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There is water in Spain that does not come from a store, and there is no plastic bottle to recycle afterward. Just sayin'.needed water. I made it to a town, but it was siesta time and the shop was closed
falcon269 said:There is water in Spain that does not come from a store, and there is no plastic bottle to recycle afterward. Just sayin'.needed water. I made it to a town, but it was siesta time and the shop was closed
mariposa627 said:I can't wait to go next JUNE.... the Camino truly does provide! Love this thread, fabulous stories!
MI found that the people of the Camino, pilgrim and local (and, I suppose, myself), did most of the providing for me. The weather and the terrain, not provided by the people, were the most difficult for me. Rely on yourself, and then the Camino can fill in a few gaps.
Kindnesses, just a few examples from our recent time on the Primitivo:-
The elderly lady who stopped to talk to us while we were packing up our rubbish from the picnic to take back just up the road to the bin. She took it from us to take to her home to save us walking back up the hill.
Another elderly lady who when asked if there was a possibility of a simple meal produced soup and a very ample (half) rabbit stew very quickly. We wondered if we were eating their next night's supper.
The priest on his way to Mass who stopped his car to ask if we were alright as we walked in the rain, and then remembered us when he stamped our credenciales in Lugo cathedral office a few days later.
The many locals who stopped to have a few words, or point out the Way.
Terry and Valerie
On my first Camino, which I started in Seville, I felt very moved by the people who wished me "Buen Camino". Those words were new to me and when they came from a lorry driver, then a police car, shouted out of the window and next a group of gipsies camped under one of the motorway bridges, I was really touched. Several Caminos later I still feel wonderful when I hear, "Buen Camino".
An important component of this story of my friends' kindness is that the six of them took turns waiting on the chairs in front of the albergue watching for my arrival to ensure that I wouldn't walk past it when I saw the sign out front saying "completo" indicating that no beds were available.I experienced many kindnesses, grace notes and gifts of the Camino on my journey, such as late one day after an exhausting 18 kilometer walk in the sun as I approached the small town of Hontanas I learned from an acquaintance that the first two lodgings had no vacancy. As I neared the first albergue (with great trepidation) I heard the sound of my name being called by an Australian woman I'd come to know and whose quicker pace than mine allowed her to catch up to me and pass me on the trail earlier that afternoon. She said that somehow they'd reserved one bed too many for their group of six so they’d saved it for me. With my situation alleviated through the thoughtfulness of these fellow pilgrims my gratitude was immense. Our friendship was strengthened and I benefitted from the experience by becoming better prepared for the days ahead by planning earlier arrivals and frequently making reservations for a bed at my next destination.
Your figs story reminded me a very similar experience. My wife and I were walking along the road between Ponferrada and Cacabelos when an elderly woman with a basket of freshly-picked figs approached us from the other direction. When we met, she stopped, picked through the basket, and selected the four best figs she could find, then handed them to us with a "Buen Camino." Before we could even respond, she was on her way. Those were the sweetest, most delicious figs I've ever eaten. Such kindness is never forgotten.[snip]...When I was in the woods around Boavista (had walked from Melide) I met a man with a plastic bag. He came up to me and opened the bag and said please have some. I looked down into the bag and tried to figure out what it was. Small ugly fruits. I got 2 and said thanks. He was trying to get me to have some more. Almost angry as I didn't know what was best for me. I said thanks and that I didn't have anything to carry them in. He said Buen camino and waved when I walked. I tried one of the fruits had still no idea what it was. It was do delicious and I turned around and screamed to him "Gracias, bueno, muy bueno". He smiled and waved again. I had the other sweet and cold thing. I got some seeds between my theets and I think I walked for a km before I realized what it was. It was figs.
Such kindness is never forgotten.
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