Camino de Santiago Portugues - Day 18

Daily Overview

• Summary of the Day: Today we left the little cottage we were staying in right off the Camino near the monastery in A Armenteira and headed out in the the early morning darkness toward Vilanova de Arousa. It was down right chilly there in the shadow of the mountain. We walked towards the valley and down into the forest nearly in the dark. The forest path we followed was filled with beautiful moments as the sun began to come up. We walked continually beside a clear stream with water falls and pools as clear as crystal and deep enough to swim in. As the sun rose above the mountain we left the forest and got into the outskirts of the small towns. Even then we walked for a long time beside a beautiful river. The temperature was perfect and the combination of wind and sun made walking feel wonderful. There were quite a few bikers on the trail through the town and that can be a challenge because they are moving fast and most of the time it is hard to hear them. Around one (the earliest time you can get lunch here) we stopped at a cafe and shared a very large Spanish omelet for lunch. We needed a lift at that point after doing close to seven miles. As we walked further south we encountered enormous vineyards covering many acres. The grape vines grow up and are suspended on a trellis that allows the grapes to be harvested from underneath. As we continued to walk south the horizon fell away and you could begin to see the ocean in the distance. The final leg of our trek walking beside the water into Vilanova de Arousa was some of the most beautiful coastline I have seen since back in Portugal. It was just stunningly beautiful. We will be spending the night here and tomorrow we will catch a boat headed up to Padron. From there Santiago is just a few days off.

  
  

• What we planned to do: Today we planned to do a long walk of thirteen miles from the Monastary in A Armenteira up on the mountain to Vilnova de Arousa, a resort town on the coast.

The Day's Focus

• Topic: Unity with God and Others

  When I walk in unity with God to whatever degree I am able to do it, it almost always results in greater fellowship with those around me. That’s because God is always walking in fellowship with us and when we reciprocate he invites us into a place of connection with others that he has already prepared and occupied.

• Word for the Day: Fellowship

• Scripture: Psalm 133:1-3 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

• Spiritual Practice: Invite another person into the place of fellowship that God has created with you. It could be as simple as a cup of coffee or a cup of water.

• Camino Portugues video of the day

  
  

Walking into Villa Nova de Arousa along the coastline, in a word breathtaking

Walking through the woods from A Armenteira was like being in a fairy tale forest

Moments and Images

• Images from the Way Today: 

• Beautiful Spot of the Day: 

Walking along the coastline headed to Vilanova de Arousa

• Spiritual Meditative Moment: Walking through the forest in the early morning as we were walking down from the mountain

  
  

• What Church We Visited:

Ok it’s not a church building but this was the sanctuary of God we walked in today and there are no words

• People we experienced: I walked and talked for a good while with a woman from Slovakia who had come to do the Camino on her own leaving her family behind looking for more clarity in her life. There are so many single women walking the Camino alone or in pairs. There are single men too but the percentage of woman is much higher.

  Also we walked into a bar today and I was wearing the hat I’ve been wearing the whole time I’ve been over here and one of the men at the bar said to the other…..ah American😊

  
  

• Unexpected Surprises: Discovering that there is a full blown candy shop right across the street from where we are staying. This is clearly the providence of God.

• Animal/Nature or local life: 

  

  Today we were walking by vineyards the size of our corn fields back in Virginia with grape vines three or four inches in diameter at the base

This beautiful goat, Dahlias still in bloom, this woman walking her five dogs

Reflections and Learnings

• Reflections from Today: God is not primarily calling me to do things I don’t want to do, but he is calling me to do things I was created to do. Sometimes those two realities clash because I don’t want to do what he created me for. Usually it’s because I am too afraid or too stubborn or just too distracted. That’s where grace comes in . Grace is enough to help me go with him where he is leading. FYI though, that doesn’t mean your feet won’t hurt….a lot.

  
  

• "Well, that was hard": Keeping up with Sandy’s walking pace this morning was more than I bargained for. For the first few hours we were averaging three miles an hour. Back at home our daughter Natalie is training for a marathon. I think Sandy was trying to keep up with her.

  
  

• "What helped me today": Walking in some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen left me full of joy and speechless a lot of the time.

  
  

• "Something I learned": Using a washing machine here to wash your clothes (other than in a commercial laundromat) easily takes two hours. Why I don’t know. It just does. So don’t wash all your clothes at the same time…..

  Also be very careful about food portions in Spain, sometimes they will list something on the menu that feeds three people but they won’t mention that on the menu. You’re just supposed to know somehow.

  
  

• "Insight for the day": Understanding isn’t nearly as important as obedience. If I’ll just do what I know I’m supposed to do, what God’s telling me to do, in faith. I’ll get some of the perspective and understanding I wanted to begin with but then I’ll know better what to do with it.

• "Mystical occurrences": Our friend Gene messaged us today and said he saw angels walking with us. I’m sure this was true today and has been true every day when I consider the remarkable grace and favor God has extended to us. To date Sandy and I have walked one hundred and fifty miles with no injuries and not a single blister.

Daily Conclusion

• A View of Our Compostela: 

  

  Beyond Tui in the last 100 km of the Camino you are supposed to get two stamps every day to qualify for your certificate

  
  

• Gratitudes (1–3 things I'm thankful for):

  A wonderfully beautiful day to walk

  The generous company of other like minded souls

  The strength and endurance to continue on