Santarem to Golega

Our host Mario woke up early to see us off in the morning and I have to admit that a few tears were shed. He wished us well, packed a small lunch for us, and gave us his phone number in case we needed anything. He also gave us the name of a place to stay in Golega and said that his friend Lenore would take good care of us when we arrived. We accepted his offer and he was right. It was a great place and Lenore did take good care of us.

Golega is famous in Portugal for fine Arabian horses. The annual horse show occurs in November and people from all over the country participate. It is a lovely town and we are pleased to be here.

We also met a few other pilgrims tonight and enjoyed lively conversations and wonderful stories. The two men we shared the evening with were near seventy and avid walkers. Bernard was from France and Neil from Finland. Both are 'given' a month each year away from their families to walk so they get in as much walking as possible. They covered 30-40 miles a day so I knew our time together would be short. As we listened to their many walking stories I came to appreciate that they did this for the pure joy of it. They were not bragging about their speed or their accomplishments. They were just excited to talk about the walks they had taken. When we mentioned that twenty miles a day was our limit they offered some wonderful words of wisdom. They reminded us that in this season of life we have nothing to prove to any one. It is not the accumulation of miles or the completion of any given stage that makes our walks of any value. It is the joy that being together and walking gives us that makes this journey beautiful. I am reminded that these words hold true even when we are not walking.

We are off towards Tomar tomorrow. There is a chance of rain for the next few days. We are out for a walk and will see where we end up. You are loved... Buen Camino.