Total honesty– we cannot really claim to be pilgrims yet. We have not really started walking, and will not start until Tuesday. In this transition period I am calling us turigrinos– tourists who are in spirit peregrinos. We eat the Peregrino menu at meals and have all the right gear on, but we look relaxed and happy instead of sweaty and ill- kempt. We look clean and affluent with brand new REI gear, rather than worn-in, faded and wind blown. That will change Tuesday, when we go from being Camin-faux to being true pilgrims. Right now we are a tour group of two, like the two Chinese bike riders whom we see riding together, shopping together and eating alone together on a parallel Camino.
We are experiencing Spain by choosing menestra for our first course instead of pasta. Pasta we already know. But who knew menestra is a vegetable mix of white asparagus, peas, carrots and flat beans in a ham broth? Who knew that natillas caseras is a creamy homemade pudding with caramel sauce? Yum!
We are also experiencing Spain by talking to old people. Old people speak no English and don’t fake it to be polite. Today we approached four old ladies outside the church to ask about the time of the pilgrims mass. Joe told the women something like, “My mother…. old. She (what’s 90, honey?) novente y uno.” I had on shorts, high top hiking boots and a backpack, and it is hard to say whether my unSpanish appearance or Joe’s unorthodox conversation is what took their words away. They finally told us,” I am 89, she is 90.” It was awesome. With help from the youngest of the ladies, we found out the mass is manyana, en la manyana, and Joe said “Dio benedicta” and made the sign of the cross over them and we left.
We are finding our way. Lessons learned today:
In big cities, GPS cannot find a signal because of the tall buildings.
The bus schedule might say 14:45, but the bus leaves at 15:20.
When you are struggling to translate a Spanish paragraph in a pamphlet, move down to the next paragraph where it is written in English.
Prayers today came from the altar of the church by the castillo, which featured a plaster full sized Jesus in a glass casket with blood flowing from his wounds. See Joe’s guest post upcoming.
Best wishes.