Today and yesterday were quite long (25 & 30K respectively), which is why I´ve been absent from the computer. I swore that I wouldn´t get blisters, between my special socks and the use of Vaseline on my feet. However...we reached a decision point at 1pm yesterday - to stay where we were for the night, or to walk another 12K (8mi), as there was only uninhabited countryside in between. We chose to go on, and instead of listening to the pain in my feet and legs, and stopping to investigate the cause and administer care to them, I powered through to the town that was ¨just around the next bend¨or ¨just over the next rise.¨ When I took off my shoes, I found blisters on several toes, in addition to some insect bites that were becoming infected. Today, I began by bandaging my feet, and managed to find the proper balance between ignoring their constant complaining and checking in with them now and then. When we faced a similar decision today, I took a rest with my feet bare and elevated, then checked the bandages, changed socks, and walked a few steps before deciding to go on. I learned to hold my toes in different positions for ascending and descending hills. Believe it or not, I´m not fond of downhill, but level is the bomb! We really get a good pace going then.
The scenery has been beautiful - rolling hills, vineyards, olive, nut and fig trees, with majestic mountains in the background. We´ve enjoyed the small towns we´ve passed through, as well as the very prevalent Medieval ruins.
Tonight we´re at a municipal hostel in the largest city we´ve seen yet - Logorño. It has a large industrial area, as well as a group of homeless people hanging out by the church near our hostel. I went to visit the church and Miguel opened the door for me on the way out. I felt moved to give him my Ecclesia cross, with the standard blessing, of course. It just seemed right. I think common cathedral has been on my mind especially today, as a Level 1 hurricane is hitting New England, and I hope everyone decided to stay safely inside today. It would be the first time ever that common cathedral has not happened, in more than 15 years, but I think it is justified. I´ll call home soon to find out how the storm is progressing there.
One thing I forgot to mention before: As we were landing in Dublin, seemingly just feet from the ground, suddenly we felt the nose of the plane pull up and the engines thrust. We were taking off again. Everyone on the plane was silent. Wendell, who is retired from the Air Force, said there must have been something in the runway. Soon, the pilot came on to say that there was a problem with the runway lights. As we banked only twice to return to the airport, Wendell surmised that the pilot had actually approached the runway from the wrong direction. So, we had 3 takeoffs and 2 landings - not usually a good thing for these numbers not to match.
I´ll try to upload some pictures next time I post. Peace to all, and prayers for you. Please pray for us.
