What a day and what an evening! poor Ilana, my new German friend and I travelled mostly on the train yesterday to Santilla as I was sick with the flu and she was in bad pain from her feet. We arrived at the alberque around 11 am and spent the next 5 hours waiting for it to open. We were told that they did not expect to be full and so I thought it was OK to have a bed there as we waited for our friends to arrive. Well, the fuss that occurred as people began to arrive between 3 and 4 pm. So many had taken the train part way and then some of the late arrivals had walked all the way from Santander (44 kms). When the last 3 who were the overflow arrived, they were pretty mad about the situation, so as I looked around and thought about my own principles and values, I just decided to take action and left to go around the corner and get a bed in a pensionne for Ilana and me. When I came back, I said to the Hollander, (wouldn´t you know!) who was the most outspoken that he could have my bed as I was leaving for the pensionne. He so changed his demeanor and became almost apologetic. He wanted to buy us drinks, said he could go to the pensionne himself and then throughout the evening became our best friend!!.
It gave me a lot to think about as we spent the evening with the pilgrims, many who had taken the train to shorten the day from Santander and then some who had walked the entire way.
Rules on the camino are simple. You treat each other with kindness and fairness and try to do good and be a contribution as you go along, helping, advising and making a difference. It is such a metaphor for life.
So Ilana and I had a great night in a wonderful pensionne which cost us E15 each with a private bath and a room with a view. And it was the right thing to do for the other pilgrims, ie to make sure that the people who had really walked a long way had access to the cheaper beds.
After the horrible night in an overcrowded alberque in Santander, I did not mind at all being in a private room in a pensionne for not much more than the alberque.
So we were up early this morning, walking through wonderful conutryside again and now having expanded our little group to a total of 6. We are 2 Danes, 2 Germans and 2Canadians. It is lovely to have such good new friends and we all walk along at our own pace so it works out well. The others are all here travelling on their own and the youngest one, Ilana has a terrible problem, with her feet, boots too small, too much heat and not well prepared for the adventure. So we are helping her out, but I am not at all sure that she will be able to continue.
We are in a wonderful little town tonight which is again full of tourists and near a beautiful beach so it is quite busy. Very old buildings and of course old old streets full of coble stones (hard on the pilgrims feet) and lots to see.
We were the highlight of the group of Japanese tourists that we met this morning. They were overjoyed to meet real pilgrims and we had to pose for pictures for them on our way out of the little medieval town of Santilla del Mar.
We have travelled close to 300 kms now and today it occurred to me how wonderful it is to have a sense of belonging in my life. This has been missing in quite a few areas especially in the past 5 years and with this little group that has formed for very specific and practical reasons, I feel like I belong and have a contribution to make. In addition, there is a huge contribution to me that occurs along the way as well. Alvina hs saved the day by providng me with a packet of Fishemans Friend which has saved my coughin spells many times.
Such simple princples and premises for living we experience along this way. It is a tough walk, beautiful and rugged and but so energizing now that we are into the spirit of the thing. It had taken about 2 weeks of steady walking to come to this place of realizing that I can actually do it and that if I just keep up the pace and look after myself, I will proceed along this wonderful journey and arrive at a new destination in my life when I get to Santiago.
From Alvina I have this to share
"It is not important to know where we are going, nor to find a place to go. The world is open to our appetite. It opens. It spreads perspective, widens the stems of a piece of herb until it reaches the forest and the window we travel, only when we let go".
from Franz Bartlett
Maggee
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Good to hear that you are starting to feel better Maggee. The Camino is a tough place to feel ill, as I remember from my Camino!
What a lovely sounding group you have formed. Kirsten will enjoy having someone to chat in Danish with since it's always more laborious to speak in a second language.
Well... a third of the way along, and so many amazing experiences already. Of course, you are open to letting them happen so the possibility is much greater.
Tell Alvina I love her quote and I'll steal it to use in my "next/last" presentation. I agreed to do one more for a small group of retired teachers - couldn't refuse this group.
Days are still beautiful here but last night was very chilly at 10C - lovely for sleeping. Al our visitors seem to be done so now we will tackle some chores around the house and cottage - nice time of the year to be doing it.
Hugs to all the sisters, Barb
Hello Maggee, I wish a a Buen Camino. I will be following your blog with great interest as I intend walking the Coastal Del Norte and the Primitivo June and July 2011. Nobody has been able to tell me what the weather is like other than that it is the dry period. Do you know whether or not it is busy then. Back to you now, you write beautifully, your words pain the picture. Joy South Africa PS Get well soon but respect your body.
Post a Comment