Dear Christine. You already know how badly this leg of my trip started. I’m still kicking myself at my lapse of attention that resulted in my exit from the train 55 miles before my destination. Thank goodness for the kind lady in the ticket office who (at no additional cost) issued me a new ticket to complete the trip to Madrid. I am equally grateful that I was able to share the extra two hours in the station with Richard from the UK. My age, a retired physician, recently undergone heart surgery, and walking his fourth Camino. A very interesting man.
When I arrived at my hostel in Madrid I thought that my luck has gone from bad to worse. The street was narrow, dark, and “earthy“.
The hostel was located on the second floor of what appeared to be an ancient tenement. The hallways inside were narrow and dimly lit. There was no public space to allow for socialization. My room had more in common with a hermits cell than a hotel room. I knew I only had myself to blame. I had selected the hostel based on price and location. It advertised that the room included a bath, which was literally true. However, the “bath“ was a tiny shower and a tinier sink. The toilet was down the hall in a minuscule closet.
No wonder the management required full payment at booking with no refunds.
Here are pictures of my room from two angles, there aren’t any more angles in it.
It didn’t take long for me to look on the bright side: The room is clean, serviced daily, the bed is comfortable, the location can’t be beat, (one block to the subway, four blocks to the Plaza Mayor, and it is in the heart of the old city) and it is a bargain at €90 a day, compared with most accommodations in the vicinity that are three to four times that.
I pursued suggestions I had received for things to see and do in and around Madrid. Last night I visited the Plaza Mayor and enjoyed my first real vegetable salad in way too long. My stomach is still thanking me. Also, NO CHURCHES!
After dinner I purchased a two day “hop on hop off“ bus ticket. As an “old person“ it only cost me €14. I took the tour this morning, but not until after I had visited the nearby Sunday flea market.
It was huge, occupying main avenues and side streets for blocks in every direction. It was extraordinary! Of course it was a flea market… one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
I asked myself, how could there possibly be enough people in this city to make such a huge flea market commercially viable? The answer is, it’s a huge population. What’s more, I think every soul living in the city was out on the streets today.
The bus tour provided an excellent overview of sites that I hope to visit. It’s a beautiful city with lots of character.
I visited an amazing botanical garden. Admission was free.
In one area the walkways were lined with serpentine shapes of copper pipe. Some of the pipes sang music, others allow you to communicate with unknown people at the hidden other end, and these released fogs of mist.The gardens feature Spain’s largest collection of Japanese bonsai trees.
I also visited the Plaza and Palace de Cibeles, where I was able to view the city from the top of the palace’s 8 story tower.
On the plaza there is a memorial flame in honor of those citizens who have died in the pandemic.
I finished my evening with a return to the Plaza Mayor where I again took in a light dinner and a cold beer while I enjoyed anonymously watching the flow of humanity.
Spectators were entertained by older adults in traditional costumes dancing the night away.
Tomorrow I’m going to take in more of the city. I have purchased a round trip train ticket for a visit to Toledo on Tuesday.
Tell Wendy “Hi” and give her a hug from me… give yourself two. It sounds like you both had an awesome time in Nice. Safe travels tomorrow to Paris.
Love, Me.
PS. I am stunned by the number of people who have reached out to me publicly and privately in response to my open letter to you about “The Decision”. I feel affirmed in both my choice to undergo the procedure and to be public about it.
Dear Christine. A few days ago I told you I had decided. You ask how I came to the choice, and why while I was walking across Portugal and Spain. Your question took me by surprise, and I’m not satisfied with the quick answer that I gave. The question has occupied my thoughts these last few days because we both deserve a thoughtful reply.
“It” has haunted and stalked me since grade school. Until playmates begin pointing it out, I gave it no mind, I was being like my mother. My dad said we both just worried too much.
In high school I was too young to legally drink alcohol, but that didn’t stop me. Friends found it curious that after a beer or two “it” temporarily disappeared. I since learned that this is a common trait.
Aptitude tests in college and my own interests pointed me in the direction of a career in medicine, but that was certainly out of the question. Instead, I became a lawyer.
I was always able to adapt. Two hands to put a key in a lock, tall beverage glasses half full or lids on coffee cups, instead of hammers and nails it was cordless drills and screws. A really good legal assistant and voice-to-text typing proved invaluable.
“It” didn’t stop me from bicycling across the United States when I was 58 or hiking with you across Spain when I was 61 and then across Portugal when I was 66. It didn’t stop me from sailing, traveling, or pursuing the things that have enriched our lives with our children and grandchildren.
This last month has been different. I am again hiking Portugal and Spain, but this time without you. “It” has become progressively worse the last few years, but the assistance that you have given me each day we are together has quietly taken up the slack in a way that I had not fully appreciated.
In your absence I see my limitations every time I look at a menu. Where I sit in a restaurant matters, as does the question of table service versus self-service. Completing information forms at the airport or hotel necessitates humility on my part and assistance from others. While I am beyond being embarrassed, I am not beyond confronting reality and the future.
I hinted at this in my earlier essay, “Alone and Invisible“:
“…I also read from the script of the possible future. We have shared over 48 years together, 45 of them as husband and wife. It is exceedingly rare that spouses draw their last breaths together. More common is the outcome visioned in the vows which begin the journey of marriage, “…until death do us part.” It was thus with my mother living alone for 11 years after dad died, and the same for your dad living 9 years without your mother. It is likely that one of us will have to embrace “alone” as a way of life.”
My mantra has always been, “Don’t put off until tomorrow the things you may then find you are unable to do.“ At 70 years old I am mindful that circumstances could arise at any time to deprive me of this decision.
So, assuming the neurologists and neurosurgeons still agree, I have decided to undergo bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation surgery (“DBS”) to treat my Essential Tremors. I have chosen this over the newer Focused Ultrasound therapy (“FUS”) because it is reversible and can be done bilaterally. While both treatments report over 90% rates of patient satisfaction and safety, DBS has a proven track record of long-term efficacy. I have weighed these factors against the usual risks of surgery and my understandable aversion to having holes drilled in my skull and implants placed in the center of my brain.
All that having been said, you are still a part of this decision and I invite your thoughts when we rejoin each other next week in Barcelona.
Love, Peter.
PS. Those of you other than my wife may wonder why I am being so public about this. It is because this condition has been “public” my entire life. It is not something I have ever been able to hide. ET is the most prevalent of neurological motion disorders in the world. ET directly impacts the lives of nearly 1 out of every 50 people. It also impacts the lives of loved ones like my wife. Fortunately, for most it is merely annoying. Unfortunately, for many like me it becomes progressive in later years and significantly effects the quality of life.
Dear Christine. Do you remember years ago in Florence Italy learning of a psychological condition occurring in individuals overwhelmed by the art and antiquity they have been exposed to? It is called Stendhal’s syndrome, or more commonly “Florence syndrome”.
I think that I am on the verge of becoming a victim, but in my case it’s from the overwhelming saturation of religious objects and art. Perhaps in my case it should be called St. Stendhal’s syndrome, aka, “Burgos syndrome”.
The cathedral at Leon was impressive. However, it is a distant second to the size, scope, and content of the Burgos cathedral.
Moreover, Burgos is absolutely choked with ancient churches. Throw a stone and you are virtually assured of hitting one.
Today, I visited the Monasterio de las Huelgas, a Cistercian convent that has been in operation since the 12th century. There are still at least 30 nuns in residence along with their assistants. It contains a royal pantheon that extends through three large chambers and houses the earthly remains of 33 kings, queens, princes, and princesses.
Until the Council of Trent (1545-1563) the Abbess heard confessions, granted absolution, and may have performed other sacraments.
Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed and access was only given as a member of a Spanish language only tour. You’ll have to take my word for it that the art and religious objects, many dating to the 12th century and earlier, are spectacular and in a state of remarkable preservation. I was allowed to take a picture of the outside and one in the cloister.
Many of the rooms featured massive boards of oak flooring polished to a mirror gloss. The flooring alone was worth the visit and dates to the 1500s. The surface was irregular given the hundreds of years of foot traffic. We walked those floors.
Next I visited the church of Saint Nicholas, patron of Burgos. Again, an incredible collection of sacred artifacts.
Then there was yet another… this time the church and museum of St. Esteban.
As you can see, I am limiting the number of pictures. There are just too many.
Finally, I spent hours within the cathedral, spread between a morning and a separate afternoon visit. Here are just a few notable pictures. A person could spend days wandering from chapel to chapel and museum chamber to museum chamber.
These sculptures, nearly 800 years old, represent the proposal of marriage from King Ferdinand to Queen Beatrice of Swabia. 800 year old sculpture of the four princes.Looking directly upward at the cathedral vault over 150 feet overhead.
I walked over 20,000 steps today, and I was not even “on the Camino“.
Burgos has wonderful pedestrian avenues,
… sculptures that make one laugh,
… hundreds of bars, cafés, and restaurants.
I had a morcilla bocadillo (blood sausage sandwich) at lunch, and tapas for dinner. I’m beginning to feel a desperate need for vegetables!
I’m still chewing on how best to respond to your question. It deserves an honest and well thought out answer. I did get replies today from both messages that I sent the other day.
Sleep well. I’m excited to give you a call tomorrow and know that we are seeing the sun from roughly the same angle.
Dear Christine. The day has finally arrived and you are on a plane for Europe! Tomorrow we will find ourselves in the same time zone. There are still 10 days before we’ll be together but being on the same side of the ocean is a big step in that direction.
I arrived in Burgos this afternoon by train. The hotel is just as charming as I recall from nine years ago.
It is located on the Camino, which passes directly under my balcony, and is one of the oldest in the city having first opened its doors in 1904. At just over €50 a night it’s a real bargain.
My first order of business was to get some laundry done. The small coin operated laundromat was only two blocks away. Apparently, washing dogs in the machines is prohibited.
That task accomplished, I found a nice outdoor restaurant to enjoy an excellent pizza, a couple of beers, and a café con leche.
Three English speaking pilgrims, probably in their late 40s, were seated near me discussing their experiences on the Camino. One periodically met my eye. As they stood to leave I extended the common greeting, “Buen Camino!“. The gentleman replied, “Gracias!” to which I responded with “You’re welcome, I’m American.“ I have been wearing my beret in the evenings and the gentleman assumed I was Spanish or French. We had a good laugh.
Remember when we first began traveling in Europe in the early 80’s? It was so easy to pick out Americans. The sneakers, T-shirts, jeans, ball caps… There were so many “tells“. It’s no longer that way. American and Western European styles have blended to make nationality indistinguishable by sight alone.
Today alone I saw Harvard, Yale, and Marshall University sweaters all worn by Europeans. The same with Carhartt, Vans, and any number of other popular brands seen just as often on the streets of America as here on the streets of Spain.
However, it is easy to distinguish Camino pilgrims. It’s the shoes, the zip off pants, the haggard look that hints at near homelessness yet is contrasted with joy in the eyes and a smile on the lips. As I watched pilgrims walking interspersed among locals I found myself wishing to return again to the Camino. It would be such a joy to share this with Peter, our daughters, and/or our grandchildren.
I thought the evening beauty of Leon could not be beat, but after tonight I’m picking Burgos.
See you in my dreams. Love, Me.
PS. Dear Liz S. If you thought that the title to this post was meant as wordplay, congratulations! You know me well!
Dear Christine. After another excellent Hotel breakfast this morning I again enjoyed wandering the streets of Leon, especially the serpentine corridors of the old medieval city that was built outside of the Roman walls.
There were plazas,..
…and a delightful little church that featured a 400 year old model of a ship that was donated by a grateful captain who survived war at sea.
A real highlight was the museum of Saint Isidore of Leon. With camera ready imagine my disappointment when I was told that pictures were not allowed. I desperately wanted to provide you at least the image of the candidate for “the Holy Grail”. Not to get over the top about this, but it is a chalice comprised of two ancient bowls made from Roman onyx, one of which scholars have reliably dated to the first century.
The museum provided an online guide that I referenced in the course of my tour. Wonder of wonders! I could capture the images and save them to my photo library! I could also block and copy the narrative. Therefore, I have done precisely those two things in order to give you a virtual taste of what I experienced today.
I will apologize in advance that there may be too much detail in the narratives, but I felt that too much was better than not enough. You can skip over and page through as you wish. Really, the images are what matter most. Also, the translation to English is imperfect. The “typos“are not of my creation:
“The kings of León collected an important treasure thanks to the Canons of the monastery that have last to nowadays. One of the most important pieces is “the Ivory casket” made in 1059. It was the Reliquary Box of St John the Baptist and St Pelagius.”
“It was made here in Leon because the King Fernando the first and the queen Sancha created here one of the best workshops of ivory in Europe at that time. You can notice how ivory is carved with great detail.”
“This casket was coated with gold also disappeared in the nineteenth century (looted by Napoleon’s troops) and inside is also coated with Arab embroidery. King Ferdinand the First sent for the relics of Saint Isidore of Seville to consecrate the Church under his patronage in 1063. To transport the relic he commanded to do this casket. It has a wood core covered in sheet silver and gilder silver with reliefs on some sheets, special scenes of Paradise. We can see the history of Adam and Eve. The lining of the lid is an Arabian embroidery with figures of birds and quadrupeds, while the body of the box is lined with Andalusian cloth.”
“Another casket came from Limoges. This city in the middle of the 12th Century is known because of the art of enamels. It resembles a cruciform church showing Christ on the Cross and his Majesty, Mary and John, the Trinity, angels and Apostles.”
“The chest is made of wood (oak) and is coated with 17 copper sheets. The blue is made of cobalt oxide, then they add glass powder and all of them gets into an oven at high temperature. This casket reproduces the shape of a temple gabled roof with the cruise.”
“The Royal Pantheon is a marvellous place wellknown as “The Sistine Chapel of the Romanesque Art”.
“Here lie 33 members of the Leonese Court, 11 kings, 12 queens, 10 infantes (princes) and 9 counts, together with a number of nobles. The building of the place was ordered by the King Ferdinand the 1st and the Queen Sancha.”
“In the 12th Century there was an important scriptorium (library) in Saint Isidoro. It was conducted by Saint Martino, a canon of the monastery and a pilgrim who travelled all over the world. His remains are inside a chapel of the Basilica.
“Here is a collection of more than 809 historical documents of different types (royal documents, Pope documents, religious or private ones).”
“The jewel of the library is this codex one of the rarest codices in the world. It is a Visigothic-Mozarabic Bible. The colophon tells us that was the work of Florencius and Sancho in 960. It is composed by 514 parchment leaves.”
“The preservation is perfect, no missing leaf, and inside, the colors of the thumbnails still retain vivid. It has more than a hundred thumbnails that represent scenes of the Old Testament.”
A huge choral book measuring @ 3 feet across when open. It is one of many.
“It is called Mozarabic Bible because the monks who made it were mozarabic, they were Christian buts their habits and traditions were Arabians, because they came from the south of Spain, Al-Andalus. That is why the Bible is written in latin language, but the marginal notes are written in Arabic.”
The Chalice of Doña Urraca. Perhaps the “Holy Grail?
“Doña Urraca, the donor of the (jewels set into the chalice) was Fernando I and Sancha’s daughter, was Dómina (ladyship) del Infantado of León and later Lady of Zamora. It was an institution that permits women to have their own goods and properties while they did not get married. They were powerful women.”
“She is well known and appears in the epic poem “Cantar de Mio Cid”. She was very important for the Kingdom of Leon’s legitimacy. Her remains rest in our Royal Pantheon.”
“The body of the Chalice is formed by 2 cups of eastern Roman onyx or agate one for the drinking vessel and one for the base dated in the first century.”
“These Roman pieces were decorated by Doña Urraca with her finest jewels and precious stones and she gave them the shape of a Chalice.”
“The decoration is made of gold, silver gilt, precious stones like amethysts and emeralds, seed pearls and a human face made of glass paste which has been considered a Roman cameo. The nail knot has green cabochons pearls, sapphires and emeralds. All this is by crimping with a golden filigree and topped by leaves and stems.”
“In the bottom of the knot, there is an inscription on golden strand saying: “IN NOMINE D (OMI) NI VRRACCA FREDINA (N) DI” On behalf of the Lord, Urraca from Fernando.”
“The interest of the media about this work of art was triggered by the publication of the research carried out by PhD. Margarita Torres Sevilla and PhD. José Miguel Ortega del Río ‘The Kings of the Grail: Tracing the Historic Journey of the Holy Grail from Jerusalem to Spain’ Michael O’Mara Books Ltd (16th April 2015). From the aforementioned research it is derived that the Roman bowl decorated to form this chalice was venerated since S.IV AD (the AD 300’s) in all Christendom as the goblet which Christ used in His Last Supper.”
“The Holy Grail was in the Saint sepulcher of Jerusalem from the 4th Century to the year 1009 when the city was sacked by Al-Hakam. The researchers found two documents dated in the 11th Century kept in the Library of al-Azhar in the Cairo. The documents tell that there was a great famine in Egypt because of the dryness. The Calif Al-Mutansir asks for aid to the muslim’s kingdoms. The Emir of Denia, a little kingdom near Alicante sent boats with food.”
“To thank his gesture, the Calif of Egypt gave to the emir of Denia different gifts. Among all of them he gave him the two onyx cups that compose this chalice. During the journey a small piece of onyx was cut with a small knife. We can see the missing part in the upper vessel.”
“The Kingdom of León had one of the most powerful kings of Christianity, Fernando the 1st, at that time he was attacking the city of Valencia. So the emir of Denia, gave the vessels as a gift to Fernando the 1st in order to get on well with him and not to be attacked.”
“The other document found in the Cairo, tell us that in the 12th Century Sultan Saladin ask for the piece that had been cut of the vessel in order to cure his daughter that was ill. At that time, people considered these relics to have special powers.”
“We wonder if Urraca enriched the piece with her personal finest jewels, knew or not that the relic was one of the most important relics of Christianity.”
So Christine, did you get all that? Pretty darn fascinating.
Our friend Joe messaged how impressed he was with the beauty of the cathedral. I decided to return and focus my attention on better photographic resolution of the stained-glass.
I’m pleased with the results, although I really do think my camera is on it’s last legs.
I leave tomorrow for Burgos, home of another monumental cathedral. Religious or not, spiritual or not, it would take a very hard heart not to be moved by the dedication and devotion of those who built these magnificent structures and worshiped within their walls.
Safe travels tomorrow. By the time that you read this missive, you and I will be in the same time zone. Love You, Me.
PS. Thank you for your encouragement and support. While I expected nothing less, I don’t take it for granted. I have gone forward with messages to both.
