Almaden to El Real De La Jara
Our walk today was from
Almaden to El Real De La Jara; about 17 km through farms and park land.
The dogs I had been warned about before I left home barely looked up as we passed. Pigs being fed gave new meaning to the phrase 'hungry as a pig' and little piglets squealed when they saw us. I don't know if they thought we were carrying food or if they were asking us to save them from becoming food. Maybe they were just being pigs?
I hadn't realized before that animals have different 'voices'. Sheep calling to each other all sound different. So do the goats, the cows and the dogs. The quiet does that, you hear things you hadn't noticed before.
During the day Stacy and I walk within sight of each other but quietly, lost in our own thoughts, music, or audio books. By afternoon we are with a group of people who are becoming our friends. Austria, France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Germany, and Canada, all under one roof.
Monique from France taught me how to lance the blisters on my feet. Agatha from Spain shared cookies. Franci and Janeen from South Africa have shared stories and laughter. Sharleen from Canada shared chocolate at a perfect moment in our second day of walking. Marco from Spain endured our 'stalking' him when we kept getting lost and became determined to keep him in sight!
Slowly I am hearing stories of why others are walking. I have to listen carefully because the words meld together when I don't really understand the language. What I have found though is that whether literally or not, each person walks alone, each for their own reason.
The dogs I had been warned about before I left home barely looked up as we passed. Pigs being fed gave new meaning to the phrase 'hungry as a pig' and little piglets squealed when they saw us. I don't know if they thought we were carrying food or if they were asking us to save them from becoming food. Maybe they were just being pigs?
I hadn't realized before that animals have different 'voices'. Sheep calling to each other all sound different. So do the goats, the cows and the dogs. The quiet does that, you hear things you hadn't noticed before.
During the day Stacy and I walk within sight of each other but quietly, lost in our own thoughts, music, or audio books. By afternoon we are with a group of people who are becoming our friends. Austria, France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Germany, and Canada, all under one roof.
Monique from France taught me how to lance the blisters on my feet. Agatha from Spain shared cookies. Franci and Janeen from South Africa have shared stories and laughter. Sharleen from Canada shared chocolate at a perfect moment in our second day of walking. Marco from Spain endured our 'stalking' him when we kept getting lost and became determined to keep him in sight!
Slowly I am hearing stories of why others are walking. I have to listen carefully because the words meld together when I don't really understand the language. What I have found though is that whether literally or not, each person walks alone, each for their own reason.
Once walked with a group of German Buddhists on a pilgrimage route through western Nepal and into western Tibet to Mt. Kailash. Every day we had a devotional before we got on the trail and, for the morning, we walked in silence. Later in the day, those who chose to, shared their thoughts and feelings. At night, after dinner, there was more sharing and for some, "unloading". After awhile it got very serious and heavy - lucky for me I was able to excuse myself at those times, citing the fact that my German was almost nonexistent, and my friend who was interpreting, was getting tired! The meditation part was inspiring and really helped me to be aware of my surroundings - the "true confessions", I could have done without! We had a psychologist cum group leader, who became a mediator at times when life and the group energy got too heavy.
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