Arriving in Melide yesterday meant that I was now finished with the Camino Primitivo route and had joined the Camino Frances—the busiest and most well-known of all the Caminos. I had seen the last of the days when I would be walking alone almost all day with plenty to contemplate.
My walk from Castrelo to A Sexias turned out to be a walk from Castrelo to Melide–all for the sake of food! It was probably my second most frustrating day on the Camino!
I was hungry and looking forward to ordering the menu del dia at the café. I sat down and waited. No one came to my table….Some men at the bar said that they had stopped serving at 2:30. But I had sat down before that!
It was still pitch dark when we had to leave the albergue this morning. With flashlights, we pilgrims peered around in search of the yellow arrows leading us away from Cadavo.
It is funny, I don’t tend to miss people much—that is probably why I can be gone from home for months on end. But I sometimes feel guilty because I think I should miss people more—like I am not being a very good friend.
The Jyrgalan Summer Festival: Learning about Kyrgyz Traditions
There were also demonstrations of how ala-kiyiz felted carpets are made, opportunities to taste kumiz, (fermented mare’s milk), and a lunch of beshbarmak with plenty of tea available!
In the center of the large kettle of water is a tiny fireplace, complete with chimney! A small fire is built and before long the water surrounding the chimney is boiling.
Jyrgalan…The Phoenix of Kyrgyzstan
the Russians moved away. And, they did something inexplicable, but very common to humans—they burned their homes. The only people left were the ethnic Kyrgyz people, and slowly the village began to die.
“She’s WHERE??? Where in the world is THAT??”
I confess, before last Christmas, I did not even know there was a country named Krygyzstan.
Borsok holds an integral place in Kyrgyz culture and it is found by the thousands at any celebration. It also serves an important role during the year of grieving after a loved one dies
Dealing with Airport Taxi Paparazzi & Strategies for Market Shopping
But before you are legally in the country you must pass through the three trials: immigration, baggage claim, and customs…Then, as soon as you exit customs into the “ARRIVAL HALL,” you face a gauntlet of taxi drivers with the manners of paparazzi.
There were only about four cars on this Sunday-morning boat and a man leaned out of a window of one of them to ask if I need a lift. Oh, those friendly Scots!
The Edge of the Planet is a Lovely Place to Be
I had time to take one hike on the Isle of Barra in the southern Hebrides and it was another of one of those occasions when I could not believe the place in which I had found myself.
The Best Way to Fly Across France!
I LOVE trains for so many reasons: no security lines, show up at the station 10 minutes before departure, carry on everything and have all your stuff available to you during the trip, wide seats, easy to walk around, scenery, low-carbon footprint, AND I can have my knitting!!
Quest for Fiber: Serendipity Too Blatant to Ignore
The theme that I picked for my journey before I began was “Expect the Unexpected” because I wanted to keep my heart open to every possibility. Little did I know how profoundly this theme would manifest itself in the coming year.
The walk started uphill, which is not the best way to warm up cold, unstretched muscles. The pea-soup fog was lovely in the village, but once I was on the highway, I felt truly unsafe, knowing drivers could not see me until the last minute. Once I left the highway, the trail became tranquil.
Today turned out to be a beautiful walk, even if it was tough in its own way. It was a clear fall day which made the pumpkins in the fields and beside the road pop out with their orange color.
A Winter Walk in the West Highlands
In the summer, the West Highland Way is a virtual highway of trekkers. I might encounter as many as 100 people on a nice summer day. Today I would meet five other walkers. Of course, I had to be prepared for the cold, but dressing in several layers was the remedy.
Camino de Santiago Primitivo Days 26-27: Tineo to Berducedo This is a camino of gratitude for me. Each day, I choose something I am grateful
Then, not realizing there was one more step, I walked forward and fell flat on my chest. Life seemed to swing into slow motion as I hit the pavement and then my pack crashed against me, crushing me harder to the pavement. My first fear was that my Camino was over.