Yesterday I asked for ten days of vacations which were granted. My vacations started today, as I had to do the preparations for the trip. In the morning I peeked into the fridge and took out everything that would spoil in the time we're gone, and prepared a very large stir fry which my mother commended and asked me the recipe. "It's easy mom, take every single vegetable you have and fry them in a pan. Take care to start with the things that require more cooking, such as carrots, and end with the things that don't require as much, like broccoli. Salt and pepper and voila!".
I did the same with the fruits, creating a salad of mango, apple and cranberries that I topped a kind of cheese that they have in Spain which has the consistency of yoghurt but not the acidity. I hate see food go to waste.
Then we went to the "Friends of the Camino Association" to pick up a credencial (a booklet where you collect stamps at each albergue where you stay), which is required in some places as proof that you are a pilgrim. The association turned out to be just a block away from my home, a flat in the pedestrian street of Carretas, near Sol.
When we arrived there were a large number of people gathered around a large table served with finger food. They were having their Christmas gathering. Three older men greeted us and asked us if it was our first time walking. I said it was for my mother, but I was a veteran. They were exceedingly kind. I don't know how or why it transforms people into a recognizable pattern, it's like a good wine that has a particular taste.
We were warned about wolves (they'll be afraid of you), boars (don't mess with them) and dogs (keep distance with a walking stick). I played along as I knew they were bringing some drama anticipation for my mother. After a couple of minutes of chit chat we said farewell and went to Decathlon, where I prepared the best I've ever prepared for a walk, as I'd be walking with my mother.
Raincoats, walking sticks, thermic clothing, warm socks... and that's all. I thought: if I was walking this alone, I'd buy nothing, but as my mother worries so much about me (my suffering is her own), I knew that seeing me cold or wet would be unbearable for her.
Then we came back home to have lunch and I went to an appointment with the ear specialist (otorrinolaringologo, which I'm too busy to google for translation now, we're leaving in 10 minutes for yoga). There they conducted some hearing tests and the specialist said I had a slight deficit on my left ear, though their definition of "slight" is different from my subjective experience. I feel as if I barely hear from my left ear. She said they wouldn't give me a hearing aid, but they scheduled an MRI to discard "it's something else". I know it's not something else, but it's not bad to have my first reference point of my skull at age 45, so I'll do it.
Then we came back to home where we are preparing for a yoga class. I went to a one day getaway with my favorite yoga teacher. My mother tagged along. I forgot the jacket my father gave me for christmas, which I need for this walk, and since I had to pick it up we will stay for class.
I plan on writing about this camino in Spanish, on my instagram, though I will translate and post here. Later on, when I come back, I'll transfer the photos because I know better than to keep treasured memories on social media. The reason I want to do it this way is because I have most of my family there, and they would like to see our trip, and I know I'll write and be inspired by this walk with my mother, whom at age 79 is uncertain if she'll be able to withstand the cold and the hardships, but I truly believe it will be "a walk" for her.
I hit publish without revising anything about this post, it's time to run.