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LIVE from the Camino I am a Camino Thief ;-(

SYates

Camino Fossil AD 1999, now living in Santiago de C
Time of past OR future Camino
First: Camino Francés 1999
...
Last: Santiago - Muxia 2019

Now: http://egeria.house/
Today I stopped in Uterga and as I prepared for my shower I realised I had one pair of knickers more than I originally had packed. Counted again - 1,2,3 in the backpack, check, yes, wearing one also, check, so four pairs of knickers in total - so where did that fourth one came from???

Only possible explanation - I stole it! Two days ago from the drying rack in Zubiri ... I had to hold up the two black ones against the light to see which one was mine and which one I stole.

Dear fellow peregrina: I am sooo sorry that I stole something that belonged to you!!! I never intended to do that!!! Your property has passed now through a washing machine and will not be worn again until I (hopefully) can return it to you!!! If I don't find you again (there were many peregrinas in that albergue, so not sure about the owner) I will carry it to Santiago (without using it!) and donate it to charity.

Once again, please forgive me, I stole from you, but it wasn't intentionally, it was an accident ...

I hope you still have a very Buen Camino! SY
 
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So that’s where my knickers went :confused:

Has anyone actually tried to buy knickers on the camino? :p

It is impossible to find any that are close to what you brought from home :mad:

Been there done that :D
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Sybil, maybe you can just pinned them to your backpack with a notice (similar as here but shorter) and walk a bit slower so anyone can see it ;)

EDIT: as a penance or you might find the owner (vice versa actually)
 
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I know! The guilt! I once lost a plastic bag on the Camino and it might still be littering the countryside.
For shame!! I picked up someone's granola bar wrapper from a pretty little village along the Valcarlos route, so I am absolved from all blame, and therefore completely guiltless. :D
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I really don't think there is anyone in Santiago so poor that she would want a pair of used undies. Nor a charity who would accept them. Certainly no charity would accept them here at home. New socks and undies yes, not used ones. Consider donating a few new pairs instead as penance.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Your property has passed now through a washing machine and will not be worn again until I (hopefully) can return it to you!!!
Oh that sinking feeling. Now you are condemned to opening every conversation with a fellow peregrina with, "Are you by any chance missing a pair of knickers?"
It'll make for interesting conversations, I'm sure.
Buen camino anyway, Sybil!:D
 
I too stole. Also unwittingly.
Usually I pay my donations on arrival. This once we were urged to go upstairs and choose beds and use the one shower before the hordes started arriving.
Then I forgot.
We ended up having to walk 41km the next day, most of it in the rain, and I thought to myself that if I were Catholic I should surely feel my guilt absolved with such penance.
I'm Protestant and still feel guilty that I didn't backtrack that 5km.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
So many people are walking around on the camino with little stones in their pockets that there should be plenty of ammunition when someone finally accepts Jesus's invite to the the first to cast them. I bet he never though when he issued the invite that finally someone would accept it and throw a stone at a bag pack wearing lady!
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Today I stopped in Uterga and as I prepared for my shower I realised I had one pair of knickers more than I originally had packed. Counted again - 1,2,3 in the backpack, check, yes, wearing one also, check, so four pairs of knickers in total - so where did that fourth one came from???

Only possible explanation - I stole it! Two days ago from the drying rack in Zubiri ... I had to hold up the two black ones against the light to see which one was mine and which one I stole.

Dear fellow peregrina: I am sooo sorry that I stole something that belonged to you!!! I never intended to do that!!! Your property has passed now through a washing machine and will not be worn again until I (hopefully) can return it to you!!! If I don't find you again (there were many peregrinas in that albergue, so not sure about the owner) I will carry it to Santiago (without using it!) and donate it to charity.

Once again, please forgive me, I stole from you, but it wasn't intentionally, it was an accident ...

I hope you still have a very Buen Camino! SY
Great title for a book both fiction and non-fiction!!!
 
I just want to know if anyone here might be feeling guilty from walking off with a black Icebreaker tee last April from the Albergue Maribel in Cezur Menor???? I miss it!! :( It vanished from the clothesline. :oops:

But I survived, and that was one of the very few disappointments on my pilgrimage. In the universal scheme of things, not a biggie.
 
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
On one CF I grabbed a plastic "spork" from the drawer in the albergue kitchen so that I could eat two cups of yogurt outside. Ate the yogurt, wiped off the spork with a paper napkin and stuck it in the zippered pocket of my shorts, where I discovered it the next day many kilometers away at the next town I stayed in.
Yes, I not on purpose pinched a spork which had no doubt been left there by accident by some other pilgrim who knows when, ha ha.
The dang thing broke in two later, anyway. Note to self, buy titanium spork for future use. They are quite handy. :)
I feel better for my confession. I can now move on. ;)
I guess that spork was small compensation for all the things I donated or had pinched from me on Caminos:
Columbia fleece jacket
Oakley sunglasses
toenail clippers
5.11 long sleeved shirt
leather belt
hiking pants
tech shorts
two pairs of socks
two pairs of tech undershorts
one pair of real nice and sturdy flip flops I got in the Philippines
small fleece blanket

I think that's everything. :D
 
As was already said above, guild keeps on giving. I have found it strange how some things remain with us. There are things I have done in my life that reside with me and come back to haunt me when my mind wanders. There is a particularly wonder grace that some have to commit small acts, recognize their fault, error, mistake, make restitution, talk about it with God, and then are able to let it go without ever a thought. Such a grace is unknown to me for the most part. I remember when I have thoughtlessly spoken to another, done things that required huge amounts of stupidity, and behaved carelessly and with little regard for the feelings of others.

In this case, SY, just toss the knickers and pay it forward - do something kind for another and pray that poor pilgrim left without a pair finds a forgiving heart and understands that mistakes happen.

Cheer up and move forward,
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
pray that poor pilgrim left without a pair finds a forgiving heart and understands that mistakes happen.

That was me and I WANT MY KNICKERS BACK. :mad:

However, as I am now at home (knickerless), I will forgive you and accept that it was indeed a mistake. :mad:

How am I doing? Do I need to go back to the beginning and start again? :rolleyes:

Please say yes! :D:D:D:D:D
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Last April when we were walking some one I am sure by accident took a pair of my wife's knickers. So she only had the pair she was wearing to wash every day. We walked with wonderful pilgrim names Suzanne. My wife shared the story with her and they were laughing about it. Suzanne stated "I wondered why I brought 3 pairs, I'll give you one." My wife received from Suzanne a pair of Patigonias with the tags still attached. Thank you Suzanne. THE CAMINO PROVIDES !
 
One of the people who I was walking with early on couldn't find his reading glasses. It wasn't until after he bought a new pair that I found an "extra" pair of reading glasses in my pack.
Later on his wife mistook a pair of my underwear for her own - I guess that's what happens when you buy heavily advertised travel underwear.
I also involuntary donated a headlight, a Buff, and a small key chain light.
 
Last April when we were walking some one I am sure by accident took a pair of my wife's knickers. So she only had the pair she was wearing to wash every day. We walked with wonderful pilgrim names Suzanne. My wife shared the story with her and they were laughing about it. Suzanne stated "I wondered why I brought 3 pairs, I'll give you one." My wife received from Suzanne a pair of Patigonias with the tags still attached. Thank you Suzanne. THE CAMINO PROVIDES !
That's one of the reasons I brought three pair. And also three pair of socks.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
There are things I have done in my life that reside with me and come back to haunt me when my mind wanders.
That may not be such a bad thing, Michael. The way I see it, there's a difference between remorse (which keeps us from repeating something wrong) and guilt (the obsessive and overly-identified perseveration about that). The first is good and useful, the second is an ego-trip and a source of nothing but misery.
@SYates may have knicker remorse but she's probably not obsessing about it.;) (Right, S?)
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
The sew-on name labels I ordered should be here soon. Anything not washable will somehow have my email address. Adhesive labels, permanent markers, name cards in a pocket...

Now I'm wondering whether to order some labels with my email address!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
We do find issues to go on about but this is an issue that happens to just about everyone so labeling all clothing/equipment with a permanent marker or sewed on tag is a good idea. Socks are another item that seem to disappear. Many items such as SY points out are simply taken by mistake. A person can get pretty artistic with permanent markers. My favorites I must admit is the colorful needlework by those with some true talent.
 
The sew-on name labels I ordered should be here soon. Anything not washable will somehow have my email address. Adhesive labels, permanent markers, name cards in a pocket...

Just like school.
 
Did you get knickers pinched, at your school Kanga;)
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Today I stopped in Uterga and as I prepared for my shower I realised I had one pair of knickers more than I originally had packed. Counted again - 1,2,3 in the backpack, check, yes, wearing one also, check, so four pairs of knickers in total - so where did that fourth one came from???

Only possible explanation - I stole it! Two days ago from the drying rack in Zubiri ... I had to hold up the two black ones against the light to see which one was mine and which one I stole.

Dear fellow peregrina: I am sooo sorry that I stole something that belonged to you!!! I never intended to do that!!! Your property has passed now through a washing machine and will not be worn again until I (hopefully) can return it to you!!! If I don't find you again (there were many peregrinas in that albergue, so not sure about the owner) I will carry it to Santiago (without using it!) and donate it to charity.

Once again, please forgive me, I stole from you, but it wasn't intentionally, it was an accident ...

I hope you still have a very Buen Camino! SY
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
You have not stole anything, you have not dishonestly taken property intending to keep it, it was an honest mistake. Any one would understand particularly as you are trying to return the property to its rightful owner.
 
So that’s where my knickers went :confused:

Has anyone actually tried to buy knickers on the camino? :p

It is impossible to find any that are close to what you brought from home :mad:

Been there done that :D
Spanish underwear (for men at least) is quite good.
Corte Ingles are pretty good but did hesitate at buying a brand named DIM ;)
And the lady in Casa Jesus in Leon responded well to my mimed request (don't ask)
 
In 2010 I picked up a sun hat and carried it forward until I found a lady walking back looking for it. Probably 10 km. part of life's rich tapestry
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Don't worry SY. Such things quite often happen on the Camino and probably no one thinks you intended to steal them. :rolleyes: Once my husband lost his fleece jacket on the French Camino but in the evening he spotted it in the next albergue... a German man was wearing it happily as it was rather cool. My husband rememberd him as they were sleeping in the same albergue the day before and asked him politely if he was wearing his own jacket. The man was sure he was. But seeing my husband face he decided to check his rucksack. And then he found HIS fleece jaket in it which was almost the same colour. :cool: As you can imagine they both were happy. :D
 
I was the victim of the "theft" of my boxers (worn only once) at Guillena. There was only one gentleman, French, who might have mistaken them for his (he was a good size too). There were a pair of briefs of the same brand and colour left on the line... I asked him, and he denied any knowledge with what I'd call a typical gallic shrug. I asked everyone else in the albergue if they had seen them, to no avail. I did have another two identical pairs so carried on bravely. About 500kms later I encountered the Frenchman and his companion. They told me they had been looking for me all that way - they had my boxers! And the companion had carried them that distance. Oddly I was moved to get them back! I still have them. I was happy I'd taken three pairs!
 
In 2006 (on my first Camino) I left Los Arcos in the dark leaving my clothes prepared for the day on my bed. I was happy to feel that my backpack was lighter than the previous day but didn't realise why. Then to my surprise in the albergue in Logrono a lady came up to me and gave me my clothes. I was totally surprised. She had been carrying them all day! :oops: This is how the Camino works: it brings GOOD things out of us. :rolleyes:
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Of course I had other clothes as well. :p I always carry more than advised as I know I will lose some . ;)
 
No, possibly because they were all labelled with Cash's Name Tape - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...goes-administration-140-years.html#i-a6270e56

Those tags look very impressive Kanga, I have a girlfriend from my school days back in 1952 we only had copying-ink pencils for clothes. She was costantly looking out of the Math classroom window onto the clothesline of her blue ones, saying whimsically "I hope mother hasn't washed-out my mame-tags again!" We still laugh about her fears 60+ years later when ever we meet in the shops.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I'm still wondering where I left my floatable rain hat with the big brim on the Levante. The cotton sun hat i found later just doesn't have the same allure. And the single hand knitted sock I lost on the Norte...And the head torch on the Frances....what goes around comes around.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
"witches britches";
A very politically incorrect term to describe a woman and her underwear. (Its one of "riming slang" terms that came of the East End of London probably more than 100 years ago).
Thanks St.Mike, I've found it on the internet, it was just so new and somewhaT funny at the moment...
 
Today I stopped in Uterga and as I prepared for my shower I realised I had one pair of knickers more than I originally had packed. Counted again - 1,2,3 in the backpack, check, yes, wearing one also, check, so four pairs of knickers in total - so where did that fourth one came from???

Only possible explanation - I stole it! Two days ago from the drying rack in Zubiri ... I had to hold up the two black ones against the light to see which one was mine and which one I stole.

Dear fellow peregrina: I am sooo sorry that I stole something that belonged to you!!! I never intended to do that!!! Your property has passed now through a washing machine and will not be worn again until I (hopefully) can return it to you!!! If I don't find you again (there were many peregrinas in that albergue, so not sure about the owner) I will carry it to Santiago (without using it!) and donate it to charity.

Once again, please forgive me, I stole from you, but it wasn't intentionally, it was an accident ...

I hope you still have a very Buen Camino! SY
heh. I guess you never had kids in group activities like, say, swimming or band or Scouts. Mark your stuff! is the lesson learned. Everything looks the same. (Especially if there is a team swimsuit!) I marked my stuff and looked for initials on labels when grabbing things from lines. Though I can't say my stuff looked like everyone else's stuff anyway. But it's quick and easy to use a laundry pen at home before leaving to mark your stuff.
Now I'm visualizing the conversation if you encounter the lady whose undies you accidentally walked off with...;-)
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Confession time, I stole a sock, not a pair but a right sock, one of these with the separate big toe. I know who I stole it from too but we never met up again. I must be a hardened criminal because I still manage to sleep at nights, I don't dream of a left sock relentlessly following me looking for it's mate.
 
Confession time, I stole a sock, not a pair but a right sock, one of these with the separate big toe. I know who I stole it from too but we never met up again. I must be a hardened criminal because I still manage to sleep at nights, I don't dream of a left sock relentlessly following me looking for it's mate.
You baaad, very baaad pilgrim :D
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Remember the olden days on the Camino, where every conversation related to feet, blisters or toenails?
Though I will say on the second day of our CF, and I hadn’t yet got my groove…I packed a brand new pair of beautiful Wright socks…into someone else’s bag.
I at least hope they had feet big enough to make use of them!
There, see? A Camino conversation about feet!
 
A pair of my undies once disappeared from a drying line outside an albergue on the VdlP. As it was very windy, I attributed the theft to the wind, for the said garment was just clipped on and not pinned. These were Tilly undies: modest, comfortable, and very quick drying. Fortunately, I had brought two spare pairs, so could manage with one. The real story was the cost and effort it took to replace the fly-away unders from Tilly, who sent me a pair a size too small, they having apparently decided that women were shrinking and their sizing should do likewise. I seldom have success with ordering clothing or footwear online.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Remember the olden days on the Camino, where every conversation related to feet, blisters or toenails?
Though I will say on the second day of our CF, and I hadn’t yet got my groove…I packed a brand new pair of beautiful Wright socks…into someone else’s bag.
I at least hope they had feet big enough to make use of them!
There, see? A Camino conversation about feet!
Next time try a bottle of tinto, stop along the way and ask "Would you like to share a glass of wine?" What a clever way to have someone carry your stuff.🤪🤣😂
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
...and I bet you stole them in a big municipal albergue, because the "common sense" scaremongers (and private albergue fans) are here to tell you that posessions will NOT be stolen in a private albergue!
 

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