Today is a Gift

We walk each day with thoughts that are generated by our conversations and our experiences. kirsten provided us with a reminder of the following yesterday and we have taken this on as our mantra for each day.
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift which is why it is called the present
We have enjoyed the beautiful city of Burgos and as soon as I can find a computer compatible for my camera attachment I will post some of the pictures that I took. The cathedral is simply breath taking and it takes quite some time to just walk through it all. It is very very old and has taken hundreds of years to actually build it and you cannot imagine the work and the effort that would have been required to do this type of construction in those days. As well, the power of the church is overwhelming when you see the opulence and richness that is contained in each church that we pass. This one is the most beautiful in Europe and you can certianly see why. Burgos is a wonderful city with so much interest and lots of wonderful sites to see in every corner. I mostly enjoy the late afternoons when everyone comes out into the squares to visit. The children are dressed in their best and the older peoploe come and sit on the benches or in the cafes together and the family environment is simply remarkable when you compare it to our own country. The older people are everywhere and included with the younger people, yet have their own place in the square for being together as well. As the bells ring and as the light fades, there is such a festive atmosphere everywhere that it is wonderful to just sit and watch.
It was a joy to leave the city this morning,. While the alberque in Burgos is beautiful and only 3 euros, newly opened this year, the crowd of more than 100 gave it a different feel from the smaller places that have been more familiar to us. Today we have walked for 31 kms and are now in Hontanas in such a beautiful place 5 euros, and will enjoy a lovely meal here this evening.´
We walked through a few small villages this morning and then arrived after walking up a hill on the renowned meseta. I have heard so much about this place which extends from Burgos to Leon over a few hundred kms and is really like the prairies. It is wonderful, rolling hills, silent except for the wind which sweeps across the fields and except for a few sheep and some shepards, there was really no one except for pilgrims walking along the dirt roads.
I have a few thoughts about wind and notice the difference in various places. the prairie wind is something, as it envelopes your entire body and blows hard enough even when gentle that your ears resound with the feel and the sound. You are washed in wind when you cross such a broad expanse of plains and there is not much to think about as you wend your way along the road. This is different from the whispering effect of wind that I felt in the vineyards and different again from the whistle of wind that I sat and enjoyed in the pine forests some days ago. You have time to ponder such things on this camino as there is a lot of time for being present to the simple things that we ordinarily would not even notice.
We passed the 300 km mark this morning and with our monumental walk of 31 kms today, we will have achieved around 325 kms total so far. I felt that we had to pick up the pace a little today since the walk was flat and so that we could meet our target of being in Santiago by Oct 1, as we have planes to catch, otherwise it would be better just to walk and to stop as you felt it appropriate.
Well, there are people reading this blog from around the world and I am getting such wonderful mesages on the postings that it is heartening to see how much interest there is in this experience of mine.
My good friends and I are about to sit down with our daily bottles of wine now so I must sign off and join them.
We fight over who pays and it is such a laugh as it is all so darn cheap.
The wonder of people just being able to be together in such an authentic and caring manner continues to be a joy in this process of walking, talking, reflecting and growing in my very soul.
Buen Camino..........Maggee