Oh the Italians!!! (Day 17)
- tezelahm
- Apr 17, 2024
- 2 min read
There are many types of people who walk the Camino from all around the world. Many Europeans of course, mostly from Spain, France, UK and Dutch (of the 26 Dutch people that live on this planet half of them are here). A lot of Americans, Australians, Korean’s and beautiful, handsome, muscular Turks (n=1). Then there are Italians!!!
Italian pilgrims carry over the concept of bar crawling to the Camino. In our cohort there is an Italian group. They started in Saint Jean (420 kms ago) as a group of 5. They have a Camino rule/pact they follow (this is serious no joke). Every town they pass (at times we pass 5-6 a day), they stop and drink a pint of beer. That equates to sometimes 3L of beer before you finish your walk. And once they arrive they go drinking at any available establishment willing to serve them for the evening.
Well, in the last week they started dropping off like flies due to various ailments but two of them continues which I walked with today. Below is the photo of the couple. Both in lates twenties or early 30’s. She is maximum 120lbs drinking pints of beer. I asked them today “Why?”. His answer, without even smirking, was “it tastes better then aqua, it’s the Italian way”. As usual they are the friendliest people you can meet; with limited English but always engaging. Their injured friends will meet them in Leon in 3 days and do the last section together. I looked it up. They will need to do over 60 pints (30Ls) in 12 days (not counting their evening beers)…Oh Italians…
The Meseta is definitely taking a toll on me. While blisters are a problem of the past, there is not a muscle or joint that doesn’t have pain in my lower body. If ibuprofen was addictive, I have fallen off the wagon big time. It has become part of my diet. I wish it had some calories and protein so I can eat less tortilla (the Spanish egg/potato dish), my main calorie source on the Camino.
Despite causing me physical pain, Meseta is beautiful though. It is miles and miles of serene scenery.
Ellie - I am writing this as I listen to “All too well” (for my non swiftie readers that is - Jake Gyllenhaal is a jerk - song by Taylor Swift). Miss you my beautiful girl.
I was not in an ideal place to take my sunrise photo for Amy so not the greatest.
Kms today: 24.5 kms
Kms total: 425.5 kms
Steps total: 158.4k Amy, 560.5k Ahmet
Photos from the day. I need to figure out what these yellow flowers are. If someone knows please text me! The building was a monastery but now a hostel.
Well, in his book “Genome,” Matt Ridley explores the history of alcohol consumption in Europe as a safer option compared to contaminated water sources. Along the same line, he claims safer water resources in Asia had caused weaker alcohol breaking enzymes in Asians over a long period of time. Basically, genetics gave our European friends a head start in the world of sipping and socializing, per Matt R.
I think beer has a little protein in it, maybe you can join the Italians on their liquid diet.
As for the flowers, I remember a lot of yellow flowers blooming in Switzerland in the spring and someone told me they were rapeseed flowers, they are grown for rapeseed oil. But I could be wrong. I hope the pain subsides, keep stretching and keep on truckin'!