Friday, May 30, 2014
May 30: Taste of America!
Things like Campbell Tomato soup are here. I asked if they spoke English. They said no. I said you need to have me work here. You can't advertise like this without someone inside speaking American!
May 30: Spanish Culture
This is a normal scene outside a Spanish business. This dry cleaning business has hours from 10am to 1:45pm and from 5:00pm to 8:15pm. The employee working here didn't bother to show up until 10:20am. The young lady looked to be clothes shopping with her boutique bag she was carrying. The three of us were waiting outside. Plus a delivery truck person ended up getting the woman in black to sign for a package for the cleaning business.
Last week I waited outside a business that rents computer time, for an hour past opening time with three other people. This is after I had asked the same person earlier what time his business opened in the afternoon. He pointed to the hours posted on the door!
I find this "cultural" nuance ironic in a country where 50% of working age people don't work.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
May 28: moisture
Is a killer to feet. With all the rain I have seen in the last several weeks, it has played havoc on my feet for blisters. I am hoping for sunshine!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
May 27: at mass surrounded by wooden pilgrims
The priest said some radical things like 'we are all equal before God' and that 'all of our lives is a pilgrimage, looking for something. That includes the Church, on its own pilgrimage of self discovery."
After the staff made a homemade dinner put together from everyones contribution. It is the best meal yet in Spain!
I must say having the entire experience today at the albergue at the albergue makes the Camino well worth it.
Monday, May 26, 2014
May 26: door to "new" Cathedral
"New" Cathedral was built in 1600s as opposed to the "old" Cathedral (conjoined to the "new") which was built in 1200s. That is, right after the Moors were beat back in the area. Evidently Salamanca was located in the middle of a major battle ground and left the city a ghost town.
May 26: The House of Shells (the symbol of Santiago de Compestelo)
I did a little sightseeing today in Salamanca. My foot blister has seemed to heal up pretty well. So I will get back on the road tomorrow. An hour bus ride back to where I left off. If I had to take a few days off, I am glad I did it in Salamanca and not Timbuktu. I had the good fortune of eating Mexican food! Mexican food is such an oddity here. I did find a couple Chinese places. Except for a few Italian joints, it is pretty much Spanish food here in Salamanca.
I had fun Saturday night watching Real Madrid play Athletic Madrid for the Euro Championship. Salamanca was nuts all day and night long. People singing, drunk. I wore my Barcelona jersey which was repeatedly met with disdain. Given the negative energy it seems to generate in people, I am replacing the shirt for a plain green shirt.
Friday, May 23, 2014
May 23: Salamanca
This city is a major city in Castille-Leon. It is an hour or so from Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco named this place the capital for awhile. It is a small wonder that when I wear my Barcelona football shirt, I get a rather cool reception from the people along the Camino. Barcelona represents the 'other side.'
May 23: Via de Plata headstone
The Camino Via de Plata has a number of types of waymarkings. This is one. Another is for the Roman Road which the Via de Plata is suppose to follow. A third is the Official waymarkings of the Camino. The fourth are the inauspicious Yellow Arrow (or Fleches). These are the most reliable. I have had bad experiences with the others.
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