On the Lighter Side: Camino Humor

On the lighter side of the Camino.
Below is a collection of funny lessons learned and tidbits gained from the Camino.

• Always checking to make sure the restroom has toilet paper before you sit down.
• The intricacies of blister maintainence
• Becoming comfortable with not only seeing your feet, but also strangers’ feet, at a dinner table.
• Learning to communicate with grunts, hand jesters, and strange looks when you don’t share a common language.
• Learning that it’s sometimes ok to use the women’s restroom
• Double checking your passport 5 kilometers into the walk, and triple checking again 2 kilometers later.
• Knowing the different smells between various Europeans.
• Learning when it’s acceptable to pee in public.
• Learning the best ways to share and toss shampoo bottles in the showers.
• How to sleep through snoring and other “intimate” sounds in a room with 100 other people.
• Seeing far too much and far too revealing PDA, and having to be “ok” with it.
• The best ways to “stretch.”
• Automatic lights never give enough time for even the quickest bathroom visits.
• Push button showers with limited spray time teach you how limber your arms become once you need to rinse your back.
• A bottle of wine is only enough for one person.
• That it is possible to cook an entire dinner without a pan, skillet, or utensils.
  • It is also possible to eat said dinner without plates, knives, or forks.
• The differences between 18 year olds and 28 year olds is only limited to understanding obscure 90s references.
• Knowing exactly how long it’ll take to walk 5 kilometers, but not at all aware of how long it’ll take 5 miles.
• Learning that siesta is a great concept, but when you’re a starving pilgrim and they can only serve olives cause the cooks are sleeping is total bullshit.
• Eating as much bread and ice cream your heart desires and knowing that you’ll still lose weight at the end of the day.
• Smelling your clothes at the end of the day and deciding if you can wear it again or if you’ll finally have to wash it.
• Having an absolute hatred towards bikers… especially those who just assume you’ll hear them coming without making any noice whatsoever.
• Hand washing your clothes also means rewashing your mid-section because it’s near impossible not to splash.
• Learning how to find and guess free WiFi passwords.
• People who wake up before 6 am both in America and on the Camino are the worst people.
• Stumbling upon people who speak English is both terrific and terrifying
• A block of cheese does count as a meal.
  • If it’s accompanied by bread and wine, it’s even more filling.
• Spanish milkshakes and not the same as American milkshakes, but when you’re having a milkshake it really doesn’t matter.
• You could easily steal from a pilgrim so long as you can walk just barely faster than them.
• Cafe con leche is life.