THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AMUSING

Hello everybody

Here's a list of what's good and what ain't so good about pilgrim life.

GOOD

Scenery is fantastic.

Exercise is good.

Solitude can be good or bad, but on average I think more the former.  It at least offers opportunity for another level of awareness.  Better than watching TV.

Exposure to other people.  This being Spain, you see a lot of Spanish stuff, but you also rub shoulders with people from everywhere.  A cosmopolitan experience to say the least.  

BAD

It's way too crowded.  Competition for rooms is intense, all conducted electronically.  It's anxiety producing, especially if you're electronically challenged.

Dorms are great if you're in the army or in jail or something, but I don't love them.  Not a bit.  They can be avoided if you wanna go bankrupt, and they do force a level of interaction, but I hope to never go in one again after this is done.

Food is sometimes difficult to find (restaurants seem to only open at certain times) but booze is really easy to find.  Depends on your point of view how good or bad that is.

And finally on the negative side, after 45 years of doing things together, I don't like doing them by myself.  Not at all.  Not to get too sentimental or anything, but you know how it is...

Bottom line:  great experience, grateful to have had the chance, but next time I'm bringing the other half.  Non negotiable.

AMUSING

For visuals, I got this Aussie guy to take a pic of me in full pilgrim gear, but it is such a terrible picture that I'm not putting it on here.  I sent it to Gail so maybe she'll show you for a joke, but it can't go out there in the public space.  Horrible.

Take care.

Editor's note: Available upon request