Posted on May 12, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Two new friends from the Camino on day nine on the Camino. Say hello to Frida and Jan.
The first 300 K’s are in the books. The Camino continues to amaze.
Every day is like a meeting of the United Nations. I have met people from all around the world, and everyone has a story to tell.

I met a young man from Barcelona the other day very early in the morning. I asked Marco a few questions about his Camino. For someone so young, he had some interesting insights. “ The Camino speaks to you. It tells you that the journey is going to be very difficult. There will be many obstacles. You will feel pain, loneliness, frustration and despair. But the Camino will also give you serenity, incredible beauty and camaraderie to help you along the way.” Marco was spot on. It is this and much more.

I have a patch of the Canada flag on the back of my hat. (Thanks Eva for ironing it on!) It is a bit of a magnet. Everyone recognizes it and Canada is still respected around the world.

Speaking of Canada, I bumped into twin sisters, Teresa and Tracy from B.C. They recently turned fifty and are doing the Camino to celebrate this milestone. I met them a few days ago in a village along the trail. I realized that I was very low on cash and no ATM anywhere in sight. They loaned me four Euros. When I told them I was a retired financial planner, they were not impressed with my planning skills.

We ended up walking for several hours together. We laughed most of the time. These are strong women with a love of the outdoors. It will be one of my fondest memories of the Camino. I asked them to adopt me. They declined!

I stayed in an Alburgue (hostel) the other night. I was the only male among 8 other women. We shared dinner together and many, many laughs. At the end of the meal I sang for them. “ Let Me Call You sweetheart.” More laughter.

It was extremely cold in the Alburgue that night. The only other occupant of my room that night was Marie from France. I had become accustomed to snoring so when I couldn’t even hear Marie breathe, I feared that she had died of hypothermia. Finally, at 2:00 a.m.,she started to snore. I was so relieved but then I couldn’t sleep because of her snoring. Life on the Camino!

Have a great week.

Posted on May 11, 2019 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

Maty, Len and Emelio

“Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
Meet Maty Amaya.

In 2012, the Argentinian economy was in shambles. Maty lost his job and was depressed. He told his family that he was going for a bike ride.Seven years and some 93,000 kilometres later, he’s still on the move.
He has visited 40 countries and is doing the Camino for the seventh time. The previous six were on his bike but this time, he’s walking. The first time he was confused and drove his bike in the opposite direction!
In December 2017, he was biking through Italy around Christmas. A couple saw him on the side of the road in a blizzard. They took him in and kept him for several days.
A few years earlier, this couple had been in a horrific accident. Their two children were killed and the parents were both in comas for more than six months. They awoke to find out that they were childless. They gave Maty a stuffed animal. Emilio now travels the world with Maty.
Later this month, the couple will travel to Spain and walk the final 200km with Maty… and Emilio.
Maty is a photographer and sells small prints for donations to finance his travel.
He embodies the notion that anything is possible if you try.

Posted on May 8, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with 5 comments

It it the end of day 5 and I’ve had to go down a notch on my belt. I guess when you’ve walked 162k and put on 228,330 steps, you’re bound to lose a few pounds!
So, I’m walking out of a town yesterday and someone whistled at me and said Buen Camino. NO ONE has ever whistled at me before. When this was repeated, I thought I had a secret admirer. I looked up in the window of a house and there was …. a parrot! So much for secret admirers.
The Camino is full of folks carrying backpacks and personal baggage. People are dealing with loss, emotional issues, health and relationship problems.
To survive the Camino , you must be adaptable or you probably won’t have a very good time. For example, snoring is the music of the Alburgues , the hostels where we share rooms with bunk beds. You do get used to it and after a long day on the trail, sleep eventually comes.
Today, exiting another town, a young woman in front of me was singing “What do you do with a drunken sailor.” Of course, I couldn’t resist chiming in. Katerina is a young woman from Slovakia and unless another candidate emerges, she will get my nod, hands down, as the most spirited person on the Camino. Her walking partner, a 60 something from Holland were the fastest walkers I’ve met so far. The wind howled all day from the west at 50k. I followed them for 10 breathtaking kilometres. Katerina swooped and soared like a bird. She sang and she danced and she begged 18 wheelers to honk their horns. Most of the 10k was uphill, into the wind but I scarcely noticed as I was mesmerized by her zest for life. When I finally caught up at a cafe, she told me she had come to the Camino to have fun. No kidding!
I don’t have wifi at my Alburgue tonight so I’m sending this now from a bar.
With the high winds, I had a very bad hair day, but then again, everyday is a bad hair for me.
Have a great weekend.