Day 2 - I love these people! (Grado - Salas 24 k)
Today was a people day for me. I met new pilgrims, was reacquainted with old ones and learned much more about the ones close to me. It was a great day.
We started with a rare breakfast at the albergue - not all offer this service in Spain. By 0745 we were on the road in darkness and rain. Fortunately the rain did not stick around for more than an hour and we were able to ditch the rain jackets.
The scenery today was magical. It seemed like every time I crested a hill or rounded a turn, there was another postcard view to be savoured. The repetitive ascents and descents continually led to these incredible views and also tested our concentration. Some of the downhills required careful negotiation as they were quite slick and treacherous because of the previous rain.
The people I met today were amazing. I walked alone for part of the day but ran into some great pilgrims along and after the walk.
About 6 km into our walk, we came upon an albergue that was offering coffee to pilgrims. Of course we stopped! We met the manager, Patrik who was very accommodating and generous. Rado, our Slovak Camino brother, was ecstatic when he found out that Patrik was also Slovak. He had an instant smile on his face being able to talk in his native tongue. Also at the albergue was Ellen, a young German woman who was walking on this Camino but when she reached this albergue, she decided to stop for a few days to help out. She has been involved in several community projects in Germany and wanted to get a Camino completed before she commits to another. Also having coffee was Lluís, a Spaniard and electrical engineer who felt that he needed to do a Camino. I was enthralled with each of these three people and wished I had more time to talk to them as they each seem to be very special.
At a lunch break, I met three Portuguese friends/pilgrims, two who now live in Marseilles, France - Vitor and Rogerio. Liliana still lives in Portugal and this Camino is the first for all of them. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my short time chatting with them but I know that I will continually run into them over the course of the next two weeks.
I also ran into Natalie and Becky, two former UK residents who decided that Spain was a better option for their desires and circumstances. I walked with them for a couple of hours and had a great time with them learning about their lives.
Once at the destination albergue, I sat outside and continued to enjoy meeting other pilgrims. Dario and Fabio, the Italians, only met yesterday but already seem like best friends. Laura (Spain) and Jarrod (South Africa) are on their first Camino. Marine (France) and Erlind (Italy), friends with Dan for at last a couple of weeks, started their Camino 27 days ago and will be heading to Santiago and possibly further. Neither speaks the other's national language so they are communicating in English. We had an absolutely wonderful time chatting with all of these pilgrims this afternoon/evening just outside the albergue. They was a great deal of laughter and camaraderie going on. It was great to meet all of the people who I saw today and I am very grateful for my conversations with each and every of them.
Engaging with the pilgrims is one of the main reasons why I love the Camino so much. There are so many fascinating lives out there that only expose themselves when you ask questions. I truly believe that this would be a better world if we each would listen more and ask more questions to strangers. I think you would be surprised at how much we all have in common. Once again, a very good day for me.
Long day tomorrow.
