The Hills Roll On

The Hills Sr have arrived in Spain and are lovin’ it! They brought the sun with them and have been enjoying the “Tour of Galicia” with their darling granddaughter, fabulous son, and marvelous daughter-in-law (she’s quite humble too!).It’s been like a dream come true to explore this gem of Spain with Gavin’s parents. Not only to spend quality time together as a family, invite them deeper into our life and who we are, but also to discovering this lush corner of Spain together. Galicia, an autonomous NW province tucked right above Portugal, is truly a sparkling emerald in the crown of Spain.
This past week we’ve been able to drive up and down the coast from our fishing town of Noia to discover the myriad of scalloped coves and beaches all along coast. A stop at the ancient Celtic Ruins was a must; there’s something you don’t see everyday! We’d pause here or there along our day trips for a little beverage or icecream (Eden discovered fruit popcicles and she likes them ALOT!). Of course we went to the Ends of the Earth so they could look out and try to see Halifax….they couldn’t quite make it out.

A day trip into Santiago is also a must since it is THE tourist destination in this area. The only remaining pilgrimage of the three ancients (Rome, Jerusalem, and yup, Santiago de Compostela (St James of the Feild of Stars); thousands of modern day pilgrims still make their way from all over Europe and the world even to walk or bike the many routes that all pour eventually into Santiago. They all come for different reasons now, some for traditional penance (buying your way into heaven), some for the adventure. All come eventually to the magestic Cathedral of St James at the center of Santiago. A massive cathedral laden with history, legend, myth and incredible art, marks the official end of the pilgrimage. Fortunately for us, it’s only a 40km drive from Noia in the Hills Sr rented Ford Focus 2006!

Later in the first week of 2 we drove further north and east into the beach town of A Coruna for a gorgeous 2 day trip. Staying in a 4 star hotel was sooooo luxurious for us (heated room, king sized bed, hot water with serious water pressure, carpeting!!!). A Coruna was once a small island off the Northern coast of Spain. The Romans filled in the land to it so today it juts out from the continent. Taking advantage of the true blue skies and 20C weather, we popped Eden in her stroller and strolled around the 9 km maritime walk surrounding the city. We passed many a sight, including the originally Roman built Tower of Hercules.

For Holy Friday (Good Friday) we moseyed a little further along the coast to Ferrol, the naval base town on the coast (no one talks about the fact that it’s also General Franco’s birthplace…hated dictators don’t make for good tourism). The Catholics really whoop it up for Semana Santa (Holy Week) here in Spain. Processions of manually carried “floats” (weighing several hundred pounds) are carried through towns with full bands (replete with Celtic bagpipes!) and fully dressed religious entourages. The costumes were startling at first sight; entirely too akin to the KKK, only more colorful. Young people prepare all year for this week; and they have to! You do NOT want that float coming crashing down on you! The young men and women carrying the floats (sometimes up to 50+ people taking an average of 80 pounds of weight each) swayed constantly, even while standing still, too keep rhythm (and I’m sure to endure the 30-45 minutes straight of bearing the sheer weight, in the sun, in full costume with head covering and gloves…whew!) The processions made their way out of the main church, down a few blocks to a main plaza, where they “met” one another in a re-enactment of different Holy Week rememberances. We witnessed the deeply moving meeting of Jesus carrying the cross handing over the care of His mother to John.

Then the climactic meeting of Jesus with His mother. The bands we’re going nuts, people we’re standing stock-still staring at the scene before them, my new Spanish friend talked non-stop filling me in on the scene. It was incredible.
Today we stopped in Lugo, the ancient Roman city that still has the 50 feet tall Roman walls in tact in the city center. A whole city within a city exists today and tourists (or lunchtime joggers) can walk atop the 20 foot wide walls in a full circle around the city. The rain didn’t stop us; you can’t let the rain stop you in this wet corner of Spain…you’d never leave home!

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As we drove back home to Noia this afternoon, I thought of how Trevor and Denise’s vacation to Spain is also a vacation for us. A bittersweet time as we sense the end of our internship drawing inevitably closer. Each gorgeous ‘vista’ (view) I drink in ever more deeply now, for it may the last time we meet. Every gust of ocean air running it’s fingers through my hair makes me close my eyes and tilt my head asking for more. To my surprise, I find my throat closing and eyes welling with tears more often now. I never expected this land and it’s people to soak into my heart so deeply. I thought I’d come, I’d “do internship”, and I’d leave. I never thought I would be so captivated. What will it mean for the future? I don’t know. What it means for me now I can’t really put into words. All I know is that like the relentless waves of the freezing Atlantic wash up along the shore, tide after tide,

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

Psalm 42.7

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God has captivated me in this place, through this time, in more ways than I ever imagined or dared hope was possible. Emotions are washing over me, sometimes softly like the waves at shy beaches along the coast, sometimes crashing into me like the Atlantic meeting the towering cliffs at the Ends of the Earth. One minute I’m so ready to go, the next, I’m weeping for I wish to stay. Only one thing comforts me in this midst of this constant movement,

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 15th, 2006 at 4:21 pm and is filed under Latest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.