Today is a great day for these pilgrims: we have reached Castilla-La Mancha! On setting foot in Requena we leave the Valencian Community and, what’s more, we put the first tick in the second column of the T-shirt. It’s a method of pilgrim bookkeeping that we’ll explain better: we have several T-shirt designs, all really cool, designed by the Communications super-committee. One of them has the list of all the stages on the back, and it really encourages us to check our progress day after day. So, starting the second column means we have already completed a third of our pilgrimage.
Along the way today we already felt the Castilian sun… The last hour was hotter than usual, but singing with the ukulele makes everything more enjoyable, and we were able to keep up with the great rhythm set by Antonio and Franco at the front.
Today our accommodation is a sports centre with a slightly run-down air, like a boarding school from the communist era. Álvaro P. looked at it and said philosophically: “And to think that one day someone opened this…”. But don’t worry: inside it’s perfect and the showers work brilliantly.
We celebrated Mass in the church of San Salvador, a spectacular fifteenth-century church, Gothic in structure with Baroque decoration inside. The Hakuna youth group accompanied us with their songs, and it was beautiful to see how we are all part of the same family, singing with one voice.
The parish priest preached a moving homily on the passage from today’s reading: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened.” He reminded us that the Lord doesn’t end the sentence with “I will fix all your problems”, but with “I will give you rest”. That is, he will hold us up, relieve us, help us carry the weight of our crosses. He encouraged us to remember this as we walk: that we always go with the Lord, the best company.
To end the day, they took us to a bar and we had tapas for dinner, which brought us back to life. How good the patatas bravas, the cheese fingers and the chicken drumsticks were! We really are spoilt by heaven!
We’re off to bed now, as tomorrow is a stage for champions… 44 km, no more, no less. Please remember us! You know that you are with us in every step we take.
A big hug and good night!