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Deleted member 67185
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When Caleb and I reached Burgos in the early afternoon, we proceded to get our room, showered, relaxed a bit, and then went out for the rest of the afternoon and evening to tour around the city, especially the cathedral. We had some good tapas, rehydrated ourselves with Powerade and Coca-Cola Zero's, and snacked on ice cream.
As evening began to take hold and the main plaza started coming to life, we found a little spot to sit and enjoyed some people watching. I especially loved seeing all the kids that were running around and playing; they all seemed so happy and full of joy. Later, as we neared dinner time, we started to meander away from the plaza and toward a small bar that we saw near our casa which looked to have some good food.
As we left the plaza, we heard a shout out to us and turned around to see a young woman, who hailed from Taiwan, that we had seen in Roncesvalles, and a few times after. Even in a large city, with thousands of people milling around us, it is still a small pilgrimage world after all. Totally unexpected.
It turned out that the group she had been walking with and was comfortable being around, had somehow separated itself from her. As we chatted together, it was obvious that she was feeling lonely and in need of some friendly company, even though we had never really talked before now. So, after a quick whisper to Caleb, it was decided to have her spend the evening with us. I had been looking forward to Caleb and I having this last evening on Camino together, but inviting Laura (not her real name) to spend time with us seemed more important.
As we ate dinner together, Laura revealed how she felt like leaving Camino because of being by herself. I pointed out that, even though we only knew each other by sight and smile, that because she was able to spend time that evening with us, she wasn't alone and in fact seemed to be enjoying herself. Laura smiled and agreed with that point. I then told her that, just as she became part of our family for a short while, she would continue to do the same thing with each day on Camino, even if she never got back together with her friends. It was easy to see her visibly relax with that observation, and she seemed much more animated and happy during the rest of our time together.
When it came time to head to our room for bedtime, I asked Laura how she felt about continuing on. She said that even though she might miss her friends, that she felt better knowing she would get to know other pilgrims along the way. As she headed toward her alburgue, she had a smile on her face and waved enthusiastically.
Instead of taking away from our evening, Laura added to it. Both Caleb and I felt like our last night on Camino became even more meaningful. I have no idea what has happened to Laura; but since she was pysically doing great, I am hopeful that she is still on Frances, and will end up in Santiago de Compestela just as she had planned.
Just one of many trillions of warm memories which make it hard to wait til Caleb's next vacation time to get back on Camino.
As evening began to take hold and the main plaza started coming to life, we found a little spot to sit and enjoyed some people watching. I especially loved seeing all the kids that were running around and playing; they all seemed so happy and full of joy. Later, as we neared dinner time, we started to meander away from the plaza and toward a small bar that we saw near our casa which looked to have some good food.
As we left the plaza, we heard a shout out to us and turned around to see a young woman, who hailed from Taiwan, that we had seen in Roncesvalles, and a few times after. Even in a large city, with thousands of people milling around us, it is still a small pilgrimage world after all. Totally unexpected.
It turned out that the group she had been walking with and was comfortable being around, had somehow separated itself from her. As we chatted together, it was obvious that she was feeling lonely and in need of some friendly company, even though we had never really talked before now. So, after a quick whisper to Caleb, it was decided to have her spend the evening with us. I had been looking forward to Caleb and I having this last evening on Camino together, but inviting Laura (not her real name) to spend time with us seemed more important.
As we ate dinner together, Laura revealed how she felt like leaving Camino because of being by herself. I pointed out that, even though we only knew each other by sight and smile, that because she was able to spend time that evening with us, she wasn't alone and in fact seemed to be enjoying herself. Laura smiled and agreed with that point. I then told her that, just as she became part of our family for a short while, she would continue to do the same thing with each day on Camino, even if she never got back together with her friends. It was easy to see her visibly relax with that observation, and she seemed much more animated and happy during the rest of our time together.
When it came time to head to our room for bedtime, I asked Laura how she felt about continuing on. She said that even though she might miss her friends, that she felt better knowing she would get to know other pilgrims along the way. As she headed toward her alburgue, she had a smile on her face and waved enthusiastically.
Instead of taking away from our evening, Laura added to it. Both Caleb and I felt like our last night on Camino became even more meaningful. I have no idea what has happened to Laura; but since she was pysically doing great, I am hopeful that she is still on Frances, and will end up in Santiago de Compestela just as she had planned.
Just one of many trillions of warm memories which make it hard to wait til Caleb's next vacation time to get back on Camino.
