Camino Daze May 2017 – Day 1

Day 1 – My First Taste of Spain

On the first anniversary of my Camino Frances Journey, I was inspired to share some images and impressions with you my family and friends, and with new friends yet to meet on this Camino of Life.   These photos and thoughts were recorded on Day 1 of my first Camino Frances Journey, geographically beginning in Burgos and culminating in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in May 2017 (21 days of walking The Way).

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Burgos Cathedral and my two companions on The Camino, my sister Marcia Brown and her friend (and now my friend too) Debbie Wildermuth.  What an awe inspiring place to start our Camino Journey!
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Another perspective on Burgos Cathedral.
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First Spanish breakfast to fuel my steps on our first day of walking.  Don’t ask me what all was in this dish – it included huevos (eggs) and papas (potatoes), which were mainstays all along our Camino Journey, as well as pan (bread) at every meal!
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Storks!  Don’t know if Spain has a National Bird, but it ought to be the stork!  Gigantic nests built atop the highest church steeples and towers!

No wonder the stork has historically been the world-wide answer to young children’s question “Where do babies come from?”  Both parents care ceaselessly for their chicks until they fledge.

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Leaving Burgos on the wide Camino through the open country of the Mesilla.  The Way here is paved with the broken tiles of the past and packed by the feet of millions of pilgrims who have walked The Way for many hundreds of years… on this Universal and non-denominational Journey HOME.  The Camino is also known as The Milky Way…

 

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Pilgrim Meals (late dinner, usually) awaited us at the end of each day.  This was my first 3 course Pilgrim Meal in Tardajos, and yes, I ate the whole thing!  Course 1: Ensalada Mixta
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Course 2: Salmón y Papas Fritas
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Course 3: Bizcocho y Helado

 

Excerpt from my Journal:

Saturday, May 6th– Burgos to Tardajos (~7 mi/11 km)

Explored a bit of Burgos in the morning: found a bite of breakfast at first place to open (~9 a.m.), bought our seashells to hang on our Camino Pilgrim packs, loaded our packs and checked out of our hotel room about 12 noon to start our walking… saw my first storks – a nesting pair feeding their young in a huge nest atop a steeple tower… Along The Camino, found a dead baby snake and moved it to the side of the Camino, out of the way of trampling pilgrim feet.  Seemed to be a reminder to me to keep shedding my skin, keep growing, die to my old self, and be prepared to be a bit raw for awhile, until more experience weaves me a new cloak of protection through wisdom – and Life Transformed Again!  And then there were more storks feeding their chicks – so majestic in their flight, making a clacking sound with synchronized head bobbing and neck craning before regurgitating a meal for their babies – New Life Again! New Beginnings! New Journey!

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY:  The Taste of Life is the primary sense that pulls us into and along this physical journey on earth – first the taste of our mother’s milk which provides all the nourishment necessary for our growing bodies in initial years, then the abundance and variety of cuisine provided by Mother Earth Herself.  The Beauty experienced and created through our Earth Journey is what nourishes and expands our Souls, personally and collectively.

 

What gifts did your Camino bring you TODAY?   (Please share your thoughts below in “Leave a Reply” Box) 

 

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