(B) The Way of St James turned out to be one of the most diverse and adventurous experiences I’ve had, leaving me inspired
and floating in a cloud of contentment. The Way of St James, also known as The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, is a
pilgrimage path. The walking trails come from all over Europe, some start and finish in Spain, and they all 36 on
Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain as their destination, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint
James are buried.
The Way has been a pilgrimage route since about 300AD that the 37 took to visit the grave of the apostle St James.
In olden days the pilgrimage was a form of suffering and penance to assure a pilgrim’s place in heaven. But even as far back as
30BC it had been a supply route for the Roman Seventh Legion based in Astroga and Leon. Nowadays as many as 300,000
modern pilgrims flood the trail for six months of the year, that’s about 50,000 per month, which can make it sound 38 .
However, every step of every day, and I’m talking about 35,000 steps a day, was generally pleasurable.
My normal daily 39 routine was to be up and on the trail by 6:30am. A banana and orange would see me through till
about 9:30am, where after walking about 15km I’d stop for a hefty bacon and egg breakfast or tortilla with hot café con leche.
By 2 pm I would be at my destination, allowing me time to find 40 for the night. The piazzas in the villages and cities are
dead until about 7:30pm when suddenly they fill with locals who eat and drink till late. I would normally have the special
three-course “Peregrino Dinner” with free-flow local wine for the stately sum of 10 euros and be in bed by 9pm.
Pain is something all pilgrims have to endure, but the body adapts to 41 and aches if you let it. Walking becomes
like rhythmical breathing and after a while leads to a form of self- 42 if you let it. I developed a painful shin splint by day
19, but managed to soldier on!
Everyone should participate in a pilgrimage to remind himself/herself of what people have lost in the modern
technological world, especially in the way of 43 . Most pilgrims quickly form strong bonds of friendship and acknowledge
and smile at strangers, helping each other at every opportunity.
The pilgrimage has become more than a religious, spiritual or endurance journey – it has 44 into a combination of
many different journeys that can combine aspects of history, architecture, food, wine, birds, plants, forestry and agriculture.
After 34 days of continuous walking I arrived in Santiago and the 10:30pm sunset from the Finisterre lighthouse was the end of
my physical journey – I could not walk any further! I felt like a druid 45 the sunset.
So what had I learned? I was reminded of the Confucian proverb that “more is less” as I was very happy in my simple
pilgrim existence, with my few possessions on my back and my inspired and refreshed mind open to the beauty of this ancient
journey.
(A) hypnosis
(B) parishes
(C) hypocrisy
(D) nomadic
(E) comradeship
(AB) submerge (AC) blisters (AD) worshipping (AE) penetrated (BC) daunting
(BD) morphed (BE) converge (CD) devout (CE) accommodation (DE) commerce
【題組】40
(A) hypnosis
(B) parishes
(C) hypocrisy
(D) nomadic
(E) comradeship
(AB) submerge (AC) blisters (AD) worshipping (AE) penetrated (BC) daunting
(BD) morphed (BE) converge (CD) devout (CE) accommodation (DE) commerce
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