Last week, Our Journey across the Meseta

This picture was taken about 7:30 in the morning just as the sun was coming up. We were already 5 k into our journey, leaving a small town, in the middle of no where, the only inhabitants were the ones serving us dinner the night before in an old smokey bar. Unlike many residents we have encountered the older couple who ran the bar/restaurant were jovial and we were thankful for the beer and hot meal. We also sat over a beer with several other perigrinos, the language barrier although frustrating, we still manage to find laughter in the smallest of things. The term lost in translation has taken on newer meaning. The Meseta is a never ending flat lands on the plateu of the Castille y Leon region. The winds and the mud were so bad that day we forgot about our heavy packs and the long miles we still needed to tred. It is a truly beautiful journey across, away from the rest of the world, solitude at it's best.

We are thankful for every arrow, every tree that bears a yellow mark directing us on our way and every stacked stone, reminders of all that have tred this path before us. Each placed stacked stone is a symbol of burdens left behind. Everyday we leave two stones next to others that have been placed before us and we remind ourselves that our burdens are small, comparatively. Every person we meet has their own story, their own reasons for being on the Camino, all searching or hoping to leave their burdens behind, upon the piles of stacked stones. Today our steps are a little lighter than the day before...