Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Way Home

Jorge has arranged to meet me at the bus station when I get to Sevilla. I will spend the night at his sister's house.  Being Semana Santa, Sevilla is impossibly crowded.

Then tomorrow he will get me to the airport and I will be headed home.

Leaving Fuente De Cantos
In the bus station of the last town to which I hiked, I walked outside in the morning sunlight.
I looked out to the horizon and realized how truly much that I had challenged myself on the El Camino Via De La Plata.

On the Bus
I saw three peregrinos walking along the El Camino, headed north, just like I had done days earlier. They were headed uphill ... a feeling with which I could now totally empathize.
Only by traveling back in the bus, could I realize just how many mountains, hills and uphill climbs I had completed, and how incessant they were along the trail.
I remembered that the trail went along roads in some places, and now I was able to see parts of the El Camino from the bus.

Back in Sevilla
With some time to kill before Jorge picked me up, I took another walk around Triana and Seville. I made it to the La Catedral and found my start point nine days earlier. I spent a few minutes just thinking about all that had happened and all that I accomplished.

Dinner at Berta's
My thanks to Berta, Sara and David for opening their home to me. I had a warm and heart-felt evening the night before my flight back to Rochester.
David gave me a tour of their hometown. We visited the church to see the "paso" (float) for the upcoming Holy Week parade.
Berta made an outstanding typical Spanish meal: sopa, tortilla, fried calamari and other courses. Topped off with Cruz Campo, it was fantastic.  And in typical Spanish fashion, we ate sumptuously around 10:00 pm.
The night was filled with warm conversation all around, and as always when in Spain, it is the night that matters, not the next morning. LOL, I made it to bed around midnight.

Jorge picked me up at 4:45 a.m. and off to the airport we went.

My sister(-in-law) shared some wonderful words of wisdom to consider at the end of this journey.
" ... nothing is wasted in God's economy.... and this is Lent... may your pains make you more compassionate, the slowness of the journey make you more patient with yourself and others, the obstacles keep your heart, mind and eyes open to whatever you must learn. Mash Allah ... " All things considered, I say that I had a good journey.

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