Saturday, June 25, 2011

Magical Moments

It's a hard thing to explain to others without sounding like some New Age hippie, but the Camino has a way of infusing magic into the ordinary. Day after day you walk, stop for coffee, find lodging, gather food, wash clothes; yet despite this repetition, no one day is like the next. Nestled into your routine like pastel painted Eater Eggs are the surprises, the mysteries and the moments of otherworldly joy. In an attempt to flesh out this phenomenon, I would like to offer up a list of such moments that occurred today on our walk from O Cebreiro to Triacastela.

1.) As we stepped outside this morning we were greeted by a breathtaking view like no other - swirling mist snaking between lush green mountains in the valley far below, making us feel like giants living high above the clouds.


2.) We all got to watch the sweetest scene of a husband, wife and their three young kids walking the Camino together.
3.) We were a part of five - count them FIVE - cow traffic jams. But the best was Carla the Runaway Cow (I named her) who mysteriously appeared out of nowhere on the trail and walked with Red and I to the next town where we sadly had to say goodbye in favor of a plate of tortilla francesa. We also laughed later as two sheep dogs chased a lazy cow down the street. The cow wanted to eat grass on the side of the road, but with two barking dogs flanking her, was forced to take off in a trot that her swarm of 100 flies could barely keep up with.


4.) Approaching one village I turned to Red and said, "Man, I'm getting hungry". Just seconds later an old woman came out of her house with a plate of homemade crepes and offered us some. She dusted sugar on them, and we dusted her palm with a shiny Euro. They were amazing.
5.) Just when I thought I had seen everything when it came to bar bathrooms - bathrooms without toilet paper and soap and paper towels and doors - I discovered one with no lights. Like playing Pin The Tail On The Donkey in the dark, it was not an easy aim.
6.) Toward the end of the day, as the extreme heat was really getting to Red and I, we came upon a beautiful raspberry garden. Low and behold the owners of the garden were selling baskets of raspberries for only one Euro. A little girl watched nearby as we plunked our coin in the tin box. The fruit was sweet, juicy and warmed by the sun. The perfect Spanish pick-me-up.
7.) We met two more Camino Love couples, which always makes me happy. I watched as the American girl grabbed the hand of her French boy and smiled, looking into his eyes and blushing as he pulled her close. They were still sweaty and dirty from the day's hike and covered in bed bug bites, but it didn't matter. They had each other, and in that moment, everything was alright.
8.) Above our restaurant a god-like man wearing only boxer briefs hung up his laundry in the sun, as if posing for the cover of a romance novel. I mean, was the restaurant paying him to do this?! No wonder the pilgrim's meal was a euro more than last night's.
9.) On our walk, Red and I came across a twisted tree right out of a fairytale. The sort of tree you half expect to start talking to you. If it did, I bet it would say, "Well... What are you staring at? Your nose ain't so small either!"


10.) At dinner Rick pulled out four chocolate bars as a gift to us ladies. Now that, my friends, is magic at its best...

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A few remaining pics from O Cebreiro to Triacastela...





A sunnier view of the mist as morning crept in.





Gazpacho break


The mommas rolling into Triacastela.


The only pilgrim who likes the heat.


Red does her best to navigate the dog poop filled weeds where our clothes are allowed to dry.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Triacastela, Spain

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