-and-lavender-fields\/","url_meta":{"origin":83911,"position":3},"title":"One Year Ago: a Bus, a Bridge, and Lavender Fields","author":"Thom","date":"20 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Astorga 20 April Breakfasted in the Benedictine hotel with Francine. We walked to the bus station \u2013 maybe 1.5 km \u2013 and caught the 9:30 bus to Hospital de \u00d3rbigo. Walked across town to Puente de \u00d3rbigo and walked across (and back across) the astonishing medieval bridge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Benedict, Pray for Us!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9036259521_e22c7a6bb0_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9036259521_e22c7a6bb0_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9036259521_e22c7a6bb0_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9036259521_e22c7a6bb0_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56884,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-heights-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":83911,"position":4},"title":"The Heights","author":"Thom","date":"05 April 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We continue to be confounded by technological problems. 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The Meseta \u2013 at least what we\u2019ve seen of it so far \u2013 has not, however, lived up to its reputation for \u201cflat\u201d. We had two trying climbs today, one before lunch, one after. 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