Thursday Tidbits

Posted on May 22, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

1000 posts… and counting.

I guess you could call it a milestone. What started on a bar napkin on a flight from Halifax to Tampa 8 years ago (my very first story) has become my passion.

I have 1000 reasons to be thankful but mostly to you, my loyal readers who have listened to me rant for years about nothing.I have many new readers from every corner of the world who are experiencing the magic of the Camino.

A few days ago, I checked into my albergue. This is a bit of a misnomer. It was a modern hotel and I got the last room available. It was a private room and after a long day, I was overjoyed to have my own space. Living with 50 or more people every night has that effect.

It was also a great opportunity to get my laundry done. The laundry room was state of the art. Ultramodern washers and dryers, drying racks with fans blowing hot air underneath and sinks with washboards. When I got there, both wash machines were in use. Pilgrims generally like to wash their clothes by hand and hang them to dry. I am a lazy pilgrim and chose the modern conveniences.

I was next in line and put my clothes in the washer. I went back to my room and set the alarm on my phone. When I returned to put my clothes in the dryer, it was like Times Square in New York on a Friday night. It was utter bedlam. I think everyone on the Camino decided to do their laundry in this hotel, on this day. It was standing room only as people jockeyed to get in the queue.

I was just ahead of the curve and didn’t have to worry about my place in line. After putting 5 Euros in the dryer, I discovered that this particular brand of dryers actually didn’t dry clothes. I hung them on a line and retrieved them several hours later.

That evening, new friends from Germany and South Korea joined me for dinner. We found a lovely restaurant in the massive plaza in the center of town. We decided to sit outside. It was very quiet and we settled in for “tales from the Camino”. The wine was barely poured when the square started to fill. It was cool and overcast. We were a bit puzzled at this sudden turn of events.

Before we could exchange a hello, all hell broke loose. There was a motorcade accompanied by loud music. The unmistakable sounds of “ We Are The Champions” blared from many loudspeakers. Any discussion was quickly drowned out. On a balcony above the square, several young, lithe soccer players appeared. The crowd went wild. This team must have won a game or a league championship. The crowd was loving this.

Meanwhile back in the restaurant, we were trying to talk. Not possible. Every few seconds, somebody was making a speech or Freddy Mercury was coming back to life with yet another round of his epic anthem. We were eating dessert when the celebration ended. I don’t think I even got the names of my dinner guests.

As long as my health holds, I hope to keep writing. After all, Charlotte from Dallas Texas has a chicken undergoing psychotherapy and this story must be told!

YOU ARE THE CHAMPIONS and thank you for your support!!!

Have a great weekend.

P.S. I’m in the mountains and wifi is spotty at best so I’m posting this now. Cheers!

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