One for All and All for One

Today we are in Melide,Galicia. There are only 55 kms. left until we reach our destination of Santiago. We all are feeling well, we are relaxed and rested and have ¨found our stride¨. Despite us each having different bodies and fitness levels, we are all adjusting to our daily pace of 15 - 20 kms. and will miss it when we are finished.

We are in Castle country, the home of the Knights of St. James, Charlemagne´s knights and the Knights of St. John, and we are reminded of the saying ¨One for All and All for One¨ which is the approach we have taken to our camino. By staying together and supporting each other we have made this happen.

It was wise to reduce our daily distance at this point as we are arriving at our nights´accomodation by 1 or 2 in the afternoon and are not part of the ¨Giant Herd¨ or as Dawn likes to say ¨ Downtown New Delhi¨. The amount of peregrinos has indeed increased, so we thought it would be wise to describe to you who our fellow pilgrims are.

We have seen persons doing the camino on horseback and they generally have been most attractive men. Then there are the cyclists, a fit and handsome group of Tour de Espagna types, mainly Italian. We really like it when they use their ¨timbres¨or call out to us as it is almost impossible to hear them approaching and we have occasionally had to jump out of their way as they whiz past us. Uphills are of course different and we can ¨feel the burn¨of their thighs. Then there are the singles, single men and women of various ages and countries who have a dogged approach to their journeys. Many are European, French and German predominate, and many have shared their tales with us. Groups of travellers are now more frequently encountered. Large groups of Germans, Italians and French, frequently with support vehicles are hard pressed to even wish us ¨Buen camino¨ as they pass us. They are engaged in their own group discussions. We have met Koreans, who were most impressed and ¨Honored¨when I told them I had visited their country, Danes and Norwegians who are here for their regular vacations and many Spaniards who are surprised when we tell them we have travelled so far from our homes to visit their country. Two groups of Irish pilgrims have impressed us with their great friendliness and senses of humor. By and large, we are removed from the groups as we have chosen to stay in the small hotels or pensiones, but there are many others like us who choose to walk by day and luxuriate in our private clean spaces by night.

Another group worth mentioning are the ¨Hospitaliers¨.....the people who run the inns and restaurants along the Camino. The term hospitality must have indeed been born here. We want to mention 3 places in particular. In Sarria, we stayed at the small pensione, La Escallerita, where we met Jose and his wife. Jose likes to say he is ¨Muy guapo. pero muy loco(very handsome but crazy)....like all the men in Sarria¨. He went out of his way to ensure our bag arrived safely at the next destination. He and his wife work tirelessly from dawn to dusk to entertain, feed and house the peregrinos at his doorstep. In Gonzar, we stayed at Casa Garcia, a beautifully restored country home in a small agricultural village. Sra.Garcia,her husband and their son operate a quality alberque and private pensione. The dinner was undoubtedly one of our best, with fresh grilled Bacalao (cod) , a local specialty. Then last night in Palais de Rei, we met Marista and Antonio at the Pensione Barcelona. When we arrived, we could not locate our bag which we had transported from our previous location. Antonio immediately offered to drive us to find it and was absolutely incensed to think that someone in his country may have caused difficulty for us as a group of travellers. We found the bag thanks to his diligence and then they arranged the next few nights of hotels for us, including our hotels for Santiago as we are expecting there to be crowds at the end point of the Camino.

Lastly, we would like to tell you about the villages we have walked through. Many are from the 12th and 13th centuries, with rock cottages and Celtic stone fences that line the path of the Camino. The villages are quiet, with only a few village elders, women and men performing their daily chores. We have been told that for many families, they have moved to the large cities like Madrid where the chances of earning money and gaining an education has now allowed them to begin restoring their family homes. Some operate as inns, but many more sit vacant waiting for the families to visit during their vacations. The towns are quiet and peaceful and seem to be from a different time.

In each town,there are references to the Camino and the pilgrims, either statues, fountains or signs specifically indicating the way of St. James. We are starting to see the little yellow arrows in our sleep.....wish us well and we plan to send you more updates on the food and final impressions on our days to come. Hasta luego, Jo, Dawn and Trish ( your 3 Camino Amigas).