Walked: 10.79Km
This must be the most beautiful place where I have written a work/walk log. It was a very short walk, owing to the fact that I wanted to stay at the albergue in Arrés. There are a couple of albergues along the camino which I would call spiritual waterholes, places to stay if you are in a crisis of faith regarding your walk. Arrés is one of them.
Arrés is managed by the Association of Friends of the Saint James Way. In order to become a hospitalero at one of these albergues you must complete a course and fulfill other minor pre-requisites. The albergues are hosted by at least two hospitaleros, usually they provide dinner and breakfast, and are donation based.
Not all magic albergues are managed in this way. Sometimes there's a religious order or figure behind the albergue. I remember very well a Deacon and his wife, both of whom were 60+, they managed an albergue which hosted more than 40 pilgrims every night. They cleaned and prepared dinner for everyone on their own, all you had to do was clean your own dishes. I asked the deacon how did they manage. He shrugged saying: we don't have children of our own, so you are our children. It doesn't weigh on us doing this every day, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do this for years.
When I arrived to Arrés I was greeted with a message on a wall:
After much walking I learned that there is only one religion, love. There is only one race, the human race. And there is only one language, serving [the other].
It's strikingly different when you encounter these messages as spiritual platitudes on your timeline from long walks thirsting for meaning. My eyes filled halfway with tears, for I haven't walked enough as to comprehend in my heart the true meaning of the last sentence.
This is the work I pray to complete in this walk.
