People I have met along the way

In a walk like this, you meet many different people, each walking for a different purpose or reason. Remarkably, there is always a language challenge which gets worked out through sign language or smatterings of a common language. Even the people serving in the restuarants, can display the difference between chicken, beef and pork with quite vivid arm and hand signals, so communication happens despite the language barrier.
Ian is a young man who walked the Camino Frances 5 times and is on the second El Norte, He is doing a PhD in philosophy in Paris and started his walk from his home, so passed the first 1000 kms the day we met him. He walks to find his spiritual core and to enrich his thinking about his dissertation which is focused on the gravity of rape.
Pierre is an older man who started walking in May in Denmark. He walked more than 50 kms the day we met him.
Femke is a ray of sunshine from Holland and we walked with her for about 3 days. She did the CF in April and her husband is walking the CF at the moment. They had left a van full of food in St Jean and when they meet up again this week, they plan to spend a month situated along the Camino Frances providing food for the pilgrims for a donation.Then they will each continue their own camino.
Sali and her son This are from Denmark and are walking their first Camino together just to spend time with each other. It is hard for them as there are no hills in Denmark to train on so they are suffering with sore legs at the moment and we may lose them if they slow down.
Sonja left her job in July and her husband and adult children have supported her do to this walk, her first Camino, in order to settle on where she wants to direct her life now.
Ian, is a Brit, teaching english in Holland, walking the camino, because "older bald guys" don´t get rides as hitchhikers so easily these days
Andre is the saddest. He carried two sellos, one for his girlfriend who killed herself a few months ago and one for him. He walks with pictures of them that he places in churches and alberques so that she has a presence in this walk with him
Sarah and Kean are a very young couple from Ireland who have the lightest packs and seem to walk with an energy that we all envy.
Stefi is from Germany and lived in Spain for awhile so her Spannish is great. She is young and petite and we have already lost her as she is miles ahead of us by now.
Christianne started in Switzerland and has walked for 2 months. She will walk all the way back home again from Santiago.

In all of this mix of people, we also meet wonderful local residents who are kind and generous and provide us with direction or assistance at many many occasions and always with a smile and slow slow speaking of their language and lots of hand signals for us to comprehend.

"If you would do a good deed, then do it today. Do it gratis nor linger around for your pay. Let the deed be a gem that you cast overboard, not a hook that is baited to fish for reward" (courtesy of Neil)

Maggee