One of the things that has intrigued us the most has been the ¨"christos burgos". Twice in paintings and then as a crucifix in the Cathedral in Burgos we came across the crucified Christ dressed in a slip. We finally have found someone to explain this to us. The slip to our eyes is actually a traditional burial cloth here in spain. And it seems to be that the Bishops here like a more modest Christ.  So Christ is adorned in burial dress. As for the eggs at the feet of Christ these are goose eggs. Here the goose is a symbol of protection. They make a lot of noise to alert others to the presence of strangers. So Christ is depicted as a protector.

This comes from Ocebreiro a village in Galicia spain. Todays walking brought us up into pasteur lands and wonder views. The walking steep and very steep at times but broken and eased by wonderful views and the occasional village offering water  and a place to rest. O cebreiro  is quite a tidy village on the top of a pass and has a real celtic influende with thatched roofs on someof the buildings and a wonderful chruch that has been renovated. Very simple inside with such a beautiful spiritual presence. This church was the sight of a miracle when a man wlaked through a snow storm to  Mass and the preist said to him , why did you come just for the  bread  and wine and apparently during the Mass the bread and wine was literally transformed into body and blood of christ . they still have in glass viles the outcome of this miracle. Apparently the statue of our lady turned her head at this miracle happened. Her statue is also still here.  The holy grail was apparently hidden high up here at one stage by the templars but is no longer here. So altogether quite an interesting church to visit. Depsite all this there is a lovely presence in this church and it is a very prayerful place. We pray and  light a candle for all our loved ones and hope that the miraculous quality of this church can extend to their needs.

This morning the mountain weather is more like what we were expecting, misty and drizzling which turned to full on wind and rain. After 8km we shelter in a small cafe and had a hot chocolate. The the weather settled a little and we had a lovely wlak down to Tricastella.

The walking is now not a hardship and our spirit is not dampened by the rain as there is a real joy that is part of the journey that seems uplift  even quite challenging situations.

Tomorrow , we arrive in Santiago.Our time of walking this pilgrimage is nearly come to an end or maybe a better way to look at it is to see that now it is time to adapt a pilgrim way of life as we continue our journey. what does that mean? I guess to begin each day trusting that what happens is for the good. To realise that challenges are chances to build character and often are opportunities for friendship  to develop. To accept that things will not always be perfect but to be grateful for what is rather than hankering for what isnt. To take time each day for a little rest, for time on own but also time for sharing with others. To bhe open to all that a day offfers. The smells, sounds, small things  that delight thte soul. For recognising the fingerprint of God among the everyday moments of life. Above allto bring all the love an dcompassion you can muster to each day. . we will have much to be grateful for as we come into Santiago, our challenges will be part of what we are grateful for.   grace is everywhere in every drop