To Agés
I wish I could tell you about all the wonderful people I am meeting on the Camino. I meet so many interesting people every day. If I was a storyteller, I could tell you all about them, but let me try and tell you about one or two.
I met a Dutch man. He had left his home in Amsterdam and started walking in February. He has walked 79 days and day 100 will be in Santiago. He’s no longer interested in walking but he made a commitment and he’s going to keep doing it. He really just wants to get back to his family. I have bumped into him several times, but he walks much faster than me.
I met a young German man who plans to walk all of the Camino in 28 days. For reference, I am taking 38 days. He had done the Camino Del Norte five years ago. That is a harder Camino, because of the steep ups and downs and fewer support villages. He didn’t do any training for this current Camino, and he is suffering. He has blisters and shin splints, and he’s only about a third of the way through. He is so jolly though, he just finds everything amusing. It was so fun to talk to him.
I met a man from Scotland, and we had an hour to kill while we were waiting for the grocery store to open. He was very philosophical and thoughtful about how the world was and his place in it. He has traveled so much all over the world and he volunteers in many places that he goes, I have met him several times while walking.he walks much faster than me, but we often end up at the same place.
I met a person from South Korea who was walking the Camino for the fourth time. He is 76 years old, and walks much faster than me. He has hiked in 32 countries!
I met a group of three girlfriends from Lake Havasu who always hike together, bike together, do triathlons together, and thought they would have this adventure together. Two are 60 years old, and the other will turn 60 while on this trip. They were so open and curious and willing to talk to anyone. It was really fun to be able to spend some time with them and to feed off their excitement for this adventure. I have met them several times while walking. They also walk faster than me, so I see them some days and not others.
I met a lovely Australian lady who had hiked in other countries for three weeks before she started to Camino. I have a leapfrogged with her on the Camino for about four or five days she’s a lot of fun;always energetic. her package weighs 34 pounds, but she still walks faster than me.
I met a couple from Michigan. Her ankle is very swollen. She doesn’t think it’s broken though. She will see a doctor when she gets to Burgos. She does not walk faster than me!
Today was my last shorter day. From here on I have booked so that I walk at least 20 km per day. I got up before the sun again today because they high was going to be 81°. I don’t do well in the heat. The walk itself was lovely though, through a forest. I saw many different flowers, and there was a lot of Heather in bloom.
At one point I came across a memorial, which was to 300 people who had who had in 1936 being slaughtered by Franco’s troops in that spot.
