Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Villafranca a Portomarin

Day 3. Just when you think you have things figured out and you´re good to go...

God holds you close...

Today, we woke up to grey skies, ominous clouds, but dry weather, for the moment. I had to decide whether to take the easier route today (with a van transfer to the top of the first peak) or to give it a go and try for the whole 100km.

Those of you who know me don´t need me to tell you that I opted to go for it. I love to push myself physically, and I love any opportunity to be on a bike. Therefore, I hopped (ok, stumbled) out of bed two hours earlier than the majority of the group, and with two companions, set out for the first of the two peaks. O Cebreiro.

Sometimes what you want, is not what is best for you or your community...
And God held me close...

I knew after about 10 minutes on the road that I should have chosen differently. My bad hamstring was screaming from the get-go, but I refused to listen to it too closely. I knew it was 35km to the top of the first peak. No problem. Just breathe and enjoy the scenery...let your mind wander away from the pain of it. Sadly, I thought the first 35km to the top of O Cebreiero was supposed to be the "easy part¨of the day´s climbing. As we came to a crossroads, my guide asked if I wanted to wait for the van, or if I was going to try to make it to the top. You know my answer, I´m sure. I´ve never been one to stop in the middle of something, especially if I´m on my bike. So off we went.

And God smiled...and held me close...

The ascent to the summit of O Cebreiro, as it turns out, is THE most difficult climb of the entire Camino. With each turn, my guide (Catherine) eased me along with, ¨This is the hardest part. After this short part, it eases up.¨

She lied.

The steepest part of the climb was about 18% grade...way steep! If my leg hadn´t already been screaming, I´m sure it would have started screaming shortly after we began the climb. The good news, however, is that the weather held. No rain (hooray!), just a deep deep fog as we climbed higher and higher into the upper regions of the Galecian mountains. At each bend in the road, Catherine was there with words of encouragement. At one point the van came along to offer me a ride to the top. My stubborn persistence had already kicked in. (I´m told that I basically sneered at the van and kept winding my way up the road. I later apologized for the impoliteness, and we all laughed). For about 15km I wound my way up the hill, trying to remember the lessons of yesterday -- be grateful...pant, pant, pant...called to serve...serve what? how? this mountain is really steep!...pant, pant, pant...look at that beautiful mountainside town...pant, pant, pant...where IS the top?...breathe breathe breathe...oh look, there´s the top, YES!...where is everyone...they are meeting us at the top...uh-oh...

"It´s just a short bit further...you´ve done the hardest part," said Catherine.
She lied, lied, lied. I should have qualified the "short bit further" piece of that statement.

...pant, pant, pant...oh my gosh, are you KIDDING me?...that´s not the top?...breathe breathe breathe...remember how beautiful everything is...yep...beautiful, at least for three feet in front of me...this cloud is REALLY thick...where is the top?...pant, pant, pant...you can do it...you´re not alone...you´re not alone...you´re not alone...

Then, all of sudden, I rounded the corner, and there it was. O Cebreiro!!! This tiny little mountaintop village of Celtic descent. I laid my bike against the building, greeted my fellow tour groupers (who had ridden in the van), and my climbing companions, and then walked to the village church and cried.

I´m not exactly sure if the tears were tears of anger or victory or relief. I just needed to cry. My leg throbbing, my body quickly chilling (it was REALLY cold at the top), and my emotions soaring in every direction. I was thrilled to have made it to the top -- quite an accomplishment! I was frustrated that my leg was hurting so badly, which meant I had to decide whether or not to be done for the day. And I was absolutely certain that I could not have made that climb on my own -- I was most definitely not alone as I journeyed to the top.

As I sat beneath the portico of the church and pondered what to do next, I was reminded that sometimes what I want is not what is best for me...or for the community. I had to make a choice I did not want to make. Finish the ride today, and hope that my leg would be okay for the next two days...or ride in the van for the rest of the day, rest the leg, and be confident that the leg would be okay for the last two days of the ride to Santiago. The cloudy weather was definitely mirroring the cloudiness of my thoughts.

Now, I like cake...and I like to eat it, too. I wanted both -- to finish the day´s ride, and be okay to ride the final two days into Santiago. I was really struggling with the decision. Just as I was about to commit to ride the rest of the day on the bike, one of the other group members, Vicki, came up to me and asked how I (and my leg) was feeling. As I told her of my struggle to decide whether or not to ride the rest of the day, she said, "If you aren´t going to ride the rest of the day, may I use your jacket? Otherwise, I won´t be able to ride because I will be too cold."

Sometimes what you want, is not always what is best for you...or the community...

It´s funny how it´s so much easier for me to accept a different plan for my life once I know how that decision can affect someone else. I immediately recognized that Vicky was a little angel helping me accept a new plan, a different call, for my day. I knew, at that point, that my day´s ride was ending at the top of that mountain. O Cebreiro. Oooooh Cebreiro. I may have a strong love-hate relationship with that mountain for some time. However, I found peace of mind amidst that cloudy, cold mountaintop. I was boldly reminded that it´s okay to change your plans midway through them. It´s okay to say "no" to something you really really want, especially when your "no" will be better for you, and the people around you. By saying "no" to finishing the day's ride, Vicki (who really wanted to ride) was able to say "yes" to the ride.

Sometimes what you THINK you want, is not always what you need, or what the community needs...

As I rode the rest of the day in the van, it became my opportunity to be the cheerleader for the others in the group. For my O Cebreiro companions, it was to be their very first metric century ride. And Vicki? She had been struggling with a back injury the previous days and just wanted one day when she could finish "the whole ride" (not including the extra 35km of O Cebreiro ...which was not, technically, part of the day´s ride).

So for the rest of the day, I was water-and-snack gal, photographer, and LEAD cheerleader. I whooped and hollered as the van passed by the riders. At water stops, I tried to give words of encouragement as well as food and water. For Heidi and Jeff, as they tired toward the end, I kept reminding them that they had already made i t up O Cebreiro...everything else was easy from there!

For Vicky, I offered words of encouragement, hoping to help her over the mental hump of the "I can´ts" and encouraged her to know that she could totally make it, if that is what she chose to do. Her legs were strong, her heart was in it, she just had to convince her mind to get out of her way and let her ride.

I waited in Portomarin with great anticipation for riders to appear. I watched the long bridge that served as the gateway into town, hoping to see them soar into town after a fantastic 5km descent (I was so jealous of that downhill!). In the end, we celebrated Heidi and Jeff´s monumental 100km ride, which included the foreboding O Cebreiro. We also celebrated, unceasingly, Vicki´s completion of the 65km. After that, she felt like she could do anything. No more riding in the van for her...those days were over.

As for me? I´m still a bit saddened by the fact that I couldn´t ride with the rest of the group. However, I am reminded that sometimes what you want, is not always best for you...or the community. Today, I was called to be support crew, despite the fact that I thought I was going to be a rider. With the help of those around me, and "powers that be," I´m happy that I was able to find peace at the top of O Cebreiro. Someday, I´ll go back to that mountaintop. Hopefully the clouds will not still be there, and I will be able to recognize more quickly and with greater ease the decisions that I face.

Today, I was called to see the beauty around me, appreciate it, recognize the angels around me, struggle with my own desires, and in the end accept that sometimes things don´t go as I plan...and that´s okay. In the end, its about an openness to listen and accept where God is calling you to be in each moment. Today, I was called to be the support crew. Who knows where or to what I ´ll be called tomorrow?

Sometimes what we want is not what´s best for us...or the community...
I guess the lesson for today is to be open to where God is calling you to be, regardless of what you THINK you´re supposed to be doing in that moment. That´s a tough one.

Admittedly, I´m hoping I´ll be called to ride my bike along the Camino tomorrow...AND I´m open to being wherever the spirit needs me to be.

May your hearts be open to wherever (and whatever) the spirit calls you.
Buen Camino!

Miss Hoch

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Astorga a Villafranca del Bierzo

Buenos Noches!

Today...today...today...
Today began with violent thunderstorms resounding outside my window at 6am. My thought? Well, better the rain comes now since we won't get on the bikes for another to hours.

...and God laughed...

Those who know me well, know that I am definitely a fair-weathered cyclist.

...I hear God laughing...

The rain, as you can imagine, did not stop before we got onto the bikes today.
65km including a mountain pass climb & descent in stock for us today.
As we began, the thunder had passed, but the ominous clouds were hanging over and all around us.
No problem. It's an adventure, right?
The rains held off for the first hour. Then, God laughed.

Rain. More rain. Harder rain (I think it was coming sideways). Then came the relentless headwinds. Coldness. Rain. Harder wind. Rain. Did I mention rain? Uh-oh...lost the group. Climb...10km to the first summit...4km more to the actual summit. Where is the group, and the van? Sleet. Colder. (Feet? Who needs to feel their feet?) Dirt roads. Ah! Cute small mountain town! Then some stone road before hitting the gravel and chiprock.Cool, another quaint town! Wahoo! Oh...and still climbing. More wind. Rain lessens enough for a few pictures at the summit. Then down down down the other side. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! What? What's that bright orb in the sky? The sun? Really? Ahhhh. Oh no! More blackness on the horizon. Here we go again.

So what might I POSSIBLY learn from such a day?

I came on this adventure with an open mind, an adventurous spirit, and an eager heart. Today I went through a whole range of emotions during the ride. In the beginning: eagerness and excitement for the day ahead...and hope that the weather would hold. Then came the rain. No worries...still feeling excited and adventurous as we ventured through small mountain towns, along with a sense of acceptance that we were getting wet today. I wave at the van as I ride by, before I begin "the climb." Next comes the wind. No worries, I can always get in the van if it gets worse. Still fairly excited, feeling a bit determined to persevere through the weather. Surely the rain will stop soon.

An hour later, the weather has taken a turn for the worse. I'm yelling at the sky to stop the wind as I feel like it is pushing me backwards down the mountain. Arrrrgh!! where's the van. I'll flag it down when it comes by. This is not fun anymore.

An hour later...where IS the van? I haven't seen it in forever. Where's the rest of the group? I haven't seen anyone for a couple of hours now. Hmmm. I must be way behind the rest of them. Keep motoring on. You are now a true pilgrim, with no choice but to keep putting one pedal in front of the other. You don't have the option of taking the "easy way out." It's just you. You can either give up and sit on the side of the road, or keep going and trust that you'll be okay. One stroke at a time. The wind and rain cannot make you stop. Only YOU can make you stop. You're choice. Don't stop for too long or you'll get too cold to keep going.

Pedal over pedal. Stroke after stroke, I fought through the driving wind and rain to the top of the mountain. At the top, there is an Iron Cross...an important symbol for the pilgrims along the Camino. The cross stands at the highest point along the entire route. As pilgrims approach this towering monument, they climb to the top of hill of rocks, touch the monument, say a small prayer, and add a rock of their own to the pile. By leaving a rock, the pilgrims leave all their sorrows at the cross as they continue onward towards Santiago. As I left my own rock in the pile, I gave great thanks for the gifts in my life. Yes, the weather was horrible today. Yes, I was certain I wouldn't see anyone from my group again until dinner time. Yes, I was tired and hungry and cold. But I chose this adventure. This life of today.

So while I did leave sorrows at the Iron Cross, the symbol of the cross was also one of great hope and gratitude, as well as a symbol of work to be done. I recognized that while I was by myself on the Camino today, I was never alone. When I was angry and frustrated about the weather, I also had the comfort and support of other pilgrims, as well as the warm thoughts/prayers of all of you, my home community, riding along with me. I was cold, and shop-owners and townsfolk shared me warm campfires and words of encouragement. I was disheartened, and pilgrims shouted "Buen Camino!" I felt alone, and a stranger offered me a smile, a short converstion, and then took a photo of me with the Iron Cross, and we laughed together about the ridiculous weather. I had angels looking out or me every step of the way, making sure I was still smiling and having a "buen camino!" even on a weathered day. And, just when I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not see my group until later that evening, the van pulled up beside me, offered me a snack, and let me know that I was actually ahead of the group...by quite a lot. (Apparently they had stopped to get warm, and I had missed that turn.) I did not get in the van, despite being cold and tired. I knew I was supported, and that was encouragement enough to complete the journey.

So what did I "hear," as a listening pilgrim along the Camino? A reminder. We are never alone, even in our dark hours. It is so easy to be happy and carefree in fair weather, when everything is just the way we want it to be. But during the rainstorms of life, how quickly do we question the presence of the loving spirit in our world? How quickly do we feel alone and indequate. How many times do we ask, can I really do this? And around every corner, in every rainstorm, in the midst of driving wind, we are not only supported (by faith, by friends, by fellow pilgrims), we are also called to a life of gratitude and service. I am so grateful to be here in Spain -- where I saw the COOLEST animal ever, today. (Any guesses as to what animal it was?) I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with a community as special as OLG. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my health, and all the countless blessings in my life. I am so very grateful for the gift of life.

As I rode today, I reflected on all of the people who live with adversity, and who do NOT choose that adversity. I reflected on the simple ways I can show the poor (homeless, hungry, despairing, jobless, lonely, homebound, etc) that I am with them on their journey. It can be as simple as a smile, as profound as a listening ear or a word of encouragement. It can be as tangible as physically helping someone who is struggling or in need. We are all called to be grateful and to serve...in fair weather and stormy weather. And we are never alone.

For what are you grateful today?
How will you help someone in need today?

There will not be very many photos from today, since the weather made it diffiult to take the camera out of its waterproof bag. However, I think we can all make our own picture of what today's journey looked like, of the way we help others and the ways we show our gratitude for the gifts in our lives. We are all pilgrims along the Camino. Let's work together to make this world a more beautiful Creation.

Weather prediction for tomorrow? More rain to go with the TWO mountain pass climbs and a 100km ride. I am laughing WITH God, now...apparently there is more to learn :)

Buen Camino! ("Good journey!")
Miss Hoch

ps. What was the animal I saw today? A STORK! Who knew that storks reside here in the Galicia mountain region of Spain? We saw them in the huge nests everywhere today! Whoa! I'd never seen a live stork beore today. One more thing for which I'm grateful!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Leon y Astorga!

Leon y Astorga!

Buenos dias! Yesterday was the first day of the guided tour with Bike Spain. We didn't do any biking yesterday, though. We drove from Madrid to the town of Leon (about a 3 1/2 hour drive). Along the way we passed through the gorgeous countryside of Spain. We passed through hilltowns, sa the Royl Cemetery, where past kings, queens, princes, and princesses are buried. Franco is also buried there, but many people want his remains moved since he was a dictator and not really royalty.

Upon arriving in Leon, we had some time to eplore the city. The town is a medieval, walled town dedicated to Saint Isador (patron saint of farmers) because of his devotion to the people of the town. Leon has the old, medieval town surounded by a modern city. It is an interesting mix of time periods. We spent the night at Hotel Boccalino in the center of Plaa el Isador. Across the plaza from the hotel wasla Iglesia/Capillia de San Isaador. The chapel is a dark, sinmple bui;lding with a surprisingly huge and ornate altar piece, whih includes an elaborate tabernacle & monstrance, as well the remains of San Isador. A simple statue of Isador is located near the altar.

Also in Leon is a huge Cathedral -- Catedral de Nuetra Senora. The catedral isknown for having more stained glass than marble in its struture. Unlike the windows in Madrid's Royal Cathedral, the stained glas windows in Leon's cathedral are more decorative than story-telling. I happened to be wandering through the catedral at thetime oftheir daily mass, so I got to attend mass with the peopleof Leon, in the small chapel of the Cathedral. I lovev attending mass in different countries because the ritual of the liturgy is universal. So although I was not able to undertand eveerything that was said during the homily (I caught a good bit of it...I think), I was sstill able to participate in the rital of the mass--good thing we've practicced our Padre Nuestro! It is one of the many things I love about our faith tradition.

After mass it was time to meet up with the group. We met at our hotel and then walked through the old town to Santa Maria de Carbajal (an old convent) to get our pilgrimage passports. Each person who completes all or part of the Camino de Santiago receives a Pilgrim's passport in which they collect stmps along their journey, marking the towns through which they pass each day. Each town has their own stamp design, making it a fun way to document the journey.

So why the Camino de Santiago? Why do hundreds of thousands of people make this journey each year? and how did it all begin?

The story is that back in the midle ages, a farmer was in his fields in the northeastern part of Spain (the provence of Galecia). While tending his crops, there appeared to him a circle of stars above one area in his field. The Spirit of God told him that the bones of St. James were lying in the ground there. the farmer sent word tot eh Church officials (bishops), and the bishop traveled by foot from the border of France to the farmer's fields to investigte the claim. Upon arriving at the farmer's field, the bishop estblished that the bones were, indeed, those of St. James and deemed the area "holy ground." Since that time, people from all over the world have followed the bishop's footsteps, walking/biking/horseback riding to modern-day Santiago (meaning St. James). In the erly days of the Camino, pilgrims journeyed along the camino primarily for religious reaons -- to grow closer to God through their experience along the road. Today, pilgrims travvel or a variety of reaon, though the majoority still carry some personal, religious intention with them as they travel.

The "official" route of the Camino do Santiago follows the route originally traveled bythe bishop - beginning at the border of Frane and travelling through norhern Spain to Santiago. However, there are acually many many different Camions de Santiago. It is said that a camino de Santiago is any road that leads you to the cathedral in Santiago. With this in mind, the symbol for the Camino pilgri is a sea shell (clam shell). If you look at the shell, there are many lines all meeting at one point, just as all roads lead to Santiago. It is also said that in medieal times, the shell was a useful tool for pilgrims -- they could use them to scoop water or food. all along the Camino, there are yellow arrows, ea shells, and signs with yellow sun-like images -- marking the way to go.

Today was the first day of riding. We did a short ride from Leon to Astorga (about 40km). As I wa riding through the villages & countryside, I had time reflect on the many ways we are called to listen and follow...in a relaxed and intentional manner. How often, especially when on my bike, do I find myself speeding along without really listening to the people aroun me or seeing the gifts of creation. On this journey, I feel I am called to slow down and be fully present to each moment, each blessing, each amazingly beautiul piece of creation I encounter. I have had the chance, today, to be awed, truly awed by the landscape, the people, and the communities I encountered along the road. Now, as I sit looking out my window at a gorgeous chapel, created by Gaudi, listening to the sounds of Astorga, I send all of you at OLG (and beyond) thoughts an prayers for a day filled with awe and intentionality. May you be fully present to eah moment of your day today, taking time to listen to the God who speaks TO you through the people and creation around you, and being open to the God who speaks THROUGH you to touch the hearts of others.

Peace to you.
Buen Camino! (good journey)
Miss Hoch

ps. I'm off to explore Astorga...known for their chocolates and pastries...maybe I will like them more than cookies! I'll keep you posted. Blessing to you!