The French Family with a tablecloth!

Such niceties seldom seen on the Camino

They were ten people including 5 kids. In spite of their attention to dining graciously the boys, all under 10, were running wild when I noticed them scaling a wrought iron gate liberally adorned with vicious looking spikes. I did warn them off and drew their mother’s attention to the danger of them being impaled but she dismissed my concerns with a haughty wave of the hand.

We had 102 pilgrims in the house last night and we had to open the basement accommodations. A Polish family with 5 kids ranging in age from a three month baby to an adolescent slept down there. About 30 others were in the same room.

Cereal in the morning

It was an exhausting day and I was happy to sleep today… I had 2 siestas of 2 hours each! My Canadian counterpart goes to sleep at 8:30 as a routine but opens the door without fail at 6 am so I cannot fault that. Gilberto and stay up lock the spooky church and the street gate.

I am left to deal, with my wonderful partner, Gilberto, with the somewhat rowdy post supper bunch. The Italians in particular seem to talk at the tops of their voices and since the floor is unforgiving terrazzo, the noise is deafening.

The graves of the victims of France

At the end of the beautiful field adjoining our albergue is a site being excavated. A monument is to be erected there at some point. For now, happy dogs bound around, their masters throwing balls for them under the shadow of the beautiful mountain.

Ten minutes before my shift

The poles are adding up

There are already over 50 pilgrims in the albergue and it is only 4 o’clock. My worst nightmare will be turning someone away.

One of my colleagues is an early bird and she goes off to bed quite early. The kitchen as jumping lady night and I admit to being a bit grumpy when people wanted to go in drinking wine and chatting in a dining room with a terrazzo floor. It has tremendous resonance and I resorted to taking out my hearing aids. That made for scratcher surreal conversation with a troubadour who wanted me to confirm the words of a Greek song.

An elder bush coming into flower

I try to be zen and enjoy what I can understand of what is going on….

Booked for my getaway next week -to Avila and then home!

A Camino Moment

I have walked on the Camino and I know what it is to worry about getting to an albergue, about getting a decent bed, about arranging for a meal.

My three companions and I have formed the habit of going for a coffee in a nearby cafe when our cleaning chores are done. Just as we were setting off a dreamy sort of young girl, a crown of lilacs flowers on her hair came to the door to ask if she could use our toilets. Without turning a hair my partner unlocked for and waited for her to leave. The rest of us rolled our eyes and fell to describing her as “ a hippie”, “ a bit lost”. And more.

After lunch the girl brought a German woman to us and translated her request to use our washing machine. She was staying in a camper van near by.

A few moments later the young girl, Maria, sat before us to request a bed. When we had explained all the house rules and offered a bed she told us that she had no money. Being the cynic I am I asked her how she ate. She replied that people kindly gave her food, My partner, Gilberto indicated I should take her to the women’s’ section and that he was going to the kitchen to prepare her a meal.

As I was showing her to the room I asked her why she lived in this way and , her eyes brimming with tears she replied that inner voices told her to try to live in a way that did not have money as its base. Having worked in a hospital as a social worker for over 35 years, when I hear about “ inner voices” I tend to want to consult psychiatry.

Our setting

However.this was different. I liked Gilberto’s immediate acceptance of this true “ pilgrim”s explanation of her situation. I liked his immediate and unquestioning response.

Something to think about

New vine leaves

Mid point

We four hospitaleras/os are at mid point in our two weeks of service and we haven’t yet run away, burst into tears or strangled each other. Put two Spanish men and two Canadian women all over seventy into a totally unfamiliar situation where they have to deal with fifty strangers who do or don’t speak a common language and …. Well, stuff happens.

A happy German who got his washing done!

The weather is brilliant although a little windy today. It’s a provincial holiday and the high school band was out in force in the town square.

A bit of Martial music

One of the wonderful things about yesterday was talking to two young Greek pilgrims! They almost fell off their chairs when I greeted them in the language of Homer as they came in chatting away. In the evening one warm and optimistic guy, Georgiz , was sitting with a beautiful German young lady who had just graduated in environmental law. How encouraging it was to hear their determined and optimistic talk of how to face the problems that stand before them. I so admire their courage as they walk along making their own path. Today is St George’s day and I wish him and his companions all the best.

A beautiful evening!

Exploring

The view from the upper windows here is lovely. I made up my mind that I would get into that beautiful field somehow.

The albergue from
another angle

I only achieved my goal at the end of my walk today as entering the field proved harder than I could have imagine. Instead I got side tracked to an interesting point: the start of the Camino Invierno. I even walked along it for a couple of kilometres.

It was good to have a clearer idea so I could tell the pilgrims exactly how to go.

white heather

Wisteria growing leaves

Well, eventually I did find my way into what I had heard people calling “ the cemetery” and found that it was one indeed. I slid down a slope to get in and almost ended up six feet lower!

There is what appears to be an abandoned archeological dig

A happy black lab bounded out of the beautiful grasses and diverted me.

Other furry friends

It’s only 3 pm and it’s been quite exciting. I will take the desk with my amiable partner at 4 and the house is filling up nicely. Pilgrim mass tonight in the chapel. One of our duties is to lock it up at night. I feel as if I am in a 1940’s movie as we turn the creaky lock in the door and the lights are turned off. More tomorrow!

Up to the Castle

Castle of knights Templars

You’re going to have to read up on them because I just can’t delve into their very long and important history here. The castle though! I loved it! Huge, spectacular, imposing… with a library of impeccably reproduced medieval books! I was in heaven yesterday wandering through this place.

Now and arrow at the ready!

On the battlements!

The weather is cooperating too!

It’s huge!

A catapult

Oops , what happened to the moat?

A dragon guards the library

Settling in and figuring it out

Supper time

Last night there were fifty pilgrims in the Albergue. A lot of them cooked supper in the communal kitchen. One American guy made vegetable dumplings! Some Korean ladies threw together a feast and there was a lot of pasta bubbling away on the two stove tops.

Registering fifty pilgrims and assigning them beds according to their sex, blisters, age, claustrophobia and need to get to a toilet fast had its challenges. The other challenge is team work on short notice.

Clean this when they leave!

For a break, look out of the window

My Spanish is put to the test following long conversations or answering questions I don’t quite understand but if I’m really stuck, my partner helps out!

Book fair in town

Although this is a bit beyond me…. In Spanish yet!

I’d better start writing a few of my own poems!

Yesterday my gifts included these, a glass of wine and an ice-cream sandwich!

There are problems, of course. Some leave their valuable equipment behind. Some arrive sick and we must decide whether to isolate them. Somehow the next morning all is wiped clean with the cleaning up chores and many pilgrims want to hug goodbye. Others just want you to know where the nearest breakfast place is.

Lining up to leave

One day in Madrid

I stayed in an excellent hostel very close to the Prado museum and another one I had never heard of, the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. The Botanical Gardens were in the same neighborhood. Short story- I visited all three and liked the Thyssen-Bornemisza best.

Everything from Henri VIII

to Georgia O’Keefe

Of course, the Prada is Madrid’s shining jewel but it is very focussed on Spanish art. The other one had more variety and I loved the spirit of it.

Peonies … in April’

Iris and other spring flowers were almost finished

It was too lovely to stay inside so the garden was a lovely break. I flopped into bed and rose at the crack of dawn to catch my bus to Ponferrada. Today was my first day of initiation into my tasks as hospitalera … more on that tomorrow but a glimpse of the journey below.

From the bus

Today in Madrid

I flew from Athens to Madrid today. It was a very boring flight because I was in the middle one of three. What was not boring was getting to my accommodations. I wasn’t really sure where it was-only that it is close to the bus station where the next leg of the trip will take me on Sunday. I retrieved my bag and somehow ( my travel ap was not cooperating much) I managed to figure out that there was a shuttle from the far distant airport to the centre of town. Was my hostel ( yes people I sleep in hostels) in the centre of town? Vaguely , I thought. I bought a ticket on line and quite soon a bus ( no. 203)roared up. Many people piled in with their bags. In my best Duolingo Spanish I asked the driver if he went near the address I wanted. He kept on repeating a word I have never heard but we sped along at an alarming pace on a six lane highway for about 20 minutes. I decided to hang in there. The crush was so tight in the bus I couldn’t do otherwise. I remembered Google maps and was reassured to see we were headed in the right direction. When we were a couple of hundred meters from my destination I decided to hop off with some other people. I preferred walking with my new wheeled suitcase than flying off for another couple of kilometres.i got off here:

My jaw dropped

It was quite close to my very nice hostel. I was pleased to have got away with that to the time of 7$. An Uber would have been at least 40$.

Absolutely stunning buildings

Lots of people watching too

Just out for an afternoon walk!

Downtown certainly is baroque

Tomorrow The Prado and the Botanical gardens. This is just a little taste of what I might see

And so goodnight !

The Dance Class II

“ Ok don’t forget, tonight is dancing. “ Of course I had forgotten as my morning had been taken up mostly looking for a copy shop. I fear I am not on the wavelength of those who always seem to say, things like “ Straight ahead “ while making a sort of vertical wave. Even Google Maps is stumped by Argostoli. By the time my dear niece and I met for coffee in the afternoon, it was time to think about the dancing class.

This evening the dances started off in pairs, an island speciality, I think. There are a trio of youngsters who never miss a step and who are quite sober and restrained in their perfect time keeping. The engaging and humorous teacher keeps everyone on their toes… or heels as the case may be.

It is fun to observe from the sidelines. I particularly like when the teacher sings out a line and the class repeats it. It reminds me of the old fashioned call and response songs of French Canada.

There were a few youngsters playing outside on the steps and the teacher noticed them and called them in to join the group. He put two of the good teen dancers to flank them and off they went, following along with the deceptively simple looking round dance.

The brave ones

I admit to being puzzled

I was still puzzled

But conscious of the delicacy of the teacher isolating the two young men for this strange side to side “ dance” . I’ll have to ask Katy tomorrow about this!

The rhythm of the music was different tonight. A booming drum and sung choruses drove the dancers around the ring. The teacher taught them how to stamp with their heels without losing the beat. I am very sorry not to be able to load more video as it was hypnotic, and interesting to see who, among the dancers, didn’t quite get it. Tech problems!

I’m sorry to say my phone isn’t uploading one short video that shows another little girl in a pink sweater. My niece noticed her hanging back and she, of the 20 or so dancers went to take her by the hand and include her.

There is an expression “ The best steel goes through the fire “ I think I can say it applies to Katy.

And the teacher? Good humoured, absolutely sure of what he is doing, tactful, bringing together young and not so young so that even in trendy track shoes, in leopard-print pants and slogan t-shirts, something old and precious is maintained. Bravo to Christo – the teacher, and all his students.