Santiago Tales

I have not officially advertised my Chaucer like quest for the most interesting tale, but I have been told about a couple of exceptional encounters that I will share...

The first was told to me by the young Australian couple that I met several days ago. Due to a repetitive strain injury they had to stop for about a week in Pamplona. While they were looking for a place to stay they met a British musician who was also preparing to do the camino and he arranged to have them stay at the hotel with him. A day later he started the camino and they stayed with his stuff and acted as his assistants making arrangements with his agent. One of the reasons for the saxophonist´s pilgrimmage is a documentary project he is working on with the BBC tracing the path of the story of ´The Alchemist´ by Paulo Coehlo. The story starts in Spain and he would like to arrange concerts in a number of the cities that the main character passes through. While speaking with Coehlo he was encouraged to do a pilgrimmage to Santiago and now he has started. The Australians were convinced that their meeting has to do with the idea in the Alchemist that everything happens for a reason.

The next encounter was told to me by a small group of pilgrims that included a man from France, some Spaniards, a woman from Quebec and another man from Hungary. They were resting outside Villamayor by the Fuente de Moros. A bright yellow truck drove up with a New Brunswick license plate. Out stepped an Acadian man with man from India who were on their way to Dakar, Senegal. They offered everyone a glass of wine and the Indian performed a number of magic tricks with cards and coins. Then after their visit they drove off. The Hungarian told me the meeting reminded him of a scene from the book ´Master and Margarita´by Balgakov which is a story about the Devil going to Russia.

These are the best stories from week one.