Today I’m feeling so much gratitude!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your thoughtful “Happy Birthday” messages! ♥️ It was definitely a birthday to remember — the last one in my seventies. Hard to believe!

Thank you also for your suggestions on how we can make Dave’s Camino happen, despite the looming Air Canada strike. The uncertainty of whether he’d get here was like a huge question mark hanging over us. The Camino always brings its share of surprises and challenges, and this time, it seems that even getting to the Camino is part of the adventure. We’re wishing the best of luck to everyone navigating these obstacles on their own way to the Camino.

Thank you to our Camino friend, Dennis, who wanted to make sure Dave got to Porto to walk the Camino Portuguese. He helped us get it all sorted out. Dave will fly to Porto tomorrow, three days earlier than planned! YES! New plans are falling into place.

We were honoured to be invited for lunch at the monastery this afternoon – a lunch where everyone had to be silent. After attending prayers in the beautiful old church, we crossed over to the much more modern monastery, passing through the entryway to a beautiful courtyard with a herb garden at its centre. We were led to a dining hall with high ceilings and windows overlooking the courtyard.

Two long tables were set on either side of the room, with six people sitting at each table, facing the centre of the room. At the far end, a shorter table was reserved for the priest. Serving was done according to the Benedictine code of humility and hospitality. The food was delicious: water, wine, bowls of lentils, stuffed eggplant, and applesauce.

After lunch we moved out to the courtyard, where we sat in a circle and, at last, were able to speak and share a little bit about ourselves – where we come from, etc. But soon, it was time to return to Refugio Guacelmo where a handful of pilgrims, including Canadians from Ottawa and Kamloops, were patiently waiting for us to open the door. Back to reality after an unforgettable afternoon!

To cap off the day, Janine and I had a lot of laughs at our favourite bar in Rabanal, where the bartenders start pouring our G&T the moment they see us coming through the door. We exchanged photos with them and bought the little hand-knitted “munecas” we always admire.