In Conclusion

1. Grateful: Every second of this pilgrimage was a blessing.

2. Pilgrims: Yes, Spain, Portugal and France were amazing, but my fellow pilgrims were even more amazing.

3. Hard Work: Going on a pilgrimage is not your typical vacation. We worked hard! We woke up every day between 5:45 and 6:00 AM and laid our heads down around midnight. This journey stretched my mind, body and spirit. This trip was eat, pray and love, yes – but a little more strenuous, in the sense that we had a tight schedule every day.

4. Take it up a notch: I’m inspired to do the pilgrimage to Santiago by foot or bike but don’t know if my knee can handle... then again, if St. Ignatius could do it…

5. I believe! I now believe in things that I never really thought I could ever believe in before.

6. WIFI. To charge for wifi at a hotel is a rip-off. I refused to pay for internet, so my blog was a tad bit delayed because many hotels either did not have wifi or charged an arm and a leg; nevertheless, hostels or two star hotels tended to have it for free!

7. Fruits: The fruits from this trip have already been seen and I’m sure that the best is yet to come.

8. Marianology: I have developed a deep interested in learning more about the history of the apparitions of Mary in Spain and their relationship to Spanish cultural history.

9. It’s never too late.

10. Pay attention.

Zaragoza Surreal

Por fin llegamos a la cima de las torres del Pilar, con la pata jorobada, pero llegamos.

The Virgin of the Pillar, Spain's Patron Virgin, is located in the city of Zaragoza (capital of the autonomous community of Aragon).

The Virgin of the Pillar is considered to be the first Marian temple in Christianity.

One undeniable fact about Zaragoza, which I wasn't expecting, was the pronounced Islamic influence in its design and architecture.

In fact, it was a capital city of an Islamic kingdom during Islam's rule over Spain (711 - 1492).

Touristic pamphlets also boast that the area of Zaragoza is the oldest civilization found in the valley of the Ebro River. This area was populated by Iberians.

During the Roman Empire this city was called Caesaragusta.

40 -- Just when he started to get very frustrated, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. James on top of a pillar carried by angels on January 2 in this place. She encouraged him to keep on.

714 -- Zaragoza fell into the hands of Sarraceno Mussa Ibn Nusair. The city's name was changed to Medina Al-baina Saraqusta

788 -- The Bano Qasi of the Lerida region of Spain transformed Zaragoza into their capital

1118 -- Zaragoza is taken over by Christians and it becomes the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon

Besides entering the Basilica where the Virgin sits on top of her pillar, we also toured La Seo, the neighboring church which really blew my mind. To witness the overwhelming amount of artistry here was definitely worth the 6 euro entrance fee.

During the early evening (it doesn't get dark in Spain until 10 pm) we walked around the city window-shopping. I also stopped in the Pablo Gargallo museum while my parents patiently waited in the plaza watching yet another wedding party.

Before returning to the hotel, we watched the US vs. England World Cup soccer game in an Irish pub.

The Basilica looks surreal at night with its glittering yellow, blue and white tiles against the black sky. It was a picture that I could have only imagined in my dreams.

Murals by Minguell

After we kissed our fellow pilgrims good-bye in Barcelona, my parents and I continued to Bilbao. Along the way we made three stops:

(1) Tarrega (Lerida);
(2) Zaragoza and;
(3) Vitoria.

We stopped in Tarrega to visit two friends: Arantxa Loizu Lecinena and Josep Minguell Cardenyes.

Thanks to Arantxa, whom I met nearly 10 years ago as a graduate student at the University of Virginia, I was introduced to Josep and his art.

It was wonderful to return to the church (Santa Maria de L'Alba) where I first met Josep last summer with my parents so they could witness his genius for themselves.

Last April (2010), I invited Josep to the University of Hawaii for a week-long symposium on the language of muralism. He painted a moveable mural and conducted several lectures.

Josep Minguell Cardenyes (Tarrega, 1959)
Painted his first fresco at age 35. Rediscovered God at 36.

For more info please see:

http://www.josepminguell.com/

http://www.latinramen.com/2010_04_11_archive.html

http://uhmanoacampustalk.honadvblogs.com/tag/dr-josep-minguell/

http://blog.hawaii.edu/campustalk/2010/04/page/2/

http://www.kalamakua.org/2010/04/if-these-walls-could-talk-day-2.html

Bye Bye Barcelona

Barcelona's Cathedral

* Construction began in 1298 and continues to this day

* A Roman temple dedicated to Hercules lies underneath the Cathedral

* The facade of the church dates to the 19th century

* Building stopped between the 13 - 19th century due to lack of funds as a result of the "discovery" of America.

* One of the consequences of "discovering" the New World was that trade routes shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, thus affecting Barcelona's role as a port city.

* Patron (female) Saint of Barcelona: St. Eulalia

* We were told by our guide that St. Eulalia is the first martyr of Christianity. She refused to worship Agustus. As a result, she was scourged and crucified outside of the city walls. Her bones lie under the high altar is an elaborately carved coffin raised on columns.

So happy the sun came out to play.
(When does it rain in June in Barcelona?)

Glad you got to see her full glory.
Miss you all so much already!

God Bless
Peace Out

Hasta la proxima
Baby