By Rick McKay
Editor’s note: Rick McKay, Joe Masonick, and Jack Karolewski, have been travel companions for more than 50 years to a variety of sites with many goals. This week’s adventure is the 22nd in the series, a 14-day hike in 2005 across northern Spain’s intriguing Camino de Santiago, known as the Way of Santiago, for a religious retreat and pilgrimage. Visiting various villages on the journey requires continual hiking and climbing. This week contiues Day 7 on the journey, Vega del Valcarce to O Cebriero, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005.
The previous article is at thevoice.us/insects-tame-on-the-trip
Thus today, just like every other day so far, was one of joy and pain: The fresh mountain air, the gurgling brook which ran alongside the village of Las Herrerias, the low-clanging sound of cow bells in the pasture, the dappled sunlight piercing here and there the oak canopy under which we hiked ever higher toward the mountain pass of O Cebriero. All the while each footfall aggravated the dull pain in my lower leg when I leaned my body into the incline to better bear the burden on my back.
And yet, I love every minute!
Exploring O Cebriero
In the village there is a small church. Legend has it that the Holy Grail (the chalice from which Christ drank at the Last Supper) was kept here for a time. One Winter’s day during that period in the church’s history, a peasant from a village in the valley below braved the icy winds and swirling snow to attend mass at the mountaintop church. The priest, startled by the peasant’s appearance at the door, berated him for making the dangerous trek simply to take communion. The peasant in turn chastised the priest for his lack of faith in the importance of the Holy Communion, and at that moment, the bread and wine before the priest miraculously turned to flesh and blood—this due to the hidden presence of the Grail. Some say the statue of the head of the Virgin Mary turned to the right at the moment of the miracle. Later the Pope affirmed the veracity of the miracle.
The flesh and blood were kept and were put in a silver reliquary donated by Queen Isabella which still can be seen today to the right of the nave below the chalice, which legend has it, was used for communion on that fateful day. The Holy Grail was later removed from the church and disappeared into the fog of history.
On a hill above O Cebriero there stands a wooden cross into which pilgrims have embedded so many coins over the years that they must make up at least half of its substance. I have not yet been able to find out the story behind this strange tradition.
From this same vantage, looking east, I could see Ponferrada, the large industrial city through which we passed several days ago. It amazes me that we have traveled so far in such a short time.
Continued at thevoice.us/sense-of-freedom-cows-curious-encounter