Monday Morning Musings

Posted on May 27, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with 4 comments

Germany, Poland, Canada, Poland and Argentina.

It’s a small world after all.

For the past four weeks, I have been hoofing it across Spain with people from every corner of the globe. Everyday, I wake up and know that there will be yet another meeting of the United Nations on the Camino. It is singularly the most unique experience of my life.

With only 50k to go, there is a sense of anticipation and excitement mixed with dread. Strong friendships have been forged in an atmosphere that’s hard to describe. We have shared cramped quarters most nights, had communal meals and of course, have walked almost 700k together.

We all realize that a journey such as this is a bit of a fantasy and that the real world will face us in a few days.

The people in the picture above have crossed my path several times in recent weeks but yesterday fate or synchronicity brought us all together on the same day at the same time. Such is the magic of the Camino. With less than 100k to go before reaching Santiago, we decided we’d walk it home as a group.

Yesterday was a long one. Everybody’s bodies are a bit beat up and our feet simply hate us! I plan to write an exhaustive and authoritative account on blisters!

As we were grinding out a 41k walk, I decided to lighten the atmosphere and sang “ The Happy Wanderer”. It somehow seemed appropriate. When I finished, my two Polish friends sang a rollicking, high spirited tune from their home country. Maty from Argentina (you might recognize him in the picture from the story I wrote about him a few weeks ago), sang a passionate song from a country he hasn’t seen since he left home to travel the world over 7 years. Not to be outdone, Jan rounded things out with a well known German song.

We were in high spirits as we danced and laughed along the trail. Someone suggested that we try a song that we all knew. I reckoned Happy Birthday might fit the bill.We sang a rousing chorus, arm in arm. Jan appeared somewhat emotional. It just so happened that this indeed was his birthday. There have been so many magical moments like this.

A few days ago, I was walking all day with a woman from Dallas, Texas. It was getting late in the day, it was hot and we were in a spot where accommodations were sparse. We came upon this very unique habitation that I have since coined as the “hippie farm”. It looked like something right out of the 60s.

Pilgrims can stop there for drinks and snacks that are free of charge. Donations of peace, love and cash are accepted as payment. Anybody is welcome to stay there at no charge and many people (mostly young) stay there for days at a time, even weeks. There is a catch. There is no electricity, running water or beds.

My traveling companion and I felt a little old to be doing the commune thing but we were forced with the prospect of spending the night there as the next village was 5K away with no guarantee of a place to stay.

The head hippie, a seasoned veteran of this fine establishment, mentioned that there was a private home on a farm 800m away that took in guests. We decided to check this out.

I’m not going to go into all the detail of what transpired next but we hit pay dirt and it turned out to be the best accommodations of the entire trip. It was so fantastic that I stayed an extra day so that I could use the jacuzzi in the bathroom! I plan to write a whole chapter on this in my book including the six hours we spent talking with two 40 year old Spaniards who kept us convulsed with laughter with their dark humour.

My last post from Spain will come from Santiago de Compostela on Thursday after we conclude our memorable Camino Walk.

Buen Camino

Have a great weekend.

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