Perhaps the most exciting thing about travel is the chance to meet people. Fellow travelers, sure--that's another Blix. But it's the local people who take a moment to reach out that create the best memories. While walking, we savored those moments when a little old man, wearing a Mr. Rogers cardigan and walking his dog, said, "Buen Camino." Suddenly, you feel as if you matter. You stand a little taller and pick up your pace.
Spending time--even a few minutes--with a local citizen was the highlight of my day. There was no language barrier because I simply couldn't understand most of people who were speaking with such excitement and sincerity. They didn't seem to notice; I smiled and nodded, tossing in the occasional, "Si, si." The fact that I was the zillionth pilgrim they had encountered didn't seem to matter; they made me feel like the first.
With their permission, I have photos to share. Come meet the delightful people of Spain:
Let's start with food, shall we? Meet the man who prepared an amazing Pilgrim Menu early in my walk. A Pigrim Menu is a three-course meal, costing 8-12 Euros. Includes bread, wine, and water. Sometimes there is a choice for all courses, sometimes just the second (main) course. Sometimes you can ask for coffee instead of postre, or dessert.
As you may know, the Spanish eat very late dinners, not before 9 pm. Because pilgrims simply can't stay awake that long, the Pilgrim Menu is offered at 7-7:30 pm. That doesn't mean the noise of the happy diners outside your albergue window won't keep you awake, but at least you won't be hungry.
"My" chef must have known I was coming, because he arranged to have this dinner waiting:
Lobster potato salad
Broccoli/Spinach cream soup
Braised beef and mushrooms
Warm pastry filled with custard
Red wine...as much as I wanted
Bread, the crusty country kind
I had to thank him with my firm grasp of Spanish: "Delicioso! Gracias!" He agreed to let me take his photo. His food remains among the most memorable of the entire Camino.
You don't have to know a language to joke around. One morning I came upon the Bar Elvis. I knew it was on the Camino, but had no idea when it would crop up. Answer: Religios. The morning light was perfect for a photo. A car approached and I stepped out of the way to let it pass before taking the shot. The car stopped. I waited. The car remained still. I waited. Finally, I waved the driver on, pointing to the building. The car approached and the driver rolled down his window. He laughed and asked--I'm pretty sure--if I didn't want to include a handsome Spanish man in the shot! Why not?...so he posed while I took his photo. He wished me a "Buen Camino" and drove away.
Imagine walking through the hills on a warm, sunny day. There's not going to be a bar for many more kilometers. Then, you come over a ridge, make the bend, and wow! You meet this beaming woman offering fresh zumo de naranja for one Euro. The young man in front of me passed her up, but I came to a screeching halt! Who could resist her smile?
As I drank my delicious juice from a real glass, rinsed out in a cement trough across the way (that's what Hepatitis A shots are for) we chatted. She also had a tiny stand with bottled water, fruit, and the ever-present Kit-Kat bars. Since she had clearly set up business in the middle of nowhere, I wondered how she transported everything. "In my wheelbarrow!" she said. "Everyday I fill it up and come here." When I asked if I could take her picture, she smiled. "I used to be very shy, but now I am happy to talk."
Another day, while trying to determine if I was going the right way (I hadn't seen a yellow arrow in awhile) I met another woman, Luz Maria, who was checking her Michelin guidebook for the same reason. We convinced each other that we were probably okay (we were) and started to walk together. Luz Maria was born in Mexico, but has lived in Canada for thirty years, working for the Mexican government. The morning passed quickly as we walked and shared our experiences.
Walking through the small village of San Nicolas de Flue, we saw an old woman hauling two big buckets of something very heavy. She put them down and Luz Maria asked her about them. They were full of walnuts and hazelnuts, the woman explained. Did we want to see how to open them? Of course! They chatted away in Spanish as I tagged along. The woman's name was Alicia, and the nuts were from her grove. She cracks them open and sells them to get money for her son, who is a ski instructor. She gestured for us to follow her into her yard and to an open shed. She gave us each a huge bag of nuts and demonstrated how to crack the shells with a rock. Such enthusiasm! She was beautiful, and I asked Liz Maria to tell her so. I also asked for a photo of this vibrant woman. "Oh, she wants a picture of Alicia from Spain!" laughed Alicia as she stood next to Luz Maria. With many, many thanks--and heavier backpacks--we moved back to the road. What a day!
With nut harvest in full swing, it was only another day before I encountered an elderly man selling his shelled walnuts. I probably wouldn't have noticed him, because he was standing quietly on the side of the road with a big plastic bag at his feet. Another pilgrim was talking to him, and called, "Hey! This man is selling fresh walnuts!" Since I'd left the bag of nuts that Alicia gave me at the albergue in Ponferrada (too heavy to carry, too tired to shell), I was keen to buy some.
This man was adorable. Sparkling eyes, baseball cap, wearing the standard plaid shirt and cardigan sweater that all Spanish gentlemen seem to love. He could have sold me anything. He's holding a sawed-off can; for one Euro, you get a scoop of walnuts. He was so cute, I bought two scoops, and told the upcoming pilgrims about him.
I could go on. Every day was full of friendly people who were happy to talk, even if I didn't understand a thing they were saying. They were polite and helpful. Once, two men in a coffee shop banged on the window and pointed me in the correct direction. Another time, a woman with a baby in a stroller gestured me to follow her, as she turned the stroller around and got me to the next yellow arrow. A young man with a pretty girl on his lap yelled "Buen Camino!"
These magnificent Spaniards are part of my Camino memories. They made every day special. Some even asked to have a photo with me! I guess it goes both ways.
Great stories about living life to the fullest.
Posted by: jim reichardt | 11/09/2014 at 09:14 AM