And now for something completely different!

I guess of late I've been obsessing abit about the inner journey portion of the Camino.  It will simply be and it'll simply unfold on it's own.  The lessons learned  have to be discovered as they happen or as they open themselves to me, some probably a long time after the actual walking is over.  In the meanwhile, there are real and concrete things to be done.  Things like learning a tad more Espanol than I currently have a handle on.  I spend nearly every moment when I'm in my Jeep driving to work and everywhere else, listening to Spanish lessons.

My current favorite course came to me from out in left field.  It's a podcast, called Coffee Break Spanish.  It's done somewhere in Glasgow, Scotland.  The professor Mark and a studio student named Kara have the thickest accents!!!  It's like getting Sean Connery to teach you Spanish!  But when he, switches to Spanish it's amazing, I mean he's really good!  I even had two friends, whose first language is Spanish, listen and they totally agreed these recordings were good!  It's just so funny hearing the switch!  Please God and a lot of hard work, I can sound half as good!  Or at least be able to do the thing that Mark, the prof on these podcasts keeps talking about, communicate.

It horrifies me how often we expect others to be at least a little ready with a few words of English, and yet have so little to offer in their language!  Or in any other than our native tongue for that matter.  Last time on the Camino Portuguese, my German actually helped us save face a little and kept our group from looking the complete Ugly Americans.  I should add, the German was honestly if too easily come by.  Both of my folks are "off the boat" so I literally heard it from my first moments, so it's not as if I had to really work at it...well not much.

The funniest instance was in the Main Correo (Post Office) in Pontevedre.  Joe and I had things that needed to go home pronto!  We didn't just want to ditch them, like our expensive hiking pants, spare shirt and extra socks.  Others in our group threw away probably over a $100 dollars worth of excess.  We decided to ship it home!  After multiple attempts to get to the Correo (since it did not lie directly on the Camino, we were constantly being redirected back to the path) we finally locate it and wandered in like two lost and weary sheep.    I found an open spot at the counter and asked the girl behind if she spoke any, even un poco Inglese?  She shook her head and laughingly said no.  Smiling, holding up her fingers,  she counted off "One, Two, Three..." then laughed and shrugged!  Pointing to myself and then my fingers, "Uno, dos, tres...."  We both cracked up and shook our heads,  when "Light Bulb Moment"  I remembered the word for German, Algeman (?)  at which point she got really excited and ran around to the other side of the Correo, and motioned for us to follow!  The rest of it was like something from, oh I don't know, a bad comedy movie!  We got terrific service in a Spanish Post Office with the entire conversation taking place in German!  How weird is that! They say there are angels on the Camino and I'd have to say they were enjoying that one.

These are the mail slots on the outside of the Correo.  Probably the most
beautiful mail slot I've ever posted a letter too!

If I can master the technical difficulties, I'll have to see if I can post some sort of widget or attachment for the Coffee Break Spanish!  So in the mean while...I guess the Spanish would be Hasta Pronto!  See ya soon!

(For this weekend...I will hardly be doing any walking of any sort! At least if all goes well!  I'm off to the MS150, a charity bike ride!  75 miles to the shore and on Sunday...75 back!  For once the weather looks perfect too!  While this may not be regular Camino training....it is good for the aerobic endurance as well as mental toughness! )