- Time of past OR future Camino
- 202?
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Something I haven't found in the Camino books and accounts I've read: Conversations with local people in the Camino towns and villages. Nothing about how folks earn a living, what they do for fun, how they feel about life in general. Seems like most of the conversations I read about are between pilgrims. Maybe it's the language barrier? Not enough time/energy/opportunities? Or perhaps these exchanges take place but don't make it into the literature? Just wondering what other pilgrims' experiences might be.
The key is to be willing to risk yourself in Spanish. I'm fortunate in that my husband is fluent but I find that he tends to let me do a lot of the transactions and then the conversations come out of that; fluency and confidence come with finding your efforts are appreciated. As long as your message is getting across, mistakes are irrelevant in these situations. It's good to be able to have conversations that don't keep to the "usual" pilgrim topics. We find that Spaniards are not interested in background, occupations etc but are eager to exchange ideas and philosophies of life. Great talkers!!!Something I haven't found in the Camino books and accounts I've read: Conversations with local people in the Camino towns and villages. Nothing about how folks earn a living, what they do for fun, how they feel about life in general. Seems like most of the conversations I read about are between pilgrims. Maybe it's the language barrier? Not enough time/energy/opportunities? Or perhaps these exchanges take place but don't make it into the literature? Just wondering what other pilgrims' experiences might be.
I am a retired Spanish teacher and I actively sought out interaction with the locals. This is one of my favorites, a guided tour of the chicken house.Something I haven't found in the Camino books and accounts I've read: Conversations with local people in the Camino towns and villages. Nothing about how folks earn a living, what they do for fun, how they feel about life in general. Seems like most of the conversations I read about are between pilgrims. Maybe it's the language barrier? Not enough time/energy/opportunities? Or perhaps these exchanges take place but don't make it into the literature? Just wondering what other pilgrims' experiences might be.
It was somewhere close to Santiago and, after a few weeks on the Camino, I was feeling the paucity of fresh vegetables. ..
Sounds like a great idea - as long as they're fresh and crunchy! It's a very generous thought, however, I wonder how that would go over with the health authorities; there are so many rules and regulations when it comes to providing food to the public. Perhaps others have some suggestionsBy the end of my Caminos, I'm always craving vegetables in a bad way. You can only eat so many ensaladas mixtas. I have a fantasy for my next Camino (Burgos to Santiago), which I will walk with a sister and two nieces. We will be in Santiago for two days and I'm thinking the second day, the four of us should go the market (asbastos?), buy a bunch of vegies to serve on some sort of skewer with maybe a bit of cheese, then go to the entrance of the city (forget the name of the puerta) with big signs saying "Bravo, You Made It" in English and Spanish and handing peregrinos a vegie fix as they enter Santiago. What do you think? P.S. forgive me for going off-topic.
I too eat lots of ensalada mixta, but also in Galicia I love the traditional Caldo Gallego soup which usually has potato, cabbage and white beans.By the end of my Caminos, I'm always craving vegetables in a bad way. You can only eat so many ensaladas mixtas. I have a fantasy for my next Camino (Burgos to Santiago), which I will walk with a sister and two nieces. We will be in Santiago for two days and I'm thinking the second day, the four of us should go the market (asbastos?), buy a bunch of vegies to serve on some sort of skewer with maybe a bit of cheese, then go to the entrance of the city (forget the name of the puerta) with big signs saying "Bravo, You Made It" in English and Spanish and handing peregrinos a vegie fix as they enter Santiago. What do you think? P.S. forgive me for going off-topic.
I too eat lots of ensalada mixta, but also in Galicia I love the traditional Caldo Gallego soup which usually has potato, cabbage and white beans.
My favorite interaction with the locals was also on a farm. Peg was resting at the albergue and I wandered around the rural roads just before dusk. I saw a bunch of cows up on the hillside and then a couple walking down a pista to a gate. I asked them (in Spanish) "Are those cows yours?" and when they said yes I just came out and asked "Can I go with you?" That led to an hour or two of herding some of the cows back to the barn and watching the feeding of the various animals.I am a retired Spanish teacher and I actively sought out interaction with the locals. This is one of my favorites, a guided tour of the chicken house.
This was my reply to the post by lbpierce who was CRAVING vegetables, so not of interest to folk who don't like vegetables.Yes Mike but Caldo Galego it is not easy for people who don´t like vegatables because both berza and grelo are rather bitter. But is worth it to try it because it is said that those vegetables have anticancer properties.
My favorite interaction with the locals was also on a farm. Peg was resting at the albergue and I wandered around the rural roads just before dusk. I saw a bunch of cows up on the hillside and then a couple walking down a pista to a gate. I asked them (in Spanish) "Are those cows yours?" and when they said yes I just came out and asked "Can I go with you?" That led to an hour or two of herding some of the cows back to the barn and watching the feeding of the various animals.
Give it a try. I seemed to get by well on the camino with only partially remembered 50 year old high school Spanish and patient listeners. During one conversation I apologized for my poor Spanish but I was encouraged when I was told "We're talking, aren't we?" Peg had done about a year of an hour a day free online Spanish. She choked up trying to speak but I was surprised at how well she understood.
Thanks for your messages, MarcelWals and Smallest Sparrow! I walked from Burgos to Santiago in May/June. Though I'd hoped to brush up before my walk, that didn't really happen, and though my Spanish was sufficient for basic needs and simple conversations, I would have welcomed more thoughtful conversations. But I think what really limited me was simple tiredness. I'm not shy about using whatever language capabilities I have to jump into conversations -- had lots of great conversations in Chinese on my last trip to China, but then I wasn't walking 10-18 miles a day.
So my takeaway from this Camino, and my advice to others, would be to allow more time each day to make those connections when/if opportunities arise. I would plan my time differently and give myself more opportunities to mingle when I'm not exhausted; I wouldn't allow my forward momentum to overwhelm the pleasures of simple conversation.
Scary? Yup.One last note -- the absolutely easiest way to pop that bubble and find yourself immersed in Spain is to walk an untraveled Camino. Sure, it's more of a challenge and more frightening, but I think those of us who do it would say the rewards are great. I do speak good Spanish, though, and that makes a huge difference
. . . . . . . . .In any case, as an Australian pilgrim pointed out to me-- we're their entertainment.
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