Bill-Sunday 5/29

On my last full day in Santiago, in the garage of the five-star Parador Hotel where pilgrims wait in the open air for the butler to come take them to their free lunch in the Pilgrims’ Dining Room, I met Melide, a nineteen year-old woman who, when asked by a fellow pilgrim what language she speaks, said, “German, French, Spanish, English, some Italian.” Swiss.  Over lunch she had mentioned that she tried to do most of her walking alone, and she had some funny and some biting comments about what other people, especially men, had to say about about that preference.  But it was her eating that impressed me.  Not the eating of her lunch per se, but her attitude toward it.  Her age and her wanting to walk alone reminded me of one of our students and I mentioned that the student was a vegan and that she had had some logistical difficulties and cultural differences to deal with in order to eat well in Spain.  “I’m vegan also,” she said, to which I replied, “But you’ve just eaten those pork ribs and that soup with chorizo…” She looked right at me and gently said, “Yes, but this meal was a gift to all of us.  Had I not eaten what I was served, the food would have gone to waste and I may have insulted the people who prepared it.”  Maturity and wisdom sometimes comes in a young package.

Published in: Where am I? on June 6, 2016 at12:58 pm Comments (0)

Bill-Saturday 5/28

Arrived in Santiago yesterday after 11 km walk. One person wanted to have her picture taken with the first “returning” pilgrim she had met. Third Santiago arrival of the trip. Spent a lot of time waiting for the compostela, but talked with other waiters from all over, which put a nice exclamation point on it all. Back to Roots & Boots, flying out Monday. Long, good trip. One more thing to do: find a place to watch Athletico Madrid and Real Madrid play in the Champions series final tonight.

Published in: Where am I? on May 27, 2016 at11:46 pm Comments (1)

Bill-Thursday 5/26

A perfect day for a walk. Cool with bright sun at the start, shade on the woodland trails when it was needed, then clouds for the pavement pounding up to Trasmonte and down. Staying at Casa Riamonte in Castelo, 11 km from Santiago. Pam, Joe and I stayed here two years ago and enjoyed the hospitality and excellent dinner provided by Julian and Rosa. Julian promises that tonight’s dinner will be special … pork!

Published in: Where am I? on May 26, 2016 at7:26 am Comments (0)

Bill-Wednesday 5/25

50th walking day. Passed my 1,100 km mark yesterday and the 700 mile mark today. The interest of round numbers.

I had hoped to break the trip from Muxía to Santiago into four short days. (It’s still odd to think of a 20 – 24 km day as short. It would be odd if, at home, I said I was going for a short 12 – 13 mile walk.) Today I thought I would stop in Santa Mariña after 22 km, but both albergues there were completely full. Technically they were booked: The students mentioned that they, several places, ran into completely reserved albergues. Reservations of bunk beds seems to be the coming thing that’s already here, abetted by booking apps linked to route maps and other useful info sites. And because I was walking today’s route backwards, i.e., against the flow of people from Santiago, I got to see that there are, indeed, lots of people on these routes to the two ends of the world.

I walked on from the no-room-at-the-inns place, another 9 km, without difficulty and without any of the predicted rain. Staying in Vilaserio; very nice.

Published in: Where am I? on May 25, 2016 at9:09 am Comments (0)

Bill-Tuesday 5/24

Left Nathan 20 km back where he was looking for a bus from Muxía to Santiago. He modeled my running shoes for the last picture of them before they went in the trash.  He put his hands in the shoes and his fingers out what used to be their sides and soles. “They could be nice gloves” … but of the fingerless variety.

An older South African woman saw me toss the shoes and recalled a time when, one night, she carried a bag full of old clothes and a pair of running shoes toward a trash bin but past a poor settlers camp near the edge of a town in India. She said ahe was aware of people rousing and watching her. She dumped the bag and hurried away, she said, because people swarmed the bin “and I didn’t want to see the fight.”

She–I didn’t get her name–has walked a Camino every year since 2004. This year she walked the Francés, the same route she walked her first time, “just to see how it has changed … and it has really changed.” This will be her last, she said without regret; “There are just so many other places to walk in the world!” She’s walked in Tibet, Nepal, the UK, Italy… I said, “Sounds like you are not slowing down,” to which she said with a laugh, “Are you kidding?  I am speeding up!  I have so much to do and I’m going to die someday.” She recalled meeting an 81 year old “small, wiry old guy” who had walked the Camino from Rome, in stages, 10 km a day now, but he’s near The End after all. My models.

Published in: Where am I? on May 24, 2016 at6:34 am Comments (0)

Bill-Sunday 5/22

A long walk with Nathan and Casey on a gorgeous day. From the hippie-ish Albergue do Sol y Lua in Finisterre to Bela Muxía. Muxía is yet another End of the World with a geographical claim and a legend involving Saint James. The tradition is that the Virgin arrived here in her own stone boat to assure James that his ministry was successful and to send him back to Jerusalem. The stones on the headland,  supposedly remains of the Virgin’s Barca, are said to have healing powers. Pagans still practice re-birthing ceremonies here. The 30 km walk today was mostly back roads and forest paths until you come out next to the ocean 2.5 km from town. Just as you get to the middle of town there is a narrow, long children’s playground directly across the street from a cove where the waves come rolling in. Nathan said, “I’m glad I come from the Midwest where everything is just normal.  That way, I can be amazed by this ocean and these waves and the beauty of this place. What are these kids going to think about all this when they grow up just across the street?”

Published in: Where am I? on May 22, 2016 at12:12 pm Comments (0)

Bill-Thursday 5/19

Two nights ago I was in the Association albergue in San Roque. Communal meals with the same hospitalero who was there two years ago when Pam, Joe, and I were there on our way to Finisterre. Still no wi-fi, so no post from there.

Brian Liu and I walked together the last 13 km to Finisterre, the end of the world, yesterday. All Evergreen servers were clogged with fall quarter registration in the afternoon,  so no post from me then. (But, yes, my fall quarter program,  “Education for Life,” overfilled, so I have something to do in September, besides start collecting Social Security.)

The whole program is together for two more nights with everyone trying to finish required writing projects, mostly trying to figure out if they learned anything from all those experiences of the past weeks. Frederrika, an earlier walking partner, is here; she has been in Finisterre for 9 or 10 days and “feels like a local” in this town of quick transience/transients. Like Santiago, this is a place where you re-meet people in your “herd,” those walking within a day or two of you. But an embrace at the end of the world often feels like your last. From here people go their own ways, no longer following those yellow arrows that brought us here.

Published in: Where am I? on May 19, 2016 at1:21 am Comments (0)

Bill-Monday 5/16

33 km to Olveiroa. Pleasant, tiring walk, mostly  with Brian and Jess. Planning to break tomorrow’s 34 km into two days. The program meets again on Wednesday afternoon in Finisterre.

Published in: Where am I? on May 16, 2016 at9:10 am Comments (0)

Bill-Sunday 5/15

Everyone I walked with today agreed it was good to be back on the Way again and to let the feet and legs do what they do.  Even the hill was welcomed. And the sun! After four days of gray Galician rain it was nice to walk in Galician warmth and shed our layers. A quick day, 22km to Negreira, first stop on the way to The End of the World.  Nichole is fixing pasta for the 7 of us gathered here.

Published in: Where am I? on May 15, 2016 at9:44 am Comments (0)

Bill-Wednesday 5/11

Arrived again in Santiago. 3 hour walk with an ever-brightening sky. Staying at Roots and Boots. Hunter and Rachel and a new dog they want to make their own were there. Pilgrims Mass was packed and smokey from the botafumeiro.

Published in: Where am I? on May 11, 2016 at5:13 am Comments (1)