“Can you keep a secret?….Galicia.” That is, I hope, a faithful translation of a banner on the side of the Turismo, in Mino. It always rains in Galicia…On our next Camino we might use the Correo, occasionally to transport our rucksacks, especially over sections like this, towards Bruma.
Well that’s the “prejudice” and the “idea” out of the Way! Someone said that there are no tourists on the Camino; only Pilgrims who have not found their way, yet. Yes, we sneered at Turigrinos with their Daypacks, but a couple of us were tempted to use the Correos onward baggage service. The Camino always provides. An example:- towards the end of a taxing day,we came upon a bus stop, not far from our destination,Betanzos, sitting there and hoping ( secretly ), that a bus might come,suddenly a taxi stopped and a young man leapt out, thrusting his card into my hand, whilst declaiming that the Camino was tough.My calf was aching and Dermot’s knee was giving him some trouble, so I asked could he drop us off, now? Yes, he could and did. Meanwhile, the two stalwarts, Roger & Mac walked on. “Archangel Diego”, was the title bestowed on our taxi driver by Derm.
Where else but on a Camino could you enjoy such a range of people and experiences? In one week, we met such interesting people.A retired teacher, who we ran into occasionally, exchanging anecdotes and tips, left us with the parting shot , ” Thanks for the advice…and all the other words”. An exchange with a QC from the Virgin Islands, Michael, led to Mac discovering that his mum had once worked , in service, for Michael’s grandparent, in Birmingham – the clue being an Irish connection – surname McGovern. That left even Mac gobsmacked and you can’t say that too often.
We met Pilgrims from USA, Argentina, Spain and Dorset.We were cheered by their acquaintance.
This is Mac & Roger being signed in by “Chuss” , at Fogar o Chisco Albergue Turistique, in Sigueiros.This lady was Nick named “Margaret Rutherford, ” but a cheerier, boisterous hospitalero, you could not meet; whether it was her attempts to tuck us up, returning from a night out , after our hapless attempt to tiptoe into the hostal,only to find no one else had come back! Showering us with extra duvets, to much hilarity. Or tushing us for using”wifi”, or ” wefee” as pronounced in Spain, at the breakfast table! Roger recalled the night that followed, as trying to sleep in the Serengeti , in the company of a herd of gnus….
There was a lot of banter, especially with restaurant and hotel staff.In Sigueiros, the waitress mimed in a truly uninhibited manner, “Pechos”, as Roger enquired about the cut of his chicken! We were a little alarmed at the sight of her husband, at the kitchen door, sharpening a large knife!
Receptionist, Begonia, at the Hotel Garelos, whose determination to practice her English went into overdrive; later called Hotel Garrulous, she was not at all offended when, next morning, Dermot addressed her as “Petunia”, in all innocence, it has to be said. Derm was also persuaded ( not hard) to try a digestif, Pacharan; next morning he exclaimed he would never try that”Peach Liqueur” again, not even when we explained that, in fact, it was distilled from Sloes!
It might have been the effect of the Pacharan that led Dermot into asking if a late tapas was “toffee apples”…….What do you think?
In Galicia, ” Gallego” is the dialect, it sounds like a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese; interestingly enough, far more Galicians speak it, than either Basques or Catalans speak their indigenous tongues. It was the Portuguese connection that frequently found Dermot ( our go-to translator),using a default greeting, ” Minha nora é brasileiro” , ( my daughter-in-law is Brasilian ) .Plus finding that no matter how he described his needs as a vegetarian,”Eu sou um vegetariano. Sem carne ou peixe por favor”,no avail.
Apparently tuna does not count as fish in this neck of the woods.
Music featured heavily on my I-Pad,one night, in the tiny dining room of Hostal Bar Luis. Songs chosen initially for links to walking, travel,suddenly changed to a selection from Warren Xevon, featuring a memorable , but unrepeatable song about a visit to a doctor.We were joined in the dining room,by two young, Spanish, female pelegrinos – Mac asked if they had any requests, apart from ” turn that off”. I was appalled when they requested Phil Collins! In hindsight it may have been a ruse to get it switched off, anyway.Speaking of Mac, as we should, he was always on the lookout, when on the Camino; no danger of missing a flèche.
The Camino provides and in unlikely places.I should not have expected to find a state of the art, foot massage machine, in an Albergue. For 2€ , blissful relief – both Derm and I took advantage – for copyright reasons,I cannot share a photo of Dermot in repose, but I can share mine.
There were many more “Moments”, a Blog is only a snapshot. I have to say that this was the most enjoyable Camino, for me, to date and I have enjoyed all the others to different degrees. Several factors: the route, the weather, the Galician people and our fellow pelegrinos, but most of all, my companions Mac, Roger and Dermot, whose company was unfailingly cheerful and considerate.Thanks Compadres.
We hope that we left everywhere we went and everyone we met, with good memories and feeling happier as a consequence; we certainly were.
Finally and on a personal note, I just received a letter from my Urology consultant, Mr Ibrahim, informing me that examination of my CT scan in July, showed no recurrent obstruction to my kidneys,nor indeed any evidence of cancer recurrence….Post Camino provides.
( Sorry some of the photos are out of sync ! )
ensuitepilgrim's Blog 
Thanks for an entertaining and accurate account of the Camino John!