i am in a little town in spain, my first day saying hola and my first day walking alone. at first i was feeling sorry for myself, and then the grown up me reminded me that it was what i had planned originally. i am crazy sometimes.
anyway the day was great, in spite of the fact that i slipped in the mud on a slippery surface and scared three young irish girls who came running over to help me up. i was pretty muddy but not the least bit hurt. but they stayed right with me until we were down the steep part. it was like skiing in hiking boots. it had rained all night and the dirt is clay or something really slick. it was funny being treated like i was 95 but they were really kind.
a few hours later a bull walked out of his barn and stood right on the path. i stoppped and though how long do we stay like this and then two men on mountain bikes rode up and approached the bull very slowly and the bull moved a lit to let them through and me behind them. i love this, there is something new every day.
but before i go on about today, yesterday was the most beautiful day of all of my camino days, this year and last time. it was the day we walked over the pyrenees. we started up the mountain the night before staying at a little town 500m up. all night there was an awesome powerful storm, lots of thunder and lightening. in the morning we couldn´t see 5 feet in front of us. we started walking, staying on the trial was easier than we expected. it was amazing to be walking in the fog, hearing sheep and cow bells, seeing nothing. after an hour or so the sun started to shine through the fog and we could faintly see the sheep. then up and up we went all day with fog in the valleys, vultures flying overhead and hundreds of sheep on the hillsides. (there is a crazy virgin mary statue up on some rocks. poor thing looks like someone forgot her there. )
we cross the border into spain and down into roncevalles, another tiny town with a big beautiful
abbey. as we walked into town, i was wandering around looking for the gite and a car stopped to set me cross the road and i waved thanks and tom o´connor, kathleen´s husband, said "no problem mary!" he had arrived at exactly the same time as kathleen and i.
the sad part was saying goodbye to annie and bernard hache and then kathleen. we spent 5 weeks walking together, not every hour of every day, but most days and every night in the same gite. we became good friends with annie and bernard in spite of not speaking the same language. what good people they are. helping us. every morning annie put a small stone at the first cross she saw, today i did that for her.
kathleen, tom and i had a goodbye dinner last night and this morning tom walked me out to the path for the start of my day. ( i stopped by their room to take the last of kathleens peanut butter, her backpack cover, extra plastic bags and her last can of tuna. all essential pilgrim needs.
so that´s it. me, spain, a new language and new people to meet. my next door bunk mate speaks italian. she, her husband and his friend are going to santiago. tonight i get to listen to italian.
bye.
mary
5 hours later:
my italian neighbors invited me to dinner-pasta made by antonio and massimo. gabriella made the salad. a korean "family" was making something of chicken that smelled fabulous. we all wait in the communal kitchen for the korean meal to end and the italian one to begin. while waiting i find out that the korean people, a man with his son and two young women only met yesterday but today they walk together and cook a meal together. the italian woman did not know the italian men until this morning and they walked together and fix a meal together. while talking, me the translater for the italians, we learn that one young woman is carrying her violin on the camino. while we eat our pasta she plays the violin and the others listen. then antonio starts singing italian songs and she plays along. we all sing songs from naples, o sole mio , santa lucia, besseme muchu, etc. then two people from holland come into the kitchen because they can hear the music from outside. this is the camino. if anyone wondered why i would do this again, you now know, and so do i. goodnight.
xoxox
3 comments:
Hi, Mary - A beautiful post to your blog. I can close my eyes and hear those cow bells! It is hard to believe that if my companions and I had continued walking we would be in Spain by now. In my heart, I am still there. I posted before, but in case you want to contact me at some time in the future, I am the woman from Montana, Pam, and my email is pamelabrigham@gmail.com. Buen Camino!
Mary, that was a quick response to who your 'new friends' would be in the next part of your camino. Delightful, enchanting and fun! Glad you survived the slippery slope and the young chicks hovered to make sure you were OK. The boy and I are on the front porch thinking about you...ommimh
Hi Mary: I've been in NY and without i-net. With delight I read about your journey. I smile as I read your post, my memory is filled with stories...I did go to see Mary that you described. I had to do a death ritual for a firend, his mother died only a few weeks before I left for Paris and the Camino. And, I too had the "myst"ical experience of the pyrenees...it was magical. I wonder, since you saw Mary, you must have taken the Route de Napoleon...I stayed at Orrison. A good first night in alberque and where I met the Italians....keep walking my friend...keep walking!
Colleen
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