Ribadiso — Life is a Long Camino

Ribadiso Albuergue

4 October 2019

First Person to Arrive Today is: Ton Bae Lee from South Korea. His English is very good. It seems like all the pilgrims who arrived at the Albuergue today know Ton Bae. A large group of Spaniards that looked like a soccer team came through and they were all very happy to see him. He is a very likable person. He spent some time on Terry’s Therapy bench.

Pilgrim of the Day: Luis from France This is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met on the Camino in the last three years. He is 76 years old and recently retired. He owned a financial services company and sold it just before walking the camino. Luis said he started out as a tourist. Then he became a trekker. And now he has been converted into a pilgrim. He has amazing stories to tell and a very insightful perspective on youth, religion, spirituality and politics. Luis has been walking for 12 weeks. He started in Le Puy, France, which is about 1000K (600 miles) to Santiago. After Luis finishes the Camino Frances in two days, he will join his wife in Luxembourg where they will live.

Cutest Couple: I was forced to create this category when these two walked through in their matching attire. They are from Costa Rica and took countless photos in front of the bridge. Then they gave their cell phone to me so I could take countless photos of them in front of the bridge. Maybe it’s for their Christmas card?

Delightful Outdoor Picnic? Wrong! We were eating lunch and I smelled something unusual. I had left a pan lid on a hot burner plate (European stove) and it melted the knob on the pan lid. All of a sudden the little kitchen filled with smoke. The toxic smell forced us to take our lunch outside. Fortunately, there are big open windows on the cottage and it aired out quickly.

Strangest Thing I’ve Seen In Public: This happened at Meson Rural. The woman on the right is holding some type of massager that is about the size of a large power drill. She is massaging the other woman’s back during dinner.

Lovable Local: Alfonso the waiter at Meson Rural Alfonso speaks a little English and is on duty in the late afternoon or evening and an occasional morning. I asked him about Queimada, a traditional Galician punch. He said it is a very strong drink. Not available at the Meson.

Best party ever! After dinner I was over at the Meson Rural minding my own business blogging because WiFi is available there. Many of today’s pilgrims who were there knew my name because I had greeted them at the albuergue and showed them around earlier that day. Lisa who is an elementary teacher in Nuremberg, Germany was sitting with two Italians … Simone, a nurse from Pisa and Alfonso from Rome who was on leave from the Italian army. They kept calling to me and inviting me to join them. Eventually, I did. (Now you know why my blog is so far behind.) Everyone spoke English. The next two invited to the table were Priscilla and Angela from Switzerland. This was such a delightful group. Before today, no one at this table knew each other except for the two gals from Switzerland.

Lots of camino talk and laughter.

Alfonso (the Italian) is quite a character and the life of the party.

Our lovable local, Alfonso the waiter, brought over a bottle of something called Zoco. Many shots were being poured and toasts of friendship were being made.

Zoco is the oldest commercial brand of Pacharan. It is a Navarro liquere made in the Basque region. It is a complex combination of blueberry, coffee and vanilla in an anisette. It is low in alcohol and considered a digestive.

What a fun evening to share with these people from so many different countries. It was a lot of fun but not too much fun. The Meson Rural closes everyday at 9:30 pm.

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