Extra: some general observations
A few general observations on what I've seen of this part of Spain, for what they're worth:
- There are quite a few smokers, although I wouldn't have thought as many as NZ had in its heyday. However, there are no vapers and no vape shops. As a surprising exception to the rule, there are occasional peregrino vapers/smokers
- A bar is a café and a café is a bar
- My definite preference for accommodation is for small private albergues. Especially if they offer a pilgrim's meal. The cafés in the villages will also often offer a pilgrim's meal, but I've enjoyed more the quality of food and company at the albergues
- Many of the villages are incredibly poor. A lot of the lived-in houses are best described as ramshackle, but the sadder observation is that many houses and other buildings have just been abandoned. Some of them are "for sale", but I suspect no-one will ever buy them. Young people leave and don't come back, old people die and don't come back. Where there are albergues and/or bars/cafés, I think that sometimes the presence of peregrinos is the only thing that keeps a village alive at all. I hate to think what the villages just a few km away from the Camino are like. I think Spain has probably done quite well investing in infrastructure (if its road and rail network are anything to judge this by), but I do feel rather sad about the rural villages
- The Camino is reportedly worth about EUR1.5 billion annually to the Spanish economy, so it's not small bikkies
- There is at least one church in just about every village, no matter how small. This seems to reflect Spain's religious and cultural history, rather than any current high percent of practicing Catholics
- There are crosses all over the place. Some of them are due to the presence of the Camino, but there would be plenty even if the Camino wasn't there
- The Camino is very well sign-posted. It is difficult to go wrong as long as you keep looking out for signs and yellow arrows painted on the road, buildings, power poles, rubbish bins, in fact anything that doesn't often move
- I am now in Galicia, but just a few days ago left the large region of Castilla y Leon. ("y" == "and"). There is obviously still strongly-felt opposition to the merger between Castilla and León, based on (according to AI) a thousand years of political competition, a forced administrative merger in 1983, and deep-seated economic disparities. Anyway, the rivalry showed itself in the signage. When I first entered the region, the signs looked like this...
Then many days later, as I walked further west, they looked like this...
And I don't know what this one meant...
- Many, perhaps most, peregrinos carry hiking poles. But I frequently observe that the poles are not being used to assist forward motion. If you're going to add the weight of poles to what you carry, you might as well take advantage of them. I'm glancing towards you M&K!
- And a final comment: it appears that my natural walking pace is faster than most peregrinos, although I haven't particularly noticed such a big speed differential in NZ. I was a few days into the Camino before I noticed that no-one ever passed me, unless I had deliberately slowed in order to chat with other peregrinos. Now that I've slowed my pace to nurse my shin, some peregrinos do indeed sometimes pass, especially going downhill!
Interesting observations ... thoroughly enjoyed reading
ReplyDeleteAnd of course as soon as I hit "Publish", I thought of all sorts of other things I could have mentioned: the wonderful custom of having a central plaza in villages; the friendly locals; the friendly peregrinos; the "donkey" service that will carry your luggage to your next accommodation; the overall feeling of safety. I could go on and on...
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