Lost and Found

I did 38km yesterday! Now I am over a day ahead of my guidebook.

I led a few folks astray when I made an incorrect left turn the other day. They were wonderful people to be lost with. Damien and Lorraine are from Ireland and Pilar is from the Canary Islands. We were off the path for a good thirty-five minutes, but it was through the rolling vineyards of La Rioja. I am sure there are worse places to be lost. I wanted to keep walking with them, but they were stopping much earlier than I intended. Pilar said the leftover wine from the region is sold to Italy and a new label is put on the bottle. Scandalous!

Small talk does not exist here. I have shared more in a few hours with strangers than I have with some of my oldest friends. Everyone asks why you are here and what you are looking for and where you think you are going. Real talk.

Sometimes the Camino feels easy. I follow the yellow brick road. I meet the tin man and the cowardly lion and the scarecrow each day. Everyone is on their way to see Oz. Being lost was grounding and humbling. It made me appreciate being found.

At the hostel after I was lost I found John. I was so happy! It was like having dinner with an old friend, even though we spent only two days apart and have only known each other for eight. It was really nice.

Yesterday was my first day walking entirely alone. I practiced interview questions aloud, sang Michael Jackson songs, and composed some pretty bad raps. I fell asleep at a bar at eleven am and later took a nap on a park bench. I had dinner with Bob from Canada and Frida from Germany. He asked a lot of questions about date rape drugs and ecstasy. He asked if I would be worried if I put my drink down unattended. I thought to myself, 'Well now I am!'

Tonight I met Emily from Napa, and she basically has my dream life. She was teaching English in Sevilla for the past year. She met her boyfriend Victor there, and now they are moving to Brazil for three months and then to Peru for three months. I told her I was going to law school in the fall. I have learned that is not a crowd pleaser, and it can make almost any walking companion decide to speed up their pace. People do find it interesting that I am a cheerleader and from California. I will try to stick to those talking points going forward.