There are more crazy pilgrims this year than last I think, but maybe its just that I recognise people like myself!! Seriously though, if I had encountered these people in normal circumstances, I would be giving them a wide berth.

Example 1.
I was leaving a town called Navarette at about 7am and way to the next town was to continue walking along the road for about 4km until you turned off onto a smaller path. There was absolutely no other way to go. It was cold and raining so I was concentrating so as not to slip or be hit by a car. I saw another walker quite a bit ahead of me but paid no notice. I wasn’t walking quickly but the walker ahead seemed to getting nearer to me and looked to be in a bit of pain so I assumed whoever it was returning to the town to rest for day. It turns out the girl was unsure if she was walking in the right direction and had returned to look for the yellow arrows that point you in the right direction. I told her that she was ok and there was no where else to go accept to follow the road.

As the day was miserable I thought a little company might make the time pass a little quicker, so asked where she was from and the usual stuff…how has your walk been. ..any pain etc etc. She seemed nice enough and said she was from Stockholm…but said not to judge all swedish people on her as she was crazy. I laughed this off saying don’t worry everybody who walks this is a little crazy….because I think you have to be….bit little did I realise that actually was crazy.

I noticed that she liked to have space around her as she walked and avpided getting too close even when a car passed or the path became very narrow and necessitated to walk quite closely. This meant she would walk behind me at a distance so our conversation became more of a yelling competition. When we were walking together she told me that she not like my walking sticks as they made her nervous….this all started to become a little strange to me, as I thought nearly ever walker has sticks and it is difficult to maintain a large personal space especially in the place we sleep. Anyway I let all this go and we began to talk about the little aches and pains that start and finish and how to avoid blisters etc.  I told her that I have a few problems with my hips after doing some dancing for a significant proportion of my life. I thought this was a very innocent comment but she stopped dead still on the road, put her fingers in her ears and told me never to talk about being a dancer because she could never dance because she hated her body so much and that I should be grateful that I had the opportunity to dance. I was left obviously stunned at this statement but said I was sorry and tried to calm her as she complained about how much weight she gained recently and how much she hated herself. My casual walk in the rain had suddenly taken a turn and I could not wait to arrive at the next town where I could stop for a coffee and say my goodbyes. Amazingly the conversation returned to normal like nothing had happened and we arrived at Ventosa for a rest stop and some coffee. I met an english couple I knew and we were chatting about where to stay next etc etc and organised myself to leave for the next 10km waln to the next town. The swedish girl was having breakfast so I knew I could say my goodbyes politely and bugger off quickly. As I went to leave I tapped her on the shoulder to wish her well and say goodbye in the usual way…but I could not have been more unprepared for her response. It was like a violent animal emerged as I tapped her on the shoulder and her swung around with such such force I nearly fell over trying to avoid being hit. At the same time she says very loudly DON’T TOUCH ME GET AWAY and then puts her fingers in her ears as I try to apologise. Of course I am left feeling like shit as I was not meant to know she would have this reaction, but it also made me wonder how on earth she was functioning on this walk when close quarters and friendly taps on the shoulder are the norm. Thankfully the english couple were there and calmed me down as I wanted to react to her by saying. ..its not my fucking fault your crazy and now you’ve made me feel fucking awful!!! Of course I said none of this but just backed out of the cafe quickly and quietly and hoped she works out whatever problems she has while on the Camino….for me I walked off my anxiety over the situation pretty quickly and enjoyed a three course lunch with a bottle of wine thanking god I’m actually quite fucking sane!!!