Larry and Jane Kies (retired from GBGM and Africa University)

Oct 16
We made it to Santiago de Compostela on our Camino- Praise the Lord!!!!!!

We celebrated with a standing-room only congregation in the Santiago Cathedral; the Mass was co-celebrated by priests from many lands. Everyone inside the church, Catholics and non-Catholics, appreciated the solemnity and beauty of the High Mass liturgy.

Earlier in the day, we joined myriads of others in the darkness, then enjoyed the magical mist later in the morning, passing many more of the traditional storage sheds.

All along the Camino we have seen crops (and weeds!) that we recognized, but yesterday’s sighting of a fly agaric mushroom reminded me of the many hikes and wonderful companions we have been blessed with in other countries.

A peregrino (pilgrim) standing in prayer near the altar of a small church along the way was a reminder that a significant number of walkers receive great spiritual comfort during their journey.

Today we will chill and enjoy Santiago. Tomorrow we will take a bus to Finisterre, the coastal city where peregrinos traditionally collected their scallop shells as evidence that they completed their Camino.

Ben and I did a happy dance together (the video is NOT AI generated!) to help my brother, Tom, celebrate his birthday today.

Again, Praise the Lord for our successful journey so far!

Oct 14
Twenty km (12 miles) left for our Camino to be complete! Thursday by noon we will have arrived In Santiago de Compostela, Spain, six weeks and 800 km (480 miles) after starting in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, France.

A highlight for some peregrinos (pilgrims) is receiving their Compostela Certificate. We have carried ‘passports’ and collected stamps at multiple places of interest and places we stayed. Some pilgrims even line up to receive their passport stamps, which are generally free of charge, but some might require a ‘donation’ of a dollar or two if music is provided or the stamp is extra fancy.

We have seen many father/son pairs on the paths, and even several dogs accompanying their masters on their long walks.

One more day- we are excited!!!

Oct 13
Forty km (24 miles) left to finish the Camino in Spain- two more days of walking! We have seen so much these last 39 days, averaging close to 33,000 steps daily.

Every step of the way Jane and I have carried our small backpacks, each with both the Colorado flag (since Boulder is now our home) and Zimbabwe, our home for nearly 30 years.

Also on our packs are small animals knitted by Gogo Olive, a Mutare, Zimbabwe-based organization that was started to provide skills and employment to female ex-prisoners so that they had less need to return to crime.

Jane’s animal is a monkey. My zebra has special meaning, since it is my totem and connects me in a significant way to others of the zebra totem in Zimbabwe and Botswana.

in addition to the flags and animals, we each carried a scallop shell, which has become the symbol for the Camino. Most peregrinos (pilgrims) carry them on their bags to identify themselves as pilgrims to others. The tradition began when centuries ago pilgrims that completed the pilgrimage walked to the sea to collect a shell to prove that they had ‘walked the Way’. There is a lot of other symbolism involved. Stylized versions of the shell are often used to mark the correct paths- and even on manhole covers.

In addition to the symbols on my bag, I always proudly wore my Africa University cap, since our walk is being used to raise funds for a scholarship to that institution.

Most days we still set out in the dark. The first few weeks we wanted to beat the heat. Now the temperatures are perfect for walking, but starting early allows more frequent rests to lessen the fatigue that comes from walking such distances EVERY day.

But- beautiful scenery, wonderful people, good food and health-we are thankful!

Oct 12
Two nights ago we were in Sarria, Spain, on our way to Santiago de Compostela , walking the Camino Frances. and the atmosphere changed a LOT. We, along with many others, have walked over 700 km (420 miles), with less than 100 km remaining.

Getting a ‘Compostela Certificate’ has not been our primary motivation, but we will proudly display it when we return to Boulder.

However, because everyone doesn’t have the time, health or resources to walk the Camino Frances, walkers can be credited with walking a Camino if their journey is at least 100 km (60 miles). So we saw a LARGE increase in peregrinos (pilgrims) in Sarria.

A large proportion of the new walkers are from Spain, since they are close enough to travel back and forth and finish the shorter walk within a week.

It appears that many of them have come to make the Camino part of their faith journey. Last night at the Mass the church was packed- standing room only. And nearly every church now has most of their devotional candles lit.

The last two days our steps have taken us through dairy country. Most of the farmers appear to chop their corn/maize and store it as silage in large plastic bags-usually white. One farmer’s line of silage bags were pink- perhaps a breast cancer survivor? We were reminded of people who are special to us who successfully defeated the big C (as well as those who fought brave battles but didn’t win).

Also commonly seen on the farms are small, rat-proof brick cribs that traditionally stored grain or other farm products.

With the increased foot traffic on the path, we are seeing more entrepreneurs- even a bagpipe player!

Three more days of walking and we will celebrate in Santiago de Compostela!!

Oct 10
Happy Birthday to Ben!!! We are so happy that we can share his day with him on the Camino in Spain.

We have passed more churches than we can count. Many have elaborate retablos (statues and art on the wall behind the altar). Today along the Camino path were several churches with much simpler sanctuaries. One in particular looked like the local congregation was doing their best to keep the faith alive despite shrinking numbers as people move away from their rural area. A sad story familiar to many small-town residents in Iowa and other states.

We had expected the 12-mile hike today to be easy, but the many steep up-and-downs worked our legs more than we had expected. As those familiar with mountain hiking know, downhills are especially hard on the knees… and at one point I slipped and took a tumble. Thankfully, the oak leaf carpet (and my backpack) cushioned my fall, and I was none the worse, although Jane was behind me and got a fright.

We are SO thankful that we have kept healthy this long hike- no flu, no stomach problems, only a few blisters which have now basically healed.

And free apples falling from trees along the path!!! As well as interesting livestock!

Oct 9
Walking on the Camino in Spain the last couple of days has taken us through beautiful mountainous areas with pastoral scenes, and even cattle passing by on the paved road next to our albergue (hostel). The numerous cow pies in the road meant we had to watch our steps! A very different scene from walking in the city or near a main road (videos from a few days ago).

The trees continue to “rain nuts”- today the oak forest along part of the path was paved with acorns.

And we saw a fellow peregrino (pilgrim) on the Camino in a horse-drawn carriage.

Oct 7
Less than 200 km (120 miles) to reach Santiago de Compostela on our Camino! We see many stylized images of a peregrino (pilgrim) on the way. Most carry a staff and gourd for water. After bearing the heat of several days ago, I don’t know how they managed!

Ben carries his backpack everywhere, which gives him the freedom to choose his accommodation at the end of a day walking ( assuming there are vacancies). Jane and I carry much smaller day-packs with water and other essentials. We use a transporter service to send our one larger backpack with spare clothes etc on to our next albergue (hostel), which means we need to have a confirmed reservation for the next day.

Lots of wild chestnuts along the road, reminding me of the Christmas carol about chestnuts roasting over an open fire. A local resident told us that at this time of year “it is raining nuts!”

Beautiful wine country once more.

Oct 6
Yesterday on the Camino in Spain had probably the most emotional moments of the journey.

We arose early and walked in the mountain mist and rain to the Iron Cross. At this site thousands upon thousands of peregrinos (pilgrims) have laid stones… some in memory of lost loved ones; others with prayers for family and friends dear to them; still others with wishes for guidance in difficult decisions (burnt-out software engineers seeking new career paths seem to be especially well-represented on the Camino); perhaps a few asking for forgiveness for past mistakes.

Placing our own stones, and viewing some of the stones of others, was deeply moving.

A small church we visited today had a painting of The Last Supper in a domed ceiling. The artist had used his own image for Judas (the character with spectacles on the far left, although the image is not clear). Presumably he wanted to emphasize the verse in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Oct 5
On the Camino in Spain, the last couple of days we have visited the cathedral in Astorga, but also much smaller and simpler churches, including one with a clock pendulum swinging (parable of time passing or the eternal message of the Gospel???). Last night we attended a Vespers that was conducted almost entirely in Latin, sung in Gregorian chant- a sense of timelessness!!!

Today the paths ranged from extremely rocky (TREACHEROUS when wet!!), to colorful, to poetic with the mountain meadow saffrons.