Last night before dinner, Brian and I decided to go to the pilgrim’s mass that was being held at the church in Triacastela. I had been to one pilgrim’s mass in Roncesvalles, and what I most remembered was that I was tired from crossing the Pyrenees and the priest asked us to stand a lot. It had been a crowded service, and I hadn’t understood a word. The service in Triacastela was very different. Brian used the word ‘intimate’ to describe it after, and it is the perfect description.
We entered the small church and were asked to sit on small benches behind the priest. There were probably only about twenty of us in attendance. At one point, the priest read a short prayer in Spanish, and he handed out laminated copies of the prayer in other languages, so pilgrims could step up to the pulpit and read it aloud to be understood by speakers of all languages in attendance. We heard the prayer read aloud in Italian, German, English, French, and Japanese. It was really inclusive and quite sweet. The priest hugged each of us, blessing us individually on our journey to Santiago.
Today, Brian and I met another man of peace along the Camino, though it was a very different context…
In the albergue this morning, everyone sat on their bunks looking over the guidebook trying to decide which path to take for the day. There were two paths to Sarria: one that went to Samos where there is supposedly a beautiful monastery, and another path that was 6-kilometers shorter. Everyone in our room opted for the shorter path. I don’t care for monasteries enough to want to walk an extra 6 kilometers.
Brian and I headed out, taking the short route to Sarria. The path was lovely, taking us away from the busy main road and onto gorgeous natural paths through the brightest green trees. There were no towns for about 10 kilometers, and it was a quiet morning through the wilderness.
In the guidebook there had been a very small note about a crystal exhibit that Brian showed interest in going to see. It was only 500 meters off the path, and we thought that it might make an interesting detour if we could find markings telling us where to go. About 7 or 8 kilometers out of Triacastela we saw a sign for this crystal exhibit. To the right was the Camino and to the left (500 meters) was this exhibit. It advertised coffee and tea as well, and we decided it seemed like a worthwhile detour. I had no idea what to expect. I guess I thought it would be a small museum or shop filled with different kinds of crystals.
As we approached the place, I began to wonder if we’d made a wise decision. It was very rustic. There was a barn with some crystals displayed on a table, and I thought that was it. We’d seen it. There were no people that we could see or hear. We were clearly the only pilgrims there.
Finally we were greeted by a man named Antonio. He welcomed us and asked if we wanted tea or coffee. We said that tea would be lovely if it was no problem and he went inside to get the water started. We certainly had not stumbled upon a commercialized exhibit. At that point, I still was unsure exactly what it was we’d stumbled upon.
Antonio invited us inside of a run-down barn-like building. Inside, the walls were lined with the most amazing stone artwork. It became clear that Antonio makes pictures out of the crystals, and I stood there in awe of the crystal images on the wall. He had some of them backlit, giving them an ethereal glow. It was almost like stained-glass. Antonio showed us upstairs, where there were more amazing pieces of art, and he showed us his studio. In this studio he crushes crystals to a fine powder with a hammer, and then creates images out of the ground crystals. He had hundreds of little cups, each filled with different colours and textures of crushed crystals.
It was also clear that the place was Antonio’s home. As we walked through looking at all of the amazing art, we passed by a bedroom and a bathroom. It was definitely unlike the formal museum I had pictured in my head.
When we finished looking at all of the crystals, Antonio showed us one final room. To go in, you had to first remove your boots, and that would have been a lengthy process, so Brian and I took turns standing in the little entryway to admire the room. It was basically a meditation room. He had cushions on the floor, and backlit crystal images along the walls. There was what appeared to be a confessional on the left side. Antonio insisted that the room was not associated with any formal religion. It was a room of peace, for anyone of any faith. It was an amazing room. It was indeed very peaceful.
At that moment we ran into one of the women from our albergue last night, Lynn from Wales. She hadn’t known in advance about the museum, but she is very interested in crystals, and the exhibit was perfect for her. She went in to take a look around while Brian and I had tea with Antonio in his kitchen. She told us afterward that it was the highlight of her entire Camino.
It was such a neat experience being in this man’s house, having tea with him, hearing about the crystals. He didn’t speak English, but between the little Spanish I could pick up, and the slightly more Spanish Brian knows, we were able to understand what Antonio told us about the place. Afterward, Antonio gave Brian and I a hug, and we were on our way.
Last night we had been hugged and blessed by a Catholic priest. Today we were hugged and blessed by a non-religiously affiliated crystal artist who sells healing crystals and has an amazing meditation room. It was quite the dichotomy, but so wonderful to see both on the Camino.
The walk to Sarria following the crystal exhibit was largely uneventful. Brian and I spent most of the afternoon walking in silence. The rain had stopped and the sun began to come out, which was a wonderfully welcome change from the past couple of days.
We arrived in Sarria mid-afternoon after walking 19 kilometers. Sarria is an important stop because this is the last starting point for people on the Camino. We are 115 kilometers away from Santiago, and this is the city that people start in to walk the last 100 kilometers. It is impossible to believe, but if all goes according to plan then there are only 5 days of walking remaining.
Yes Let's! 
Thanks for that description of the crystal exhibit. Two years ago my walking partner and I took that detour as well. We never did figure out where the exhibit was (like you, we were expecting something slightly more formal). Since it was raining cats and dogs, we didn’t hang around long and no one approached us. Next time I’ll know what to do!
Oh it would have been so easy to miss. I probably would have turned around if I’d been on my own. It was lucky that Brian had been there and called “hello” or I’d have left and missed out. Definitely try again next time!
now I want some crystals