As I was reading about the stages of the Camino that I will be walking, I realized that on the day of my big 3-0 I'll be walking between Rabanal del Camino and Molinaseca. Aside from having the rolling hills ahead of you with what I hear (or reather read) is an amazing scenery that aids in the contemplation of ultimate life questions, there is also this cross with the rocks there, that for many is a big deal while walking the Camino. I am not quite sure whether I will take a rock with me from home to leave here, or pick one up along the way, but I guess one way or another that decision will be reached by June 12th. Here is a brief summary on the significance of the cross and the rocks.
Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca
Total distance: 25 km
As you leave the village you pass what remains of the church and hospital built by
Where the cross is now located is thought to have originally been an altar built to the Roman god Mercury, whereas some stories say that it is where the Celts worshiped, either way the origins were pagan. The cross is believed to have been placed here in the 11th century by Gaucelmo.
Traditionally pilgrims have left a rock here, whether picked up along their journey or brought all the way from their homeland. Some of the rocks that have been left here contain little messages to loved ones or the name of the pilgrim’s home town. In the holy year of 1982 the little Ermita de Santiago, that you see close by, was built. There is also now a huge sundial on the floor where you provide the shadow in order to tell the time.
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