May Day Outing

Today was a lovely May Day in our new home—only we weren’t home most of the time. We were on the road. Our friend Rebekah took us (Elyn and Gary), Kim (a lovely pilgrim who has been staying with Reb and Paddy), and Celia (a visiting Spanish professor doing research on women and the Camino de Santiago) on a seven-hour tour of Romanesque churches in northern Palencia. 

We drove into the dusty little town of Moarves de Ojeda, turned a corner—and there was an amazing church façade. 

Later, we searched for a cave church (never found it) and discovered instead an “hermita rupestre” (rock hermitage) off on a slight rise in the middle of nowhere. Makes you wonder what it took to get away from the madding crowds 1000 years ago…. Next, a stop at another church where we fortuitously saw someone unlock the door—and we eagerly followed behind. The apses were covered with paintings, including one of what looked like a two-headed Christ....

Later, a trip back to the Cistercian monastery of San Andrés de Arroyo, which had been closed on our first try; this time, after we finished our picnic lunch (eaten out of the back of Reb’s Kangoo van), we were able to take a tour. A tour led by the Nun From H... . She informed us we could take pictures—but not too many. If we took too many, she would let us know. First to bite the dust was a Basque motorcyclist who violated the code. Next down was Elyn, who apparently had also taken one too many, though she had taken fewer than the motorcyclist. And third down was Celia, after Elyn asked her to take the picture that Elyn was not allowed to take. And Celia had hardly taken any at all! Just goes to show that power corrupts, wherever you are…. Then, finally, an invigorating (if brief) walk on the 3-circuit stone labyrinth that Reb and Paddy have constructed on the Camino, just a kilometer from their home in Moratinos.

All in all, quite a delightful day spent with friends, exploring the amazing richness of this land we are living in! Elyn’s beginning to mutter that we really DO need to buy or lease a car…. Our easy train connections are great, but they don’t allow us to travel off the beaten path—or in this case, off the rails.