Day 7 Castro to Laredo Wednesday, June 11

Castro to Laredo

The air in the streets was moist and warm when we left the hotel in Castro. The cacophony of odors from the night before had been washed clean by the thunderstorms that burst forth unexpectedly overnight. My head was clear and for the first time since arriving in Spain, I felt like I was in front of the day instead of bouncing off the guardrails like a bumper car on a miniature racetrack.  We had a clear plan to make it to Laredo today under the yoke of lighter mileage and less vertical gain. Or so we thought. 

The day began well as we were unfettered with things that had been retarding our plan of early morning starts from the previous days.  We rode the first 5 miles to a little town where we stopped for morning cafe with little or no traffic. The road was flat but our spirits were soaring. Powered by cafe con leche and croissant de chocolate we rode on to Laredo. We only had a few wrong turns and double backs as we climbed the road from the shore up the coastal mountains. We came to a point where we crossed the Camino foot trail and decided we would follow it instead of the bike trail. This is when the day got very interesting. 

Following a two thousand year old cobble trail with loaded mountain bikes is not for the faint of heart. That said, we are constantly reminding ourselves that the original pelegrinos made their way on their knees.  Everything is relative.  We rode across the cobbles as far as we could but when the trail narrowed and went up the escarpment we had to dismount and push. But it was not merely the steepness of the trail that made the trek so daunting.  There were the rocks that jutted up in front of the tires blocking the front and then the rear wheel in syncopation. The berry bushes that closed in on both sides had thorns and flowers but no fruit. If you pushed even a little off the middle of the path the thorns would snag your clothes and rip your flesh. The packs, that on flat roads, were tethered neatly atop the rear rack and stayed in one place seemed to want to jump off the bike with every hard shift to the left or the right. Pelegrinos that we had merrily passed earlier in the day now leapfrogged in front of us as they tried to understand why anyone would attempt to do such a thing as this.  Even though these pilgrims had their own load to shoulder, each of them offered to help us carry our bikes up the slope as they passed by. In a nutshell this is what makes the Camino special. Helping others bear their load. 

At the top of the climb we came to a tall totem that marked the top of the earthly ascent and, judging by the prayer tokens left by the faithful, the bottom of the heavenly ascent for their loved ones. Windblown and worn, adorned with ribbons, bracelets, rocks and other momentos deposited by countless pilgrims who leave these objects as memorials and special intentions to their loved ones and special causes, the totem was a welcomed sight. It is here, my dear friends, this special place atop this mountain top overlooking the Bay of Biscaye standing guardian over Laredo Cantabria, along this sacred route, where the Spirit called to me to place the icons and prayer intentions shared with me by some of you. You will recognize your objects in the picture. Kneeling to pray and offer blessings I could feel the Holy Spirit welcome the countenance of both the giver and intentions offered. A voice carried by a warm, moist breeze on a mountain top moment. By the grace of God, a short way after we reached the summit and crossed the top of the land side atoll we came to a dirt road that took us speeding down the seaward side of the range. We arrived at the Casa Trinidad Albuerge in the convent of The Church of St Francis. One of the nuns of the order of the Holy Trinity checked us in. We then walked to the expansive beach, had beers and pinxtos, and then I attended one of the most beautiful masses of my life. Father lead the mass and the nuns lead the prayers and sang. The angelic choir of the sister’s voices accompanied by acoustic guitar and hand drums lifted into the buttressed arches of the church a sweet, sweet melody to the lord. When Mass was over all the pelegrinos in the church were invited to come up and receive a blessings. The nuns layed hands on us, prayed over us and sent us to bed. We finished the day with an amazing sunset and as the sun retired, so did we

 Cafe outside of Castro

The Camino Trail above Laredo

Into the Blue

The Way

Prayer Totem

In Memory Of and other Intentions

The Camino

Into Laredo

Sister Johana checking in the Pelegrinos

Our little room

St Francis (the namesake of the church and my patron)

The altar 

Night falls over the Convent

Today was a monumental day. I will fill in details later. Right now we are going to get beer, food, mass, and rest in that order!  I hope you’ll return to see something that made today SUPER SPECIAL!