Expectations

The Camino is and is not what I expected so far. I had tried not to have too many expectations, but it is inevitable that I formed some in anticipation of my journey. The comraderie and quickly formed friendships have been wonderful. It has been so much fun to meet fellow pilgrims and lovely local people. The scenery along the paths and the towns themselves are beautiful. This time of the year the light starts to appear golden in the morning and at dusk; it is so lovely that it takes my breath away. The narrow streets lined with old buildings with overhanging balconies are so picturesque. 

I feel like I have really been able to get a glimpse of Spain and the Spanish culture.  It isn't too difficult since they all seem to spend so much time on the weekends and late afternoons into the evenings outside. It is so common to see 3 or 4 generations together at cafe tables or in the squares. I frequently see groups of older men or groups of older women sitting around talking or playing cards. I haven't spent much time yet drinking wine and eating tapas in the tapas bars because usually we want to sit down to eat after walking and we need to get to bed just as things really get lively. 

I didn't anticipate quite how many pilgrims would be here now. It is a challenge to not get caught up in the rat race of pilgrims rushing out the doors before 6:30 in order to get a bed at their town of choice. There is a competetiveness in the air that doesn't feel like it should be part of the experience , yet it is there. There are a number of us that are deliberately trying to take it slower and not be part of the mad rush. That takes planning too though. We need to try to reserve spots at albergues 2 days ahead. We also need to contact our pack transport service by mid day for the following morning. Sometimes we make reservations in 2 different towns so we have options of how far we think we will want to go. Even with reservations, you have to call to confirm them or they give them away. I had thought we could just decide the night before for everything, but beds are already booked in the bookable places by then. We are learning the ropes though, and getting better at figuring it all out.

I also had thought that I would have a lot more quiet time with just my thoughts while walking. So far there hasn't been much of that. I think that will change as I go, but who knows. Julia and I are taking our first rest day today which feels really nice. We split up for the afternoon and I am writing this blog and I picked up a novel in the albergue for some light reading.

Thanks for all of your love and support. Feel free to leave comments for me on the blog or email me at emeryvilleamy@gmail.com. It is nice to hear from people at home!