And the flat nothing continues...mostly wheat and corn flavoured flat nothing. The Camino runs parallel to a country road at this point, and we saw more tractors than cars going by.Bercianos itself is a tiny village constructed primarily of mud-brick houses with swallow nests under the eaves, and geraniums or petunias spilling out the windows. About half the houses are in ruins, with gardens and fig trees planted where the main room once was. It is a very picturesque town, and i took many photos.
The Albergue itself was in the convent. The convent was the same wattle and daub construction of the rest of the town, and swallows had made their nests in the rafters. All day the birds swooped in and out, paying no mind to the gathering crowd of pilgrims.
These nuns were sisters to the ones in Carrion, and had the
same songbook for the nun sing-a-long. This crowd was not quite so outgoing as that one, but it was still very nice.There were 53 of us in all (pilgrims and nuns). The nuns asked for volunteers to help cook and lay the table. Somehow we managed to cram every last pilgrim into the kitchen and then into the dining room for a shared meal. After dinner, everone went outside to watch the sunset, followed by a blessing for safe journey.
There is a lot I don´t agree with in the Catholic church. However, the nuns we have met, and the convents we have stayed in have been some of the most special people and places we have encountered along the Camino. The nuns accept that we are on the Camino for any number of reasons, and that there are any number of faiths or non-believers. They wish us all wellness, peace, and love no matter what our creed or reason for walking to Santiago. I am having trouble finding words for the peace or the warmth...there is something special there. I am aware of it, but I haven´t quite been able to express it yet. Perhaps in a future post.
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