People
Quote for the day: “An eye for an eye only ends up leaving the whole world blind.” Mahatma Ghandi
We started today before 7:00 am. The sun rises around 8:00. So we had our headlamps on. We met Monica from Germany wandering around outside our hotel. She wanted coffee. Nothing was open.
So she walked with us for a few km’s. She was not happy about not having her coffee. Then she said she liked to walk slow and not talk. Once there was enough light, she stayed behind. Here are some pictures of the dawn and sunrise....
After walking a bit longer, we met two guys walking together. We asked them where they were from. Belgium (late 20’s) left side of picture, said he was living on the Camino and had no country anymore. He said he was a “citizen of the world.” California (right hand side, Mt. Shasta, we later learned) was a retired therapist...he said, he was optimistic that the world would become more open, caring and kind and that the current events were all driven by fear. That’s where the quote for the day comes in...
Then we met Julian from England. Julian said he was a mix between someone who liked time alone and who was a talker. We know he is a talker because we found out a lot about him in less than a few miles. And since he stopped at the first rest stop, we can assume he had finished his talking and was ready for time alone. Julian is a cashier at a grocery store. He said that when someone is checking out and tells him that they have a loved one “at hospital” he has time for one sentence to make a difference in their lives. Julian is 67 years old. This is the major adventure of his life and he is making the most of it!
We stopped at an alburgue for coffee/water and I asked the owner for his picture. He said we needed a selfie, so he took the following picture. His alburgue was truly an oasis on this route. Here are some pictures from the open area.
I took this picture of Mark from Canada, who we have run into several times on the trip. He is walking about 30km’s per day (18 miles). When we saw him a few nights ago he mentioned his blisters. Steve gave him some Compeed so he hopefully won’t get any more. He is one of three people Steve has given Compeed. He could be a salesman for the company.
On the way into Fromista (our stopping point for the night), the route is beside a canal. Riverboats run up and down the canal....Advertising read something like: Experience the Camino on a Boat....Who knew? Why didn’t we do that??
Today’s route was supposed to be 15.5 miles. My watch registered 17. That last 1.5 miles feels like an eternity when you think you should be done. We have now walked 226 miles. Feet are still holding up.
We have an upgraded hotel tonight. The definition of upgraded means that it is better than the other options. That is not the same as being the Ritz. But it is nice enough and clean and I think it even has a little air conditioning.
We had lunch in Fromista around 2:00. I had an awesome paella.
We met Heather, who is a character. She hikes in sandals and socks. So for those of you who saw a picture of me wearing the same, I just want to say, I am not alone. Heather is a part of a pub band in Canada called “Old Black Rum”. Her daughter is in a punk band that toured in Europe this summer. Her daughter’s band “souped” up an old hearse and travels Canada in it touring. She sang for us and I must say, she has quite a nice voice. She is a bit out there, but quite pleasant. She also let us know not to drink the tap water in this town. It was her 61st birthday.
The towns here are beautiful and sad. You rarely see young people. Many of the buildings are in disrepair. Many have signs saying Se vende, which we think means “for sale”. If it weren’t for the Camino and the Pilgrims I can only imagine how bad it would be.
The ground has now turned to light brown, almost sandy.
Here are some extra pictures from today:
We started today before 7:00 am. The sun rises around 8:00. So we had our headlamps on. We met Monica from Germany wandering around outside our hotel. She wanted coffee. Nothing was open.
So she walked with us for a few km’s. She was not happy about not having her coffee. Then she said she liked to walk slow and not talk. Once there was enough light, she stayed behind. Here are some pictures of the dawn and sunrise....
After walking a bit longer, we met two guys walking together. We asked them where they were from. Belgium (late 20’s) left side of picture, said he was living on the Camino and had no country anymore. He said he was a “citizen of the world.” California (right hand side, Mt. Shasta, we later learned) was a retired therapist...he said, he was optimistic that the world would become more open, caring and kind and that the current events were all driven by fear. That’s where the quote for the day comes in...
Then we met Julian from England. Julian said he was a mix between someone who liked time alone and who was a talker. We know he is a talker because we found out a lot about him in less than a few miles. And since he stopped at the first rest stop, we can assume he had finished his talking and was ready for time alone. Julian is a cashier at a grocery store. He said that when someone is checking out and tells him that they have a loved one “at hospital” he has time for one sentence to make a difference in their lives. Julian is 67 years old. This is the major adventure of his life and he is making the most of it!
We stopped at an alburgue for coffee/water and I asked the owner for his picture. He said we needed a selfie, so he took the following picture. His alburgue was truly an oasis on this route. Here are some pictures from the open area.
I took this picture of Mark from Canada, who we have run into several times on the trip. He is walking about 30km’s per day (18 miles). When we saw him a few nights ago he mentioned his blisters. Steve gave him some Compeed so he hopefully won’t get any more. He is one of three people Steve has given Compeed. He could be a salesman for the company.
On the way into Fromista (our stopping point for the night), the route is beside a canal. Riverboats run up and down the canal....Advertising read something like: Experience the Camino on a Boat....Who knew? Why didn’t we do that??
We have an upgraded hotel tonight. The definition of upgraded means that it is better than the other options. That is not the same as being the Ritz. But it is nice enough and clean and I think it even has a little air conditioning.
We had lunch in Fromista around 2:00. I had an awesome paella.
We met Heather, who is a character. She hikes in sandals and socks. So for those of you who saw a picture of me wearing the same, I just want to say, I am not alone. Heather is a part of a pub band in Canada called “Old Black Rum”. Her daughter is in a punk band that toured in Europe this summer. Her daughter’s band “souped” up an old hearse and travels Canada in it touring. She sang for us and I must say, she has quite a nice voice. She is a bit out there, but quite pleasant. She also let us know not to drink the tap water in this town. It was her 61st birthday.
The towns here are beautiful and sad. You rarely see young people. Many of the buildings are in disrepair. Many have signs saying Se vende, which we think means “for sale”. If it weren’t for the Camino and the Pilgrims I can only imagine how bad it would be.
The ground has now turned to light brown, almost sandy.
Here are some extra pictures from today:
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