Day 29- People Get Ready

There’s a train a comin. You don’t need no baggage you just get on board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming. You don’t need no ticket. You just thank the lord. Thank you Curtis and crew.

Last night I stayed in Lugo, an important town on the Primitivo. It is the closest point from Santiago de Compostela where you can start a Camino and get a Compostela certificate of completion. So you have a blending of pilgrims just starting with seasoned pilgrims feeling like they are close to completion. First day pilgrims can be easy to spot. This morning the hotel breakfast started at 7:00. Most pilgrims leave their gear in their room for breakfast. As I was entering breakfast I saw a group of 5 or 6 Americans going to breakfast fully loaded with all their backpacks and gear. First day for sure. I wished one of them a Buen Camino when I was leaving and we started a conversation. She was filled with questions and uncertainty and I tried to put her at ease. On the trail, you can spot first day pilgrims by what they carry- lots of useless stuff hanging all over them. They will learn fast. Then there’s the visible excitement they exude while I stoically walk on trying to keep the same pace regardless of the grade. It’s fun to be amongst a lot of starters. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that feeling and it’s fun to see it in others. So the Primitivo just took on a host of new Pilgrims. Things will get even crazier once the Primitivo merges with the Frances in a few days. Bring on the Party Pilgrims- that’s a topic for another day.

Early in my walk I met up with Thomas from Vancouver, age 70. He started his Camino in Oviedo. He was a nice guy and easy to talk with. We walked the whole day together until we had to split for different towns to end the day. It’s amazing how the time flies when you are in conversation. We had met some of the same people along the way. One in particular was Nick from Australia. Nick and I have crossed paths many times. He was one of the guys who called a cab in the cafe on the toughest day. Nick and I had lunch together a couple of times. Nick is a millennial, slight build, very long blond hair, a wealth of tattoos all over, piercings on either side of his nose, multiple rings in his nose, and piercings in his cheeks, lip and chin. He is vegan. I wish I had a picture of Nick and me because you could not have 2 more different people side by side. But that’s the beauty of the Camino. If the two of us could find common ground and enjoy each other’s company, there’s hope for the world.