Day 58 Rest day in Santiago

There is oft heard saying on Camino, “Camino will provide”. When you wonder if you are lost, wonder where you can eat or sleep, something happens to calm the situation. We had a share of that, but principally what we enjoyed, and I admit I don’t acknowledge the effort as much as I should, is the enormous extensive and detailed planning done by Jenny. She readily undertook the planning with countless hours of reading and research. Then there were massive hours on a spreadsheet which is a master class. All the while Jenny planned she was in consultation with me and subject matter experts. Jenny singularly provided detail planning for every day of our journey. And while I am specifically referring to Camino it doesn’t stop here, she has planned the next five or six weeks until we get home. Her spreadsheets can provide advice of temperature, distance to travel, altitude up and down, population, etc etc etc. This document is publishable.

The other day there was a single error on the spreadsheet, nothing earth shattering and nothing that couldn’t be fixed immediately. But it served me a reminder that this massive spreadsheet isn’t just huge, isn’t just informative on a multitude of multitudes of points, but extremely impressively, it is accurate.

The modern traveller like us book accommodations online; no longer taking the highrise motel or hotel in the main street. The places booked are to a standard, but finding them is an individual pursuit. In a country with a different language and a population substantially unable to talk with us, you have to have your planning together, in-house. Time and again Jenny has activated her GPS and led us up streets and backroads to access our chosen place. Without this the standard of accommodation and its cost would be shattering. We travelled without concern or problem, had excellent accommodation, and it didn’t cost a fortune. Thank you Jenny.

To achieve the success though I must add the years of schooling Jenny has undertaken to become adequately proficient in the Spanish language, spoken, written and reading. This has the advantage for Jenny to be able to converse with grandson Jay as he grows in a bilingual family. So the effort has dual benefit. But I cannot understate the many hours dedicated commitment she made to learn the language. Every day she rolls into the interpretation role and seems to be understood, just as she comprendos.

My contribution has been to carry the computer.

Then there is the matter of partnering me day after day, which has got to be challenging. But we walk side by side, with Jenny well ahead on the uphills and slightly ahead on rough ground and creating distance between us in hopping rocks across the treacherous streams we forded. And while we talk almost constantly the conversation is not repetitive. But for a little insight, one of Jenny’s streams of thought and point for discussion is a great example of our subjects. Walking the roads and lanes we often share our world with tiny gnats that usually rise from horse dung and hover in front of our faces, not landing or touching, just being a nuisance. Jenny’s question on this experience is “do you think the gnats go back to the place where they began hovering us, or do they remain in the new place, or go somewhere else?” You have to admit that’s a line of consideration which could take hours of discussion and deliberation. Some residents of a town in the south of Spain were so nice because Jenny had made the effort to ask questions in her Spanish, they came out of their houses to “talk” with us and make us feel very welcome and involved. It was a unique community that you just wanted to be a part of.

We were helped by some beautiful strangers. A man walking by in Merida was thorough and pleasant helping us to access an apartment building, even returning when he realised we would need another security code number, which we did. Then there was the manager of a hotel we stayed in Puebla de Sanabria who went way beyond her call of duty to find a way and source to have a backpack transported forward. She problem solved different options until finally successfully arranged everything - not a simple thing. And the police officers that appeared from “nowhere” to guide us on our way when we believed we were pathetically disoriented. Plus so many people, drivers, waiters, strangers who have made every effort to support our venture, this is a nation of thoughtful and willingly helpful souls.

This time in Santiago was different to previous times. Normally we would have a bubble of up to 50 people and a portion of them finishing on the same day and similar time frame to us. And our trek would principally be done by native Spanish, far fewer foreigners like us. This time it was just two others, one French (Isabelle), and one Australian (David from Melbourne) which was really great but not the volume of hugging and congratulations. But it was all done. Then the credentials certifying Jenny and I have travelled 1250km from Cadiz to Santiago. What a way to spend two months. It has provided such an array of memories. Then our celebratory lunch with Isabelle and David. The next day David from Melbourne left for home and we enjoyed a final lunch with Isabelle in a lovely old monastery, vowing to stay there if there is a next time. Just need to remember to book accommodation many many months or more likely a year in advance.

Then in the evening we had drinks with our wonderful new Dutch friends Andre and Febe. This was a very special and important closure to our Camino and our brief time in Santiago. We feared we had missed the opportunity when we realised the contact details that Febe had provided were incorrect (later it was discovered she had omitted a single digit). With some very fine sleuthing on their part, we reconnected, having arrived back to our accommodation after a brief outing to find a note slipped under the door. It helps to have a place with a name starting with the unusual letter of 'X'. Whilst Febe didn't remember the actual name, it wasn't so hard for her to figure it out, remembering the first letter and rough location. And it was nice to think they had the same desire to reconnect. So... it was a very pleasant evening, in spite of some rain. And for the first time since we started our Camino, we were out and about without our wet weather gear that we had dutifully carried every step of the way, never actually needing.

That is the end of my blog for our Camino Via de la Plata. However, after a rest, I will continue to post. We are not yet finished our adventures. Stay tuned if you would like updates on our continuing travels. If not, thank you for joining us on our Camino.

Surprisingly, not too many photos today.

Our accommodation in Santiago

Final catch up (for now) with Andre and Febe

Street art of statues of women in the park nearby. Very nice

Looking up - where we ate lunch

A note of reflection from Jenny...

People often liken the Camino to a journey through one's lifetime whereby we are faced with a variety of experiences, many happy, many challenging, many highlights and conversely difficulties, many different emotions as we travel from beginning to end. There is also a vast array of assorted personalities that we encounter along the way.

On the Camino we meet many people, both pilgrims and locals. We cannot speak highly enough of the local Spanish people. Rarely will they not reach out with a greeting along the way, a warm smile and offer of assistance where needed. They are incredibly social and vivacious with an obvious love of life, family and friends. And even strangers like us. Of the pilgrims that we meet along the way, some pass through our lives fleetingly and their impact on us varies to a greater or lesser extent. Sometimes a few minutes of interaction can leave a lasting impression. Then there are those who form a loose bubble, such that we don't travel specifically with them but manage to cross paths periodically, to a greater or lesser extent. They all have their personal and individual reasons for walking a Camino. The Camino is different things to different people.

Alistair, way back at the very beginning, admitted that for him it was purely about getting from A to B. He had no interest in exploring or sightseeing along the way.

Isabelle on the other hand didn't care about the mileage. For her it was all about the people and the culture. As she said to me on one occasion in her beautiful French accent, "Some of those villages are very ugly, but the people are always so wonderful." She would walk to enjoy the experience, not to achieve or prove anything and she would catch a taxi or bus where the need arose. Her approach to the Camino matched her approach to life. And it was infectious and incredibly endearing.

The 'odd couple', Tom and Jerry and Javier walked quickly but erratically. (I simply refer to them as 'the odd couple' because we could never quite understand how Javier with his youth and lack of English saw fit to travel so far with a couple of eccentric and slightly strange old men who loved nothing more in life than visiting Thailand for its beautiful women and yoga.) Ultimately Jerry aborted with 300km remaining.

The lovely Dutch Marion who walked alone was there for the wildflowers and the solitude. When it became hot or boring, she hitched a ride. Or meandered off course significantly. With two daughters in their late 30s, Marion is something of a 'free spirit' and by no means a stranger to hitchhiking. She doesn't conform or stick rigidly to a script (a 'Camino script').

The other two Dutch ladies, Sonya and Margarita, shortened their distances and ensured they did it their way. Isabelle would jokingly say (to their faces as to everyone else) their Dutch approach was "one kilometre walking, two beers, three cigarettes, four coffees and an endless budget for taxis and buses." Of course an exaggeration but probably a fair portrayal of S&M nevertheless. Sonya's words were:

Firstly, 15 km is quite enough on any day.

Secondly, when you stop enjoying it, you stop doing it. They stopped at Salamanca.

Sigmund at the age of 83 just kept walking - slowly but he made it in fast time. "Just one step in front of the other and keep going." No rest days. And year after year, he comes back for more. (But I think he must thrive on pain. He had days that were long and brutal. "The heat is killing me," he said. I feared that it would do that, literally. But he survived.)

David from Melbourne was gung-ho like Alistair, although probably more interested in the social aspect and so he would stay in the albergues. Also he mellowed a bit under Isabelle's influence. Who wouldn't! Physically his achievements elsewhere far outweighed any Camino, so he had nothing to prove on the Camino and exciting challenges to look forward to next year and beyond.

David Waraker - "As stubborn as a mule and as strong as an ox." Those are my words. He was always determined to see it through to the end. No one else could have done what David did. I have total respect, admiration and love for David and value his achievements, his determination and his commitment enormously.

Febe and Andre - just out to have fun, that's what it was all about for them. Such wonderful people who knew not to take anything too seriously but just to enjoy the experience. Very fit and active people, Andre in his mid-seventies, with no plan to slow his pace anytime soon. Incredibly inspirational.

Anneke and Ben - another Dutch couple. So many Dutch! Anneke's first words when we met for the very first time were "Will you join us in a taxi tomorrow? It'll be a long tough day and the walking will be too difficult." In hindsight I regretted declining her on this occasion because she was right. It turned out to be our hardest day on the Camino.

There were so many others, all with their own stories. All fascinating.

So who was most successful? Everyone of course. For their own personal reasons.

For me? I have definitely changed from previous Caminos. I think for me personally it's a kind of 'Camino maturity'. I now understand the Camino is not about mileage. The pilgrims who do just the final 100km have as much reason to celebrate as those completing the entire Camino or even much more. And whether you walk every step or not, is totally irrelevant. It's about the people, the culture, the friendships and relationships. It's about the freedom, the environment, the mental challenge as well as the physical. It's the focus on meditation and slowing down the pace of life, the discipline and the perseverance. And it's about maintaining the right perspective on what you are doing, knowing that just like one's journey through a life time, it's not always easy. It can be quite a 'bumpy road' at times and there are occasions where you need to make compromises or sacrifices or change your plans to get it right. But also to not lose sight of the pleasure and satisfaction gained from embarking on such an amazing experience. Then there is the feeling of both increased physical and mental fitness which is exhilarating and enough to make you want to keep coming back for more. I would say my own personal camino was highly successful. And I would say our Camino, David and mine, (because they were inextricably linked), was an incredibly successful Camino. Suffice it to say, I am well satisfied!