Camino Ignaciano: St. Pau de la Guardia to Monastery of Montserrat (Day 13)
Day 13: St. Pau de la Guardia to Monastery of Montserrat
Stage 11 of the Camino
After joining Lauds this morning, I stepped outside the Basilica. I was in time to catch the sunrise! The surrounding mountains were covered with a sea of clouds and the sun was casting its soft yellow glow on the place. Wow, it was beautiful!
At breakfast, as I stood in line at the coffee machine, I struck up a conversation with a blonde-haired gentleman standing behind me. It turned out that he was from New York and was a Jesuit! I quickly called Fr. Louis, our pilgrimage chaplain and a Jesuit himself, and introduced them to one another. His name was Fr. Tom Sloan (not sure of the spelling!). He had recently been assigned to Buffalo for pastoral ministry and was accompanying a group of American pilgrims. When he learned that we were doing the Camino Ignaciano, he gave us the thumbs-up and said that we were brave!
It was an odd description, I thought. But he was right. Indeed, bravery was what we needed for today's walk!
Sant Pau de la Guardia
The van took us downhill and brought us to Sant Pau de la Guardia, a small village near Montserrat. We were dropped off near the start of a mountain trail and were told to climb uphill.
Off we went in good spirits! I was with the JesComm crew who were a jolly and friendly bunch and our climb uphill was full of laughter and jokes. When we reached higher elevation, the views were breathtaking and we stopped often to film for the documentary.
About an hour or so later, I received a call from our guide Ignacio. He asked where we were and provided directions for the route. He told us to look for a pine tree which had an orange arrow pointing downwards on its trunk. We were to follow that arrow leading down by finding the "staircase of rocks". It sounded pretty simple and I cheerfully thanked him for the instructions.
About half an hour later, we finally reached the pine tree. It was a short tree growing on the side of the mountain. It did have an orange arrow which pointed downwards and we looked down. Boy oh boy, we found ourselves looking at the edge of a cliff! There were huge boulders jutting out from the cliff which we had to use climbing down. There were no rails or staircases, so one small mistake could lead you to fall off the mountain into the valley down below. It was scary!
I immediately froze on the spot and was thinking of turning back where we came from. It was a good thing that I was with the crew. The two gentlemen, Chito and Lito, helped me navigate the way down, despite having to carry their bulky film camera and boom mic themselves. We slowly made our way down, often having to sit and slide off a boulder in order to get to the one below. It was frightening for me, but the experience made the Camino feel very authentic. I can imagine that instead of paved roads or well-trodden mountain trails, this type of terrain was exactly what St. Ignatius had to go through to reach Montserrat.
The entire leg took us about 3 hours, double the amount of time allotted. When we reached the pit stop, our guide German was waiting. I said that I didn't want to walk anymore after that scary experience, but added, "Now I think I really experienced what St. Ignatius went through." He smiled and said, "That's enough for me. That's what matters!"
Monastery of Santa Cecilia and Back to Montserrat
We decided that we had enough excitement for the day. We hopped into the van and it took us to the second pitstop -- the Monastery of Santa Cecilia, which was located a few kilometers on the way to the Basilica. It was built with a Romanesque architecture which blended well with its surroundings. Inside, there was a gift shop which showcased avant-garde art of Sean Scully, an Irish painter. It was a pleasant surprise to discover art in such a remote location!
We had decided to stop walking, bypassing both the second and third legs of today's camino, but God had other plans.
We were inside the van, heading back to Montserrat. We passed by and saw our fellow pilgrims walking along the side of the highway -- they looked hot and tired! We were grateful that we were comfortable and cozy in an air-conditioned van.
After passing by the third pitstop, we suddenly came upon standstill traffic. Yes, there was heavy traffic on the mountainous road that led up to Montserrat! I couldn't believe it. It was like being back in Manila traffic.
The ending? We got off the van and started walking again, this time along the highway and uphill towards the Basilica. It was a gruelling and hot climb to the top. I guess there is just no escaping the Camino!
 |
| The sun rises amidst the sea of clouds in Montserrat |
After joining Lauds this morning, I stepped outside the Basilica. I was in time to catch the sunrise! The surrounding mountains were covered with a sea of clouds and the sun was casting its soft yellow glow on the place. Wow, it was beautiful!
At breakfast, as I stood in line at the coffee machine, I struck up a conversation with a blonde-haired gentleman standing behind me. It turned out that he was from New York and was a Jesuit! I quickly called Fr. Louis, our pilgrimage chaplain and a Jesuit himself, and introduced them to one another. His name was Fr. Tom Sloan (not sure of the spelling!). He had recently been assigned to Buffalo for pastoral ministry and was accompanying a group of American pilgrims. When he learned that we were doing the Camino Ignaciano, he gave us the thumbs-up and said that we were brave!
It was an odd description, I thought. But he was right. Indeed, bravery was what we needed for today's walk!
Sant Pau de la Guardia
The van took us downhill and brought us to Sant Pau de la Guardia, a small village near Montserrat. We were dropped off near the start of a mountain trail and were told to climb uphill.
 |
| Climbing the rocky mountain in Sant Pau de la Guardia |
Off we went in good spirits! I was with the JesComm crew who were a jolly and friendly bunch and our climb uphill was full of laughter and jokes. When we reached higher elevation, the views were breathtaking and we stopped often to film for the documentary.
About an hour or so later, I received a call from our guide Ignacio. He asked where we were and provided directions for the route. He told us to look for a pine tree which had an orange arrow pointing downwards on its trunk. We were to follow that arrow leading down by finding the "staircase of rocks". It sounded pretty simple and I cheerfully thanked him for the instructions.
About half an hour later, we finally reached the pine tree. It was a short tree growing on the side of the mountain. It did have an orange arrow which pointed downwards and we looked down. Boy oh boy, we found ourselves looking at the edge of a cliff! There were huge boulders jutting out from the cliff which we had to use climbing down. There were no rails or staircases, so one small mistake could lead you to fall off the mountain into the valley down below. It was scary!
I immediately froze on the spot and was thinking of turning back where we came from. It was a good thing that I was with the crew. The two gentlemen, Chito and Lito, helped me navigate the way down, despite having to carry their bulky film camera and boom mic themselves. We slowly made our way down, often having to sit and slide off a boulder in order to get to the one below. It was frightening for me, but the experience made the Camino feel very authentic. I can imagine that instead of paved roads or well-trodden mountain trails, this type of terrain was exactly what St. Ignatius had to go through to reach Montserrat.
The entire leg took us about 3 hours, double the amount of time allotted. When we reached the pit stop, our guide German was waiting. I said that I didn't want to walk anymore after that scary experience, but added, "Now I think I really experienced what St. Ignatius went through." He smiled and said, "That's enough for me. That's what matters!"
Monastery of Santa Cecilia and Back to Montserrat
We decided that we had enough excitement for the day. We hopped into the van and it took us to the second pitstop -- the Monastery of Santa Cecilia, which was located a few kilometers on the way to the Basilica. It was built with a Romanesque architecture which blended well with its surroundings. Inside, there was a gift shop which showcased avant-garde art of Sean Scully, an Irish painter. It was a pleasant surprise to discover art in such a remote location!
 |
| The stone, the tree and the mountain. Capturing a portion of Santa Cecilia with the mountain that protected it |
We had decided to stop walking, bypassing both the second and third legs of today's camino, but God had other plans.
We were inside the van, heading back to Montserrat. We passed by and saw our fellow pilgrims walking along the side of the highway -- they looked hot and tired! We were grateful that we were comfortable and cozy in an air-conditioned van.
After passing by the third pitstop, we suddenly came upon standstill traffic. Yes, there was heavy traffic on the mountainous road that led up to Montserrat! I couldn't believe it. It was like being back in Manila traffic.
The ending? We got off the van and started walking again, this time along the highway and uphill towards the Basilica. It was a gruelling and hot climb to the top. I guess there is just no escaping the Camino!
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