ALBERGUES

The albergues (hostels) vary along the route. One was just $7.00 but had no sheets or blankets. We were given a large white plastic sheet to lay on the bed and asked to throw it away in the morning. It is cold this time of year and I did not bring a sleeping bag so I slept in all of my clothes that night to stay warm. They did have hot water!! But no towels.

Another albergue was great, it provided sheets, blankets, a towel and coffee already made in the morning for $20.00 a night. They also had a washer and dryer for your clothes. It was here I decided to leave my American friends and walk with a 55-year-old woman from Denmark. She was short and fluffy like me and walked slow. We were perfect walking partners.

She told me she had recently been let go from her job and she was given compensation for 6 months. She walked into the HR and instead of being upset, thanked them for the opportunity to walk the Camino – something she always wanted to do. Now she had the time and money to do it. They were speechless at her gratitude, but she said that is how she  approaches life, with gratitude and a positive outlook.

We start to run into more peregrinos on the route as we were coming to a point in the camino where all the routes start to meet. There are many routes to take on the camino but they all lead to the same place. This is what the spines of the symbolic scallop represent, the spines fan out on the top but all lead to the base, to the same place.

 As we got closer to Santiago we met others from Italy, Germany, Croatia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Philippines all pleasant and happy to be walking for a while with new pilgrims. That is one of the highlights of the walk, meeting others from around the world walking in the same direction, greeting each other with affection and mutual love as a pilgrim.  It is amazing to think about all the people for hundreds of years from all over the world that have walked this same road. Often, I took time to stop on the road, close my eyes and imagine who walked in this same area.  The Camino has existed for over 1000 years so that adds up to a lot of people. St Frances, Pope John Paul, kings, queens even Stephen Hawking who I assume was pushed in his wheel chair have all passed on the same road.

Before I started the Camino I read several memoirs from others who walked the road. And one book offered ways to start the day.

1.Welcome each day its pleasures and disappointments

2. Make others feel welcome

3.. Live in the moment

4. Feel the spirit of those who have walked before you

5. Appreciate those who walk with you

6. Imagine and pray for those who will walk after you

These were not religious tips, just common-sense things we should do every day where ever we are walking. With my first granddaughter due in June, I think often about her steps in the future, behind me. In Utila my name sake, Tamara, had a baby boy last month. Her mother and I decided to plan an arranged marriage between her grandson and my grand-daughter in about 25-30 years. My friend looked at me at one point as we planned a fun wedding and with a serious look in her eyes said, “We will not likely be there to witness this.” I looked at her with a puzzled expression and she said ”We will be 100 in 30 years .”  Ouch that hurt!

Anthony De Mello reminded me today that it is hard work to break from years of ingrained attachments. And also reminds me that it is not really any fault of my own. Between society, schools, parents, friends, etc we build and develop these attachments.  He states there are two emotions that come with the attachments. One is that elated burst of happiness we feel when we have something we are told will make us happy. But that feeling fades quickly and then we are on to the next “thing” we are told we need to be happy. Something bigger and better.

The other emotion is feeling depressed or sad at not getting what we think we need which also breaks down into fear, anger, jealously at those who might threaten to get what we want or those who did get what we wanted. It was a good passage to read and had me thinking of all the things in my life I thought I needed to be happy.

Everyone is walking the Camino for different reasons and for the most part no one judges why you are walking or how far you walk or how much weight you carry. For me it started out as a new adventure to see Spain and see what this “Camino” thing was all about.  Skeptical that I could actually walk very far, now I wish I had started on a longer route and walked farther.