Walk a pace you are not used to …..slow down…

I am pleased to report that Kathleen and I are now both now safely ensconced in our own homes after our Camino.

I would like to say that we had an uneventful journey home …but that would mean me being economic with the truth , and you wouldn’t like that, would you ?😉😉

The start of our journey home went smoothly- Ruben , our taxi driver, picked us up on time and whisked us on our way to Bilbao airport. He lives in Burgos, and has walked the Camino once and cycled it once ( apparently he and some friends decided that if Spain won the World Cup they would celebrate by cycling the Camino! This has to be done in 11 days to qualify as an achievement 🥴🥴🥴) Unfortunately for Ruben, who is not an avid cyclist, whilst his friends were🙈🙈🙈, Spain won!! Anyway, as usual, I digress… but our journey was full of chatter!

We arrived at the airport, checked in and headed through security . In Manchester, on our way out, whilst we had all our liquids in the appropriate bags and electricals at the ready to be revealed, no need, everything can now stay in your hand luggage🙄🙄 . However, despite this, we were prepared for it not to be so in Bilbao, and indeed it wasn’t!🙄🙄

First, I go through the machine …and set it off. A fierce female security officer looked me up and down, then pointed to my Pandora bracelet demanded I go back through the machine without it – in fact, physically pushed me back through ( I’d go as far as to say it was an assault), grabbed the bracelet from round the side of the machine and demanded I walk back through. At this point I spoke to her in Spanish …… well, the change in her was unbelievable…. “Oh you’re Spanish….I thought you were German”…and then preceded to explain in none other than a “please be my friend” tone , that those bracelets always set the machines off so it’s always best to remove them first ! Now I know the Germans bombed Guernica in Northern Spain in 1937 but surely after nearly 100 years we have to move on ……

Then it was Kathleen’s turn …she also set the machines off so same woman ….body search, metal detector…..and when nothing was found they were still not satisfied and she was sent to the next officer who insisted on seeing all her hand luggage and testing it and her, for ( we suspect) drugs. You couldn’t make it up …..needless to say, the test was negative , but Bilbao Airport Security gets low marks from us ….whats that you say? Why didn’t we complain? …Have you seen the Civil Guard who lurk around the security border in Spain, Dear Reader? They carry guns …and aren’t afraid to use them …best to just put up and shut up 😉😉

Then we arrive in Manchester …. does anyone else find the new border e – gates a nightmare? Remove your hat …well of course ! Sunglasses,obviously ! Then your glasses …what? Remove my glasses and I can’t see a thing …how am I supposed to read the instructions? So I insert my passport …but then I’m still standing there clearly after my passport had been read because I can’t see the instructions …never mind the open gate 🤣🤣

Then out through the airport to meet the DB who had come to meet us in Express Pick Up ….one word describes this place “ Chaos” ….there was nothing Express about it ! The parking attendants ( in fluoresce jackets carrying blue umbrellas) had coned off all the entry ways into the parking bays ….where is the sense in that?

So we’ll just say we met the DB in Pick up …and then we were on our way back to our “ normal “ lives !

Now it is time for reflection ….and the title of today’s blog is a very good place to start

You remember I told you that on our second day , we walked with Joanne. Well she had been talking to a pilgrim who had told her “Walk at a pace you are not used to …slow down” How true that is – not just on the Camino but also in life …

I found this quote in our Camino guide book for our first day of walking out of Logroño

Certainly we met many “ pilgrims” ( and I use that word loosely …maybe participants in a race would be more appropriate 🥴🥴) ….well I say met, but really we just briefly caught sight of them today Buen Camino, as they whizzed by on the way to their next destination.

One of the problems seems to be an increase in the number of “ pilgrims” on the Camino Frances ( our Camino) with no increase in accommodation facilities. So whereas at one time, you could walk as far as you wanted and be sure to find a bed on arrival, that is now not so, and it seems to be a continual race to get to the next Albergue in order to secure a bed.

Oh don’t worry Dear Reader, Kathleen and I are not affected by a lack of accommodation …we have our hotels booked well in advance. They may be 1* and 2* but they are always clean with comfortable beds and the people friendly …we don’t want or need anything more.

There is no problem with walking at a fast pace of course…but for me there is a problem if you fail to take in your surroundings . After all what are they doing the Camino for ? To complete the entire thing in 32 days ?

We watched people rush past things and places, like horses in the Grand National with blinkers on . No time to listen to or speak with others …how refreshing is it to actually have time to listen to another human being?

On the whole we all live busy lives …and whilst we all have concern for our fellow countrymen ( of course women as well 🙄🙄..please don’t insist I say country people 🙈🙈) …when we are in the middle of a trip to the supermarket, and we meet someone we know and say “Hi! How are you?” …whilst we mean what we say, we really don’t want to hear that they are not okay and the list of issues causing the reason for that …after all we have to be somewhere else in twenty minutes…we just want them to say “ Fine thanks…and you?” Likewise we reply “ Good thanks! See you!”

How good it feels to have the time to really listen to someone ..Joanne was a classic example for us ..and both Kathleen and I know, that her day walking with us. helped her on her journey through the grief of the loss of her daughter.

Now, I have a question for you …..can you tell me what the people in the following photos do for a living? Or where they are from? How much money they have? Or their religion? Or sexuality if you must!

The answer is no …well okay some of you may be able to recognise one of the pilgrims 😉😉…and that is the beauty of the Camino. It is a leveller ..we all wear a uniform in a way …and that is walking gear! In fact, allegedly, one of the European royal families have walked the Camino as a normal family and unrecognised.

It really is a freeing feeling to be able to talk to anyone …and make a decision on whether you want to spend time walking with them on who they are, not who you perceive them to be . We are all guilty of judging people before we even say one word to them …and indeed both Kathleen and I had deemed one person a “ know it all” and one to be avoided …until we got to spend time with them . We discovered they really did know a lot about the history of Spain and what they were talking about …and they were a lovely person to boot!

So the lesson is?

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”

If you do, you are likely to miss out on something precious.

Now I had planned to say over and out at this point … but there is too much more that we have learnt so there will be another instalment ….but before I say ‘ Hasta luego’ I want to share something personal with you..do you remember the barmaid I met in Santo Domingo, her of maximum grumpiness…and the napkin I wished I could give her….don’t get excited she hasn’t turned up in Barnsley with a Cheshire Cat grin. The inscription on the napkin said “Sonrie cada día” .. or “Smile each day” and this photo touched my heart.

What I wanted to share with you was a response I received to one of the blog posts ..from some very special friends

Please remember folks …a smile costs nothing, but can mean the world to someone 😘

Now I say goodnight and see you again tomorrow …..