If you walking the camino primitivo, say hi to Rafael in Tineo. He's the hospitalier there. I was lucky I had Ida from Holland (left) who is fluent in Spanish to help me during the long afternoon conversation. It's hard to write about how friendly and funny Rafael is, you just have to be there to experience it.
What dreams do you have while you are walking the camino? I don't mean those that you have while walking but those when one is asleep at night.
I have a recurring one. Twice in the Camino Frances last year and once this year during my Camino Primitivo. In my dreams I woke up twice at home and once in the US in my college years (that was ages ago) realizing that I have not yet finished my walk in the camino. In a frantic state to return to Spain and resume my camino, that's when I woke up from my dreams.
One could have easily intepret the dreams as fear of not able to complete my camino perhaps due to injury (real or perceived). Whatever it is, I hated these dreams (nightmare).
Are these dreams quite common, or is this just me...
During my camino last year, I've met a friendly horse after Melide.
I even wrote about it on this. This year on my camino primitivo, I have found him again. I saw him and actually call out to him. Immediately he came straight towards me to be patted.
He's just as friendly as ever. I think he recognized me. Last year I was in pain from tendonlitis and he was there to console me. This year I think he is just happy to see me. I hope we can do the same again next year?
Looking at this marker, you will normally think that the direction of the camino is to your left right?
Unfortunately it is not always true on the camino primitivo. This camino covers two region in Spain, Asturias and Galicia. On the Asturias side, the direction is to the right. When I crossed over to Galicia, it is back to the norm which is to the left.
This difference had gotten me lost during the first day of my camino primitivo.
Camino Francés (April-May 2006)
I had so much fun creating the video for my Camino Primitivo that I have decided to do another one. This one is for the Camino Francés which I had done the previous year.
If you have been following this blog, you would have seen all the photos in this video and more. It's just that the video is a perfect way to pack it all in.
Again I have chosen another soundtrack from Red Hot Chilli Peppers. It's one of my favorites tracks that I was listening to while walking that camino.
Enjoy.
This primitive way is relatively quiet since over 82% of the pilgrims are walking the french way. Most of the time, you only get to meet other pilgrims after the day's walk. Here's pretty much all the pilgrims that I have met.
Ida from Holland (far left), Pascual with his 2 lady companions from Spain. Not forgetting me (second from the right), looking like an idiot wondering if the self timer on my camerphone is working.
Ida is also a volunteer hospitalero at 'Hospital de Obigo' in the French camino (the place with a long bridge after León) every year in the month of October. If you are there in that month, say hi to her for me.
When I joined the French way at Melide just before the last 2 days of my journey the situation becomes different. Pilgrims begin to dot the landscape (ok, I am exaggerating). I lost contact with the pilgrims from the primitive route but make new ones.
Meet Norbert and Wolfgang from Germany, and Thomas from Norway. They have all walked the French way (Norbert and Wolfgang from SJPDP and Thomas Astorga). Like all pilgrims, they have discovered what it is like to lead a simple life, and finally here in Santiago de Compostella drinking outside and helping newly arrived pilgrims with directions to the bar cathedral.
