Route: Redecilla del Camino – Villafranca Montes de Oca
Distance: 25 km (Total 194 km)

Last night my blindfold became very usuful. The room we slept in it had to be heated using heat lamps. In addition to the heat they provided they radiated a lot of light at night.

Since the town was totally empty we walked about 1,5 km to have our breakfast at a  roadside bar used mostly by truckers on a busy road N-120. The bossy lady at the counter was somewhat unpleasant. Perhaps it is a sign we are back to the civilistion. The route N-120 would keep us company either on our right or left for most of the day.

Though we continued our elevation gain today the walking pace was pretty impressive, i.e. 5,5 km/h. I guess we are well warmed up after so many kilometers already. I am going to hit over 200 km tomorrow. I let Henry leave the bar earlier as I was struggling with the internet connection to upload a new post. I told him I would catch up with him along the way. This, and rushing trucks on the highway, raised my walking pace a bit. I took the opportunity of the solo stretch to say the Rosary and do the meditation. Today I had Joyful Mysteries to pray on. What a joyful way to start a day! There were occassional puddles and mud left after last night’s downpour here and there.

Warm nest. Movie

Today we have crossed 900 m a.s.l. mark. We will stay at that elevation for some time. Tomorrow we start the day with a steep climb even higher. It is already pretty cold and looks like heavy snow and blizzard tomorrow.

Today I finish my first week of walking. Here is a bunch of statistics for those interested. Since the categories are in Polish let me just summarize some in English:

Avg daily # of step: 38 295
Total # of steps: 268 069
Avg daily calories burnt: 3 839
# of stories climbed: 661

Meditation VII. Whom and what do I need to forgive?

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times

Mt 18, 21-22

The above excerpt proceeds the parable about a mean servant, who was forigven huge debt by the king, some USD 60 m, using today’s money. He, in turn, would not forgive, however, the little debt his fellow servant owed him, which was some USD 100. Obviously it is a parable referring to God being all forgiving vis-a-vis us. Despite such generosity we often remain stingy to others in foregivness.

Tonight one of the Korean pilgrims left literally a „Swan Lake” after taking a shower in the bathroom of the hostel. He left the dirty place oblivious to others wanting to use the place. I admit I boiled inside a bit seeing this.

Then I saw that the shower curtain was obviously outside the bathtub so he must have missed that. Maybe he was tired after the walk, maybe he is to young to care, inexperienced etc? How difficult is it to forgive such a trivial thing? Let alone some grudges held for generations in some families. Why? What is it good for? Nothing! Zero! Nada!

All I have to do is to think how incredibly high debt I have been forgiven by God. Then forgiving others comes a bit easier.

May the words: as we forgive those, who trespass against us, turn into deeds and not remain casually spoken prayer only.