Meeting Marks
Today I'm going to start my story with what happened at the end of the day. We ran into several of the people that we saw the first night along the Camino. It was a pleasure to exchange stories and see how everyone was doing. The thing that was not a pleasure was sitting in the cold for more than an hour waiting for food.
Table after table got their pizzas, we assumed they were frozen and reheated. We tried to order real food, growing hungrier and colder as we watched other people eat. By the time I got back to my hotel room I was actually shivering. So I threw a couple of switches and laid my body up against the towel warmer in the bathroom. I treated it like it was a toaster for humans, and it warmed me through quickly. I'm not sure that's what it was designed for, but I would recommend it to anyone who might ever need it.
The rest of the day was about gratitude for good timing. Five days ago the valleys we transited had snow. Now everything is in bloom and all the views are verdant. I use a vocabulary word there because I'm trying to impress Spence, since I misused the word “vista” for years. I'm hoping that I used “verdant'' correctly.
It was about 70 degrees today without a cloud in the sky. The locals tell us the weather can change quickly, and within three days it will be a high of 50 degrees. So, gratitude for timing.
There is some fatigue setting in after several days of 15-mile walks. What doesn't get tiring are the incredible views, and I have actually learned to slow my pace, occasionally stopping to turn around and see where I've been.
I also stop occasionally to keep an eye out for people on bicycles who come speeding by as they work their way down the hill. Culturally, it seems like a good idea not to have bills on the bicycles because it adds weight. It is a little discomforting to be in a positive moment and relaxed, and then have to jump out of the path of a bicycle screaming down a hill. They're entitled to be here and they are plentiful. I enjoy the absence of them when I can.
We stopped at the famous wine fountain. There are several stops along the way to replenish water near a winery. There is also a tap where you can get some wine. Each day they allot 100 liters. A small taste was plenty for me, but there were people filling containers. The wine was not that good and it is unfortunate that when those liters run out, people who come later in the day won't even get a taste. Not so much for the quality of the product, but for the experience and opportunity to say that they visited the site.
Spence and I are doing great along the trail, and apparently it has become a thing that other travelers ask one another if they have met "the Marks." We actually met two other Marks along the way, both from Australia. So, obviously, we had to do group photos with those gentlemen.
I also met a traveler named Xavier from Orlando. He began traveling in Toulouse, France, and has been hiking the Camino in the most primitive way possible for about 30 days. He seemed affable enough and had interesting stories. I actually bought him and some other bohemian fellows a beer.
As the evening wore on something seemed to change in his manner. We all felt like we were being stared down by his intense eyes, and finally split off to our individual rooms. Xavier must have headed out into the hills again to make his camp along the way.
Spence and I are definitely on the posh pilgrimage, staying in nice hotels with breakfast provided and having our heavier bags transported from one city to the next.
The only glitch I've experienced on the journey so far is my inability to get euros out of the ATMs. I solved that this evening by paying for dinner with my credit card and collecting cash from the other five people at my table. Hopefully down the line there will be more user-friendly machines to dispense cash.
Feeling pretty good for being about 80 miles into the walk. The real test is waking up in the morning and seeing how it feels when I first put my feet on the floor and stand up. I've been practicing a lot of old man noises to accompany the moment.