When the gentleman at the tourist information center in Fromista learned that we were from the Philippines, he got very excited. Apparently, Carrion de los Condes was the hometown of Miguel de Benavides, so he was quite insistent that we visit the monument. He didn't even know that we went to UST, all he knew what that we were Filipinos. I wonder how much more excited he would be if we gave him that little tidbit of information. :) So, upon arriving at Carrion de los Condes, so we took a walk to Benavides' monument to pay our respects. It was also great to be able to visit the Poor Claire Monastery, which apparently houses a parochial for pilgrims, before heading out to Leon. Sadly, this is also where we ended the walk with the wonderful brother and sister tandem of Nilva and Herculano.
After tearful goodbyes in Carrion de los
Condes, we waited by the café where the bus loads passengers to Leon. There was no schedule posted, we were just told to wait. After a
bit of time, we decided to venture inside the cafe and with our very limited Spanish, ask what time the bus
comes and where to get tickets. And so we learned that the tickets were usually sold out the day before. Oh
no! So much for having time! 
We decided to wait anyway and take our chances and while waiting, we sent fervent prayers to get seats on the bus. Luckily, our prayers were answered and we were able to get seats. Majority of the passengers seemed to be pilgrims needing to take a break or taking a pause in their camino. I was remarking to the lady seated beside me that I felt a bit guilty about skipping this part of the walk and she said it’s okay, that nothing happens by accident and I was exactly where I’m supposed to be in the camino. The gentlemen in the seat in front of me seconded her sentiment and I felt reassured and calmed. We spent the rest of the ride sharing our experiences so far on this camino, with them pointing out to me some markers along the route. Nope, neither one of them were on their first camino.
No comments:
Post a Comment