O'Cebreiro to Triacastela

Today we left our hostel/albergue in O'Cebreiro at 7am and walked 21.5 kilometers through mountains. We stopped at three cafés before reaching our destination in Triacastela. Along the way, we met some guys from Indiana who started at the "beginning" in France. They are about 700kilometers into their journey with roughly 135 left. We met an older couple from Holland who have all the secrets on how to protect your feet. Unfortunately for us, they started foot care months ago. we passed multiple times during the day and are staying at the same albergue. Abel walked with many people today and invited a girl from Sweden to eat dinner with us. It is such a good time being able to interact with people from all over. "Buen Camino!" Is spoken often and can lead into further conversation. Almost every Peregrino (pilgrim) is super friendly and it's a totally different culture. 

I ended up walking by myself do a whole today and it was an awesome time of reflection. It's a shame that it takes traveling across the ocean to spend that time. (Note to self...do this more.)

I have been recalling most of the Spanish I took (this is a miracle), so it makes simple interactions easier. Otherwise, it's basically a game of "find the words I know in a huge mumble of a conversation and try to answer correctly".

We have some long days ahead of us. Tomorrow we will travel to Sarria, which is the minimum starting point to get a Compastela (also a further distance then we walked today). The Camino will be much more crowded after today. While finding a bed will become more of a challenge, it will also allow us more conversations to talk to people. 

I'm also loving being able to debrief with Zach. (Note: if you can ever bond with your sibling...do it). Please pray for him as he is battling allergies while we are in the mountains. Hopefully once we are out of the forest it will clear up. Until then, we bought some meds today and are praying they work! We both only have 1 or two small blisters, so we will take care of them now so the next 6 days will hopefully go well. Sore shoulders and calves are also part of the deal but we are doing great! Loving each step. 

Most of my pictures today were on my camera, but here's one of some of the mountains we climbed over today!

Sorry that these posts are so scatterbrained. We love you all! (Sorry that I can't say we can't wait to be home...yet.)

Shout out to Elyse... I wish you could come here and speak Spanish to everyone. Be my translator! Love you and miss you!

6/11

Visiting Portugal was such an incredible experience. After a day of travel, we went out for dinner with Abel, his wife, Julie (a worker at the albergue) and Julia's daughter. The restaurant was a "hole in the wall," but that meal definitely made my top ten list. It seems like those places are the best kind. We had sausage, bread, salad (just tomato and sweet onion in oil), T-bone steak, Portuguese French fries, codfish, and the cookie cake (a coffee dessert). I am proud to say I ate some codfish. I wish I could say I liked it, but it's just part of the adventure. The restaurant was right on a river and the view was gorgeous. The atmosphere in Porto is very different from Lisbon; Lisbon is a metropolitan city and Porto is a more rural, laid back place. They are both incredible in their own way. I can't wait to share pictures and stories with you all!

Sending love from Portugal! xoxo

Sorry these are short. I am writing them before I can post them...wifi is scarce!

6/12 Spain day 1

Spain Day 1

Today we took a taxi to O' Cebreiro, Spain. It seems that the times it is supposed to take us is never accurate. A four hour drive turned into a much longer one. However, we got to ride through the mountains in Spain and I won't complain about that! It is absolutely gorgeous, you feel like you're at the top of the world. We got to our private albergue this afternoon and had some time to look around this quaint town. We got our Credencials del Peregrino which are essentially pilgrims passports that you get stamped at each place you go along the way. In Santiago, the office checks to make sure you have walked the minimum distance (we are going much further than that) and then you get a Compastela (a certificate saying you completed the Camino). After a few days of a lot of walking (even though we haven't started the Camino), we still decided to hike up to the top of a mountain to a cross. It is one of the most incredible views because you can see forever on each direction. The pictures don't begin to do it justice. I met a man on the way up who only spoke Spanish, but we got to talk for a little while. His wife is not in good health, so she meets him every few days along the Camino while he walks. He graciously took photos of Zach and I. :)

If I had to pick two themes so far, they would be food and fellowship. And they almost always go together. A meal is started around 8pm and goes very late. We all have a lot of calories to work off tomorrow due to the fact that dinner was large and delicious. I had some tuna in a pasta salad (still not my favorite) followed by scrumptious ribs. For dessert I tried flan (texture didn't agree with me but I tried it!) and then had ice cream. I am enjoying getting to know the 4 other members on my team as we prep for the Camino. 

Tomorrow we begin our journey at 7am, before the heat slows us down. We are surrounded by mountains and the terrain is rough so please be praying for healthy bodies. I've been told that the first two days on the Camino are the worst, so I am trying to mentally prepare as best as possible. After the first two days, they say your bodies is used to always being in pain and it gets easier. After 3 days, the terrain will not be as strenuous on our last stretch to Santiago.

Please continue to pray for relationships and conversations to strike up among people we meet along the way. We are here to encourage Abel, encourage his staff, encourage pilgrims and LASTLY to be pilgrims ourselves. This poses a challenge when our bodies make us want to be selfish and complain. 

We really appreciate all the love we are getting! I'm sorry we haven't been able to post as often as hoped. Maybe next time I'll need to look into an international plan! Either way, know that I'm thinking about you and praying for you! 

Shout out to my mom and dad... love you tons and we can't wait to see you! Wish you were here, and thank you for all your support. 

Pre-Camino Adventures

Disclaimers: most of my pictures are on my camera, so I'm sorry if they don't all appear here. I promise you'll see thousands when we get back. I already took 175 in 2 days. Wifi isn't everywhere. 

I can't believe it's already our third day on the trip. We have been super busy since we got here. Yesterday we got into Lisbon around 9am and found out hostel (which looks like it came out of an ikea magazine). After we dropped our bags, we set out for the city. We spent the majority of the day looking for the castle of King George. It seemed pretty simple since it was on the top of a hill, but I think we went up every single hill before we found it. (Just warming up for the Camino.) Once we found it, there was an admission fee and we decided not to take the tour (yes, I'm already regretting that decision. Next time!). 

While walking around, we got to see amazing sights. One of my favorite things may be the tile on the outside of many homes. It's gorgeous. 

We got a little adventurous at lunch and ordered sausage, blood sausage, and a dish called choco (cuttlefish...ink included). We'll just say I didn't have any fish but I don't regret that because everyone was feeling it a little later. Haha. 

Dinner (besides an insanely expensive cost) was incredible. We ordered tapas (appetizers) and 3 main dishes which we split. My favorite was Portuguese Steak with dried prosciutto and potatoes. We ate with Sam (a missionary in Lisbon) and his family. It was great!

Yesterday was also "Portugal Day" so many of the public places were closed due to the holiday.

This morning we woke up and went to clean 2 small "warehouses" (basically larger storage units) for an organization that houses children with AIDS. Though we weren't able to spend time with the kids, we got to organize all the items that they will be blessed with. (You can ask Zach about the dust and how many bottles of house cleaner he had to organize.)

After saying goodbye to Sam, we are lunch and jumped on a train (yay for free wifi). We are on the train on our way to Porto, where we will meet up with Abel. Abel is a missionary along the Portuguese Camino, and he owns a hostel. One of our main goals is to encourage him in his work here ministering to pilgrims from all over the world. Abel will be hiking with is, but as a pilgrim instead of a guide. 

We are all exhausted, but enjoying the adventure. 

Looking ahead: we will spend the night in Abel's hostel (and shower!) and travel into Spain tomorrow. From there, our hike starts the next day! We have just started our 24+ hours of travel including overnight. 

I'll try to keep posting when I get consistent wifi. 

Love you all!

Prayer requests:

FEET (doing good so far...100 miles ahead of us)

Refreshing rest during all day travel

Good attitudes

Effective ministry

God's leading