Letters To

After Doro and I split up from Ingeborg, we walked across a busy road towards the cathedral, whose spires we could see not far away. In fact, just about anywhere in Burgos you can see the spires of the cathedral, even though it is a fairly large city. We walked through a long, tree-lined paseo, where the trees were so dense and dark overhead that the street lights were on underneath even though it was early afternoon. As we reached the end, we rounded a corner which would take us into the man plaza and we saw what was probably a mid-range hotel, so we decided to duck in and try our luck. As soon as we entered the small lobby and the man behind the desk took a look at our obvious pilgrim attire, I knew what the answer would be--no rooms available. No trouble. I was certainly not going to push to stay were pilgrims were obviously not wanted, so we headed out and back towards the plaza. Doro had a map, and so we eventually got to a church-run alberque that would open around 1 p.m. ...

Thursday afternoon here, and only about an hour before we leave to go to the Royal Albert Hall to hear a symphony concert that my friend, M., got tickets to for us. Don't forget to click on the links, as I have no way to post photos, and that's the best way I have to show what I've been doing. This will be a "quickie" as I leave the house very early tomorrow to get my bus to the Stansted Airport for the flight to France. After today, I have no idea when or where I'll have access to a computer. For our walk, we found our way to the Millenium Footbridge, and thence to St. Paul's Cathedral , where our walk started. We met our guide, paid the fee, and as we set off just then, we were suddenly surrounded by the pealing of cathedral bells. Graham, our guide, explained that only on 1 Tuesday evening per month, the St. Paul's Bellringers practice--and we were hearing it. I have to say, it was pretty incredible, as we walked through narrow lanes and mews, foll...

Thursday morning. In a little while, Glena and I go up to Denver to take her to the VA for an appointment with a podiatrist. Additionally, we're also going to stop by and meet the folks I have been doing transcription for for the last several months. We are also taking loads of fresh produce to them! Here is today's card: 4 of Water, Tuning In. I like this card a lot. I like the colors, and the "mood" of it. To me it feels very calm, and calm is what I am going to need a lot of over the next few weeks. Here is the card's message: "To develop the knack of taking a distance from the mind is one of the greatest blessings. It is what meditation is all about, really--not chanting a mantra, or repeating an affirmation, but just watching, as if the mind belongs to somebody else. You are ready to take this distance now, and to watch the show without getting caught up in the drama. Indulge yourself in the simple freedom of Tuning In whenever you can, and the knack of ...

I bought my ticket for Spain. There's no turning back now, a pilgrim I will be. I have been turning that over and over in my head. I bought a set of Spanish flash cards today, and I've been taking private Spanish lessons for the last 6 weeks. I know it's all going to fly right out of my head the first time I, God forbid, actually have to SAY anything in Spanish, but at least I should be able to read signs and find directions which will be a good thing! All the planning and packing for the Vision Quest have come in very helpful. My pack is now much lighter than it would have been, and will probably get even lighter. And quite a bit of it will probably be stuffed with various "feminine hygiene" products!!! But, since I survived the, quite literal, bloodbath of the VQ, I think I'll be able to manage on the road. After all, I'll be stopping some place every night with running water, and with luck, showers. Checking the weather, I see it's 80's and 90...