It means "onward" and you see and hear it along the Camino as a word of motivation and encouragement. As we came within sight of the city of Astorga this morning, it had particular meaning for us.
On our first Camino three years ago it was at Astorga that Jeff's tendinitis became too much and we had to taxi forward and skip a few days of walking in order to recover. So as we saw the city, and the mountain Rabanal beyond it, "ultreya" became a reminder to gaze beyond where we had gone before, and look toward tomorrow, when we would begin climbing to the highest point of the Camino. At a deeper level, it's a word that, although it allows us to reflect on the past and realize God's presence in what went before, it reminds us that we can live only in today and have some expectation of tomorrow.
But as for yesterday, we do look back and remember, and perhaps notice in reflection what we missed in the moment. Yesterday we left Villar de Mazarife and crossed a medieval bridge in Hospital de Orbigo.
There we met another Camino friend we'd not seen for a while, another Anne Marie, from Holland (and who perfected her English during several years in Dublin).
Another unplanned blessing awaited us as we stopped for the night in the next little town, Villares do Orbigo (both town names refer to the river that joins them).
Pablo and his wife Belen ran a nice little albergue there, where all eight of us guests got together, bought ingredients in the local supermercado, and made dinner for ourselves and our hosts.
The next morning a big friendly dog guided us all the way - about three miles through the woods and over the hill - to the next town. As we entered that town, Pablo pulled up on his bicycle, put a leash on his dog, wished us another "Buen Camino," and led his dog back home.
