Rabanal del Camino and the Cruz de Ferro

We love Rabanal del Camino! Just across the street from our hotel an 11th century church and a relatively new monastery. This is a quiet little town. The church offers an opportunity for meditation. We have grown to love the monks who run a hostel and provide Mass to the pilgrims who come there. After Completas (the last Mass of the day) we stood around and visited with the Prior, Juan Antonio, with father Antoine and father Cassian. They were a delight as we talked and shared and laughed. The opportunity to interact with people of different faiths is one of my favorite dimensions of the Camino.  Here are our friends... Also, just a quick funny moment. When we asked them to be in a picture, father Cassian ran over to the monastery's gift shop and grabbed this censor and began to swing it as if to bless us. 

left to right: father Antoine, father Juan Antonio (Prior), me, and father Cassian. A very funny moment came when some of the girls wanted to do a selfie and father Antoine jumped into the mix.

Later that day we arrived at the Cruz de Ferro. This is a place that for several hundred years pilgrims have left a small stone in remembrance of a friend, as a way to plead for another needs, or to leave behind a burden. We have had some amazing experiences here with other pilgrims. Their experiences have blessed our life immensely.