Your favourite fellow peregrino

[jarlath]

Hi all

just back from Sarria to Santiago and I met some amazing people along the way. My favourite fellow peregrino was a young (20ish) guy from Italy. I had developed bad blisters on the way near Palas de Rei. This guy insisted on taking my backpack and carrying it to my albergue for me. I really appreciated the help.
Others who helped make my Camino easier and special were:

• Mary from New Zealand who gave me a compeed and a sterile needle
• Diane from USA who gave me a bottle of water when I had run out
• 2 girls from Australia who were walking from SJPD who gave me some antiseptic cream
• An American guy who I met on three different days along the way and handed me a few sweets each day along with encouragement to carry on
• Otto and his wifefrom Germany who encouraged me along the way
• Alan from Belfast who gave me his last glucose tablets and advised me how to breath to get extra oxygen into the lungs

There were many others as well. I appreciate you all

So who was your favourite fellow ~Peregrino

And if you are wondering if you can manage the Camino then I would say yes you can - If I can anyone can

Buen Camino

Jarlath

 

[Introibo]

Well, I didn't get to know him really well but I did enjoy a Spanish guy I met
on the last 5 days. Being able to report back home that "Today I walked with
Jesus" was special !

I first met him in the showers in O'Cebreiro. He'd just come out of the showers and
into the drying area and was naked. I was just going into the showers and was also
naked. I offered him my best "Hola. Que tal ?". Only he knows what he said in
response. It was way beyond my comprehension. I just made a move for the nearest
available shower. Stiff upper lip and all that.

The day after in Triacastela we met again. He came over and said "Yesterday, when
I spoke to you, you walked away. I thought you were ignorant. Now I realise you're
English". So began a friendship that lasted to Santiago.

I walked with Jesus by my side

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Queen's chaplain, Hugh Bearn:

 

[Donna Sch]

The two I am closest to are Rodrigo "El Canario" and Ludovic "El Caballero Blanco". Met Rod in Alcuescar and basically ended up walking with him to SdC. We both walk at the same pace and had a similar warped humour. And Kiwis and Canaries both warble as they walk. Total heathen and one of the most kind-hearted people I know. We ended up meeting Ludo in Zamora and kept bumping into him. He is really devout with a wicked sense of humour and we laughed our way along the Sanabres. Los Tres Amigos aka The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Ludo was definitely the Good LOL. If the Camino provides then Rod acquired a shrink, a professional carer and later two paramedics - Santiago obviously thought a lot of work was necessary! I got a translator and Ludo got lessons in how to swear in Spanish and Australian/NZ English.
But really there are so many special people. Peregrinos, locals... And a burro called Wilson who provided fodder for many a conversation along the way.

 

[xymmot]

I think everyone I met along my Camino are special. Local people as well as foreign from all over the world. I am bless to meet so many good people along my pilgrimage

 

[MCFearnley]

In no particular order...
Marsha from California who gave me a beautiful gift;
Scott from Calgary;
Joël from France who was returning home on foot from Santiago and addressed me as "ma soeur";
Brenda and Ariana also from Calgary;
Serene from Ottawa;
Nancy and Orina from I don't remember where;
Donna and her sister from Kansas;
Judy from Germany;
The two couples from the Netherlands I had lunch with in Hospital da Condessa;
Donna, Helen and Mallory I shared a room with in Vega de Valcarce and Sarria;
Brian and Mary from Thunder Bay;
The Italian couple now living in London I met in Ponferrada and bumped into again in Santiago;
The couple from Rimouski and the one from Windsor:
The young man from Ireland I chatted with in Portomarin;
Felipe and his buddy from Mexico who sang O Canada when they saw the flag on my pack and with whom I chatted as we were coming into Melide;
Carolyn from Cornwall and Chin from China who insisted we have lunch together even if we had a hard time finding a place that could accommodate gluten free;
And so many others from all walks of life and nationalities I met along the Way.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Jake at desayuno with cola cao.
photo removed to thwart non-Forum pederasts.

 

[John Sikora]

1) A made Aussie who kept calling me grandfather and saying that Americans were arrogant. Spent a delightful week walking with him. Still keep in touch
2) A nice couple (wife was a beekeeper and husband an architect/restore of old houses and a folk singer) who I also had the pleasure of walking off and on for about a week.
3) Italian couple from Milan (in their 80s) who argued very loudly as we walked. When I asked why, I was told "she always talks loudly when she is wrong"
4) Spanish couple who spoke no English and who I passed and then they passed many many times. Our entire conversation was "Hola, buenos dias" for about 3 weeks. On the last day, I was sitting at a table at a stop with some Americans that I met and the lady came up behind me and pulled my pony tail. I looked at her in surprise and she pointed at her husbands exceedingly bald head. Seems like he was envious of what little hair I had back there.
5) German college student or post college student who was desperately trying to nicely pick up any female who would speak to him. Very nice guy, very bad pickup lines and luck
6) Spanish pharmacist who we went to when my previously mentioned Aussie had some bad blisters. The pharmacist spoke no English but had a great sense of humor. When my friend showed him his blisters he said something in Spanish. My friend didn't speak Spanish. I speak a little so he asked me what the Pharmacist had said. I said (loosely translating) - You're going to die but not from these .
7) Standing in the pouring rain with a Dutch couple that spoke no English. A pilgrim struts by us and shouts out "Why are you standing there, pilgrims are waterproof and invincible" and just kept trudging on. The Dutch couple looked at me, gave the universal shrug and we went back out into the rain.
8) An unnamed pilgrim who spoke no English but who couldn't get his poncho on over his pack without help. During a two day rain I think I helped him with that 20 times. But he bought coffee so I had no complaints
9) All the people who pointed at me and said "GoPro man" (since I was videoing the entire walk).

And on and one. I only hope that I provided as much merriment to others as they provided to me and that I dispelled some of the thinking that all Americans are arrogant and unaware of anything outside the U.S.

 

[Mark Lee]

Met way too many cool fellow pilgrims on my Caminos, I could not possibly even begin to pick favorites. Such a diverse and interesting group of people. I think about quite a few of them from time to time. Some I still have contact with via email and Facebook and even a few from this forum I met whilst walking the CF.

 

[Michael Caleigh]

Oh I love this thread. I just post this photo as it brings tears to my eyes and I am full of awesome memories to have met such lovely people on my last Camino.
I started alone and soon met a fellow pilgrim in Oviedo. We walked a couple of days alone and then were joined by these amazing people. We are still in touch on Facebook and have a Whatsapp group and many meetings and the next camino are planned.

Love those guys.

A tearful Michael....buen camino a todos.....y gracias por este foro.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

My daughter Katherine who has never stepped foot on the Camino but has been on all five of mine in spirit.

 

[jarlath]

My daughter Katherine who has never stepped foot on the Camino but has been on all five of mine in spirit.

Maybe she will join you one day

 

[Jacobus]

After reading through this thread I was touched by the sentiments expressed in the last 2 posts.
I walked my first Camino in 2008 and like the next 7 Caminos I was separated from my family, who encouraged me but did not share my passion. In fact when I returned in a state of excitement with photos in hand my wife and daughter displayed a disinterest that I found shocking. I had convinced myself that if I shared my experiences that my family would jump on board and walk with me the next time. That didn't happen.
Fast forward 8 years . A few days ago my daughter who is 19 and will graduate college this year asked me if I would ever consider taking her with me on one of my Caminos.
It only took 8 years and 8 Caminos but it has happened. We will start together in Porto to walk the CP. Baby steps.
We are planning and discussing the trip together. We have started our Camino and the answer to the question in this thread is without question my daughter.

Buen Camino

 

[HenkSlb]

When I started in Lisbon on April 1 this year it was really quiet as far as pilgrims goes. The first peregrino I met on April 3, Philip from Australia. We talked about death and Death, Beethoven and New Zealand. He walked slower than I did because he was heavier and his backpack was much heavier too--so after some time he decided to take a rest. Later on I realized that his words had given me the reason I was walking this caminho--it was really a Requiem for my wife who died two years ago. We only met a few minutes on one of the following days--but thank you for opening my eyes!
Then there were Liz and David from the USA; Ian from Ireland with 7 or 8 women; Catherine, Jennifer and Maddie from the USA, aka as The three Generations. We all had interesting talks.
Then Tom from California. We discussed the power of God (who seems to be almighty!) to circumvent Peter at The Gate. Just make sure Peter doesn't spot you.
As a last peregrino I like to mention Pritam from Dundee, Scotland. By birth a Sikh, he was interested to know some particulars of the RC faith. Even though I am a non believer I could tell him a lot about the Immaculate Conception and other topics of interest. From him I learned about the Sikh.

As non peregrinos there are some persons that come to my mind. Of course Paula in Porto de Muge who cooked me a meal on my 74th birthday--which she did not know about. Actually I had been walking too far.
But most of all, the girl in the newly opened cafetaria at a gas station some 12 km from Sao Joao da Madeira on the road to Porto. It was raining heavily, more dogs than cats, and I turned in for a cup of coffee--all wet, including the inside of my boots. So I talked with her about the possibility of calling a taxi. She straightened her back and with the, maybe 50, words of English she knew she told me: you a strong man! You take pack and walk! I could but accept her 'marching orders' and her words have been with me the rest of my caminho. No way to pay for the coffee! Because: we love peregrinos!
Do I have to mention the miracle in Coimbra? Leaving a restaurant at about eight in the evening, it was raining unpleasantly. So I hesitated to walk to my hotel. One of the ushering girls saw me standing and said: I have a line to up high. Wait two minutes and it will stop raining. It did!! And after a few minutes fast walking I reached the hotel, and behold, it started to rain again the minute I entered.

Warm feelings to the volunteer at the pilgrims office in SdC who saw me becoming emotional when I told him the reason for my pilgrimage. He offered to dedicate the Compostela to my dear Saskia and called a lady to give me a possibility to have a talk. Thank you, kind people.

The avatar picture shows the shadow of the living and the body of the dead. It was taken close to the Quinta da Cardiga. A few minutes later I heard a chattering stork. His/her companion? The only time I heard a stork on the caminho.

 

[Jacobus]

This photo is from my second Camino in 2009. I am second on left. The group that I am with are my Camino Family from 2008. They surprised me at the Albergue in Puente la Reina on information I provided to Patrick. Needless to say it was a very emotional day. We parted ways again the following day after sharing one more "menu" and a bottle of Rioja! To this day my warmest memory from the Camino.

 

[eviemonkey]

The wonderful Spanish volunteer in the Pilgrim's Office in SJPdP whose infectious enthusiasm for the Camino, 13 years after walking her first, cured any lingering bouts of melancholy and loneliness on my last night of normality before setting off from St Jean the next morning.

That 'special pilgrim friend' who I met in my weakest moment on that steep early climb on the first day. As my own self-doubt and motivational levels began to dip, she waited more than once or twice for this stranger she had just met. We walked together thereafter. That generosity of spirit was to became a feature of the Camino, but I never needed it more than on that first climb.

The recurring 'strangers' who showed genuine happiness to see me again, on those days when I decided I needed to walk 'alone'. I was to learn the valuable lesson that nobody walks the Camino alone.

Most of all though, my favourite peregrinos were Camino family, a disparate group of different backgrounds and ages. Never the most obvious of walking partners to begin with, but by the end I couldn't imagine descending those last steps into Praza do Obradoiro in Santiago without each and every one of them.

Back in the real world, I miss them dearly now, as I do the Camino. Would moving on from the Camino be easier if I had continued on my own and made less emotional connections along the way? Quiet possibly so, but the Camino itself would never have been as meaningful, or enjoyable.

 

[Stephen]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...0013612955326.150725908724507&type=3&theater#

The company of Bessy from the USA, Robbie from England, and Cong from South Korea, helped to make my peregrination far better then I could ever have hoped.