Toffeehead
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances in four stages - September 17-June 19
Someone recently told me 'there is no such thing as coincidences'. Well, if that's true what happened to me on my last visit to the camino four weeks ago can only be explained as some good old 'Camino magic'.
I've been doing the Camino Frances in stages since 2017: St Jean-Puent de la Reina (Sept 17), Puent de la Reina-Burgos (May/June 18), Burgos-Leon (Sept 18) and finally Leon-Santiago (May/June 19).
Overall it has been an amazing experience but my final stage a month ago was absolutely mind blowing and two of the most memorable weeks of my life. The weather/scenery were perfect, the people I met were amazing, I had a Camino romance... and to top it all off I had the following three random encounters with people I met on the Camino EXACTLY one year before.
* The first one was when I walked into the municipal at Astorga. I'd just checked in and was on my way to the bathroom when I was struck by a familiar figure tending to his feet. Turns out it was an English guy called Charlie I'd met a year before during the stage which concluded in Burgos. It was a big surprise for us both...
* Then the very next day I'd arrived in Rabanal, got checked in to the municipal and washed/changed. I decided to return to a bar at the entrance to the village as it was playing decent music when I walked past. I'd just sat down with my beer outside when I noticed a familar looking girl a few tables away. It really looked like an American girl called Elizabeth I'd walked with, again, EXACTLY a year before. I stared... she looked at me... stared... after a few seconds she screamed - it WAS her! And she was with another guy I'd walked with a year before too. What made this one so bizarre is that they weren't even walking, they were in a car and had only decided to stop at the bar for a drink on their way to Sarria, where Elizabeth was meeting a friend for the final 100km. That was such a lovely and special moment and we sat for nearly two hours, constantly wondering how this could have happened.
* The final encounter was when I was sitting in the departure lounge in Santiago, waiting to fly back to Ireland. I noticed a group of people walking past me... one looked familiar... he looked like Emanuele, an Italian guy I'd walked with, again, EXACTLY one year before! I shouted his name - it WAS him! A big beaming smile and a hug. 'This is magic', he said. It sure was... it wouldn't have happened only that I changed my flights just a few days before... this was Wednesday and I'd originally been due to fly home on the Friday.
The odds on one of these encounters would be quite long... but the three together... I still shake my head at it.
It really put the seal on a very special final stage... wondering if anyone else has had similar 'Camino coincidences'?
I've been doing the Camino Frances in stages since 2017: St Jean-Puent de la Reina (Sept 17), Puent de la Reina-Burgos (May/June 18), Burgos-Leon (Sept 18) and finally Leon-Santiago (May/June 19).
Overall it has been an amazing experience but my final stage a month ago was absolutely mind blowing and two of the most memorable weeks of my life. The weather/scenery were perfect, the people I met were amazing, I had a Camino romance... and to top it all off I had the following three random encounters with people I met on the Camino EXACTLY one year before.
* The first one was when I walked into the municipal at Astorga. I'd just checked in and was on my way to the bathroom when I was struck by a familiar figure tending to his feet. Turns out it was an English guy called Charlie I'd met a year before during the stage which concluded in Burgos. It was a big surprise for us both...
* Then the very next day I'd arrived in Rabanal, got checked in to the municipal and washed/changed. I decided to return to a bar at the entrance to the village as it was playing decent music when I walked past. I'd just sat down with my beer outside when I noticed a familar looking girl a few tables away. It really looked like an American girl called Elizabeth I'd walked with, again, EXACTLY a year before. I stared... she looked at me... stared... after a few seconds she screamed - it WAS her! And she was with another guy I'd walked with a year before too. What made this one so bizarre is that they weren't even walking, they were in a car and had only decided to stop at the bar for a drink on their way to Sarria, where Elizabeth was meeting a friend for the final 100km. That was such a lovely and special moment and we sat for nearly two hours, constantly wondering how this could have happened.
* The final encounter was when I was sitting in the departure lounge in Santiago, waiting to fly back to Ireland. I noticed a group of people walking past me... one looked familiar... he looked like Emanuele, an Italian guy I'd walked with, again, EXACTLY one year before! I shouted his name - it WAS him! A big beaming smile and a hug. 'This is magic', he said. It sure was... it wouldn't have happened only that I changed my flights just a few days before... this was Wednesday and I'd originally been due to fly home on the Friday.
The odds on one of these encounters would be quite long... but the three together... I still shake my head at it.
It really put the seal on a very special final stage... wondering if anyone else has had similar 'Camino coincidences'?