The Camino Frances

The Camino Frances

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It´s all about the People/Pilgrims

Day 35 In Santiago

Today we met more friends and made new ones, and heard stories.
At lunch, once again at the Parador, serving hake, pulpo and tuna, I met a pilgrim who has walked 13 Caminos. He thinks he is done with the Camino, as he has walked every path!
I met Lise, and we are having supper together. She says she has walked 9 Caminos.
I met a woman who walked only 15 km per day. That was her limit, and she started in St Jean in March, when the weather was great.
I met people at lunch who had walked the Camino del Norte - quite a challenge.
I met Mark and Debbie, who had to sleep in the loft of a barn with the animals in Foncebadon, which seems to be having an overload each night.
I met Jennifer, who has a blog and does a painting - at least- every day. She walked the same distances as Wendy and I so we saw her often. We stayed at the same albergue in Palais de Rei, and here is her posting from that day. Here is her blog.  http://jenniferlawson.blogspot.com.es/

Photo: Yesterday was another drizzly walk in Galicia to Palas de Rei. Cold and rainy so I was left to sketch in the cafe at the Albergue. The walls were covered with pilgrim paraphernalia and coins from all over the world. Lots of pilgrims sharing the sleeping quarters, but at least I had the highly coveted lower (abajo) bunk.
Tomorrow we take the train to Madrid, and since I have a hard time sitting still, I think I will wander the aisles and hear more stories.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for that. I love her painting. I will go to here blog. I also love:
    the people you met and the different paths they took
    the idea of you running around the train collecting stories.

    My friend Kevin is on the path. He is on day 8 and is walking bare feet. He is a friend of Sue Kenney I think so maybe that is why the bare feet. He has not complained about blisters or anything but I think to myself that maybe the path was better for walking au natural 1000 years ago. Now with the cities, the roads and the populated areas he will be walking on more than rocks and thistles. It sounds a bit crazy to me...but I heard that in the olden days some walked it on their knees...and a friend tells me she is going to walk it on the bus staying in hotels...With the stories you have told about the different ways that people get there, I guess as in life, it takes all kinds of paths to build the community.

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  2. Hi Darlene,

    So nice of you to post one of my sketches—thank you. I am surprised after walking 18-30 K a day I had the energy to sketch, but I did one almost everyday. The Camino does wonderous things! I terribly miss being a "walker/sketcher/pilgrim". No one told me about the "post Camino blues"...

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  3. Here is how I cope: I walk every day, as part of the problem is the lack of the endorphins from the exercise. I lead walks for pilgims in training, and returning pilgrims, and walking addicts - every week we walk about 20 km. This gives me an opportunity to talk all day about the Camino without the listeners rolling their eyes! And, I have an open ended plan to return to the Camino within 2 years. All this helps me with the withdrawal. Come on up here and join us!

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