artnicklaus

When we first arrived here, I saw the castle on the top of the mountain and of course thought, “I have to go there”… but we have been so busy the past 12 days, and at times the weather has been a bit dicey, so I have had to wait.  But yesterday dawned clear and warm, and I had an extra couple of hours in the afternoon, so it was time to conquer the castle.  I was told that it could be reached by following a dirt road for about 30-40 minutes, but that there was a shortcut somehow, somewhere as well.  I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and I was on my way.

The castle was built by the Moors, who had crossed over from North Africa and conquered pretty much all of Spain several thousand years ago (the Moorish influence is seen in much of Spain today in the architecture and style).  Then the crusaders came to this area, led by the Templar Knights, and drove the Moors out.  A Knight by the name Monjardins conquered the castle here, so they named the town after him:  Villamayor (means “major village”) des Monjardins.  He lived in the castle at times, but was eventually named King of Pamplona and spent time there (maybe 80 K away) as well.

As I started along the road,  I saw a trail (?) heading straight up the mountain.  Could this be the possible shortcut?  Being a shortcut kind of a person, I decided to chance it.  A few minutes into the trail, I could see that it was really just a “wash”, or small ravine formed by the winter rains flowing down in streams from the top of the mountain.  But I continued, hoping it would take me clear to the top.  Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”.  And a song from the 70’s by a group called The Second Chapter of Acts popped into my head, the chorus words being “taking the easy way isn’t the easy way…”  As I fought my way through a narrowing trail lined with brambles that were wanting to tear at my short pant legs, I knew it was a lost cause and finally turned around and went back to the road to start again.

We are in the Navarre region of Spain, close to the Basque part, and it is beautiful. Vineyards, olive trees, small farms, small fields plowed and planted where the ground flattens out a bit.

At last, the castle appears.  There is a locked gate into the castle, but the bar owner in the village has given me a key (in exchange for my passport) so that I can enter.

The steps up to the gate.  When I arrive, the big padlock on the gate is unlocked; there are two Spanish couples already here who have evidently also gotten a key from the bar.  I try my key anyway, just to see, and it doesn’t fit!  I am very happy that the gate is already open, since the bar owner obviously gave me the wrong key.

Our village awaits me below.  The large building in the upper left corner is the winery. We serve wine to the pilgrims each night at dinner, so we buy it in big plastic bottles, maybe three or four litre bottles, 6 or 7 at a time.  They are filled right out of the cask and the cost?  70 cents U.S. per litre.  It is simple, but quite good wine.

So, back in the village 25 minutes later, I return to the bar to trade my key for my passport.  The same Spanish woman who gave me the key in the first place greets me, but won’t accept the key from me?  I keep trying to give it to her, and she keeps jabbering away at me in Spanish while shaking her head “no” and pointing at the key.  I am beginning to get a little impatient with her, and keep asking for my passport, but she just won’t have any of it. Finally a Spanish gentleman, one of the men that was at the castle, intervenes and speaks to me (also in Spanish) while showing me HIS key to the castle.  While mine has a black plastic tag attached to it, his is a kind of lime green color.  And it gradually dawns on me… I reach into my other pocket, and pull out a key with a lime green tag.  I have been trying to give the barkeeper my room key.  And I had tried to open the castle padlock, also with my room key…

The king himself.  This bust is mounted in the village just below our albergue (hostel).  It wasn’t until I returned to take this picture that I realized that he is gazing up longingly at his castle, no doubt dreaming of the day he might return.

Ha! Although I probably do deserve sainthood or beatification, or something after one week working at this albergue (hostel) (dormitory type hotel)…

Actually, it has been a blast. The days have been long, but full and fun, working with 5 other volunteers from Holland. Bert is the leader, has been here before and will be here a total of 7 months. Bert directs traffic, physically as well as spiritually, he is a pleasure to serve under, lots of fun, but with a true heart after God– to know him and to make him known. His girlfriend just arrived a couple of days ago. Betty worked here last year under Bert’s leadership for a period of time, and romance bloomed! Niels and Josie are a beautiful couple married for less than one year who will also spend the entire 7 months serving, and they also are just the greatest to work with and for. Martine is a young dutch man who was walking the Camino and stopped in here a few weeks ago and ended up staying to volunteer and serve. He and I have become fast friends, always joking with one another as well as encouraging one another.

Pictures follow that tell a bit of a day in the life at the albergue…

Early morning in Villamayor de Monjardins, population 120 (122 now that Julee and I are here).  Pilgrims are on their way in the rain after breakfast in the albergue.

After breakfast, everyone pitches in to clean.  Bathrooms are cleaned and floors mopped each day…

Bert and Martine devoutly leading our prayer time with the lovely Betty looking on…

When the weather is wet, laundry hangs everyplace inside the hostel

Bert and Betty heating up last night’s dinner leftovers for lunch.  Lunch is informal, at your own discretion as only breakfast and dinner are served to the pilgrims.

Julee has been very sick with the flu the last several days. The staff came up to join me in praying for her recovery, and Bert sang her a song to cheer her up. She preferred to not be in the picture, so you see only the outline of her legs under the bedspread in our bedroom!  A pilgrim who is a doctor saw her last night and diagnosed the flu, and told her to get some antibiotics if she isn’t well in the next few days. Please say a prayer for her!

A pilgrim arrives as Martine is at the desk registering the guests. The first couple of days we could set up outside in the sunshine and do this, but the last few days have been wet and cool, so the fire is lit so that the pilgrims have a room to warm up in, and clothes racks to hang their wet things. It costs about $7 for a room, $12 for the optional dinner (which is abundant, and good, lots of vegetables, salad, small dessert, and of course wine from the local winery), and optional $7 for a nice breakfast; $20 euro all inclusive!

Meanwhile, Niels and Josie are preparing dinner.  There is always some energetic music going during dinner prep.  I walked in on Bert and Martine the day before, and they had some uptempo gospel music turned up; Bert was banging away on pots and pans with large utensils, while Martine was at the microwave turning the timer off and on in time to the music, “ting”, “ting”, “ting”…

Dinner is served at 6:30 PM.  Much too early for the Spaniards, who normally don’t dine until 9 PM at the earliest.  Half of them usually choose to eat at the bar down the way later.  But most pilgrims eat with us. Pictured are about 20 people from last night representing 8 countries: Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Canada, Argentina, and England. There have been very few from the U.S. so far.  We say a prayer before dinner, hand out a gospel of John in whatever language is appropriate just before dessert, and then invite them all to a “meditation time” after dinner for about a half hour starting at 8:30 PM.  Some are so tired, they are asleep by then, but we usually have from 4 to 10 or so that come.  Soft music is played, and some scripture is shared inbetween long periods of silence.  Low key, relaxing.  Afterwards, tea is served, conversations are held in small groups, and perhaps a pilgrim is prayed for at his or her’s request.  All very natural and “in the Spirit”, not religious or pushy!  Then we clean up, and the staff will sit and debrief over more tea and maybe some cookies and chocolate, often until 11 PM.

There is a schedule made out weekly, and everyone does everything, on a rotation basis.  My favorite job is “hospitalero”, the one that welcomes and registers the pilgrims, shows them to their bed (23 beds in a total of 4 rooms), and hosts the dinner time.

Such is a day in the life here for Saint Arthur and Princess Julee…

Still trying to fIgure out this new blog software! I posted a blog this morning, but accidentally on Julee’s site, so please click on the link to the right that says “Julee’s blog” this one time to see MY blog…