French Connection

Today I walked the Camino with Maryse, a French Canadian who lives in Kelowna BC. Most of the trail was on long dusty roads (we´re still on the Meseta) but we talked the whole distance of over 25km and the time passed more quickly. The spring flowers along the trail are lovely right now - there are poppies, daisies and and lavender as well as thyme and rosemary growing wild. Flowering bushes and some fruit trees give off a heady fragrance especially as the day heats up and along the rivers we can hear the odd sounds made by local frogs which are very much like the quacking of thousands of ducks!

We arrived in Mansilla this afternoon quite exhausted from the last 8km which followed along a roadway on hard packed surface. I had carried extra water and food including a tin of sardines and two oranges as there were no spots to buy food. My pack was much heavier - it was such a relief to find a bed available in the only albergue in town. Maryse has met many French pilgrims along the Camino. Several of them had planned a dinner together at the albergue including us in their invitation. The men shopped and prepared the food and we couldn´t have had a more delicious meal in the finest restaurant. Spanish cheeses, olives and meats as well as a fresh tomato and cucumber salad were accompanied by local wines and ice-cream for dessert. The women did the dishes. Following the meal we sang songs in French (I hummed, as did John a South African who like me has limited French ) and created an instant competition with a nearby group of German pilgrims who tried to outdo us with their own renditions! Such fun was had by all - it was one of those special Camino evenings with people who are able to live life to the fullest. The next time I travel in Europe I plan to be more fluent in French and Spanish -it´s my little pact with myself!