Marion has been a wonderful Group Leader. Every night at 6pm she is available in the foyer of our hotel/pension to answer questions, tell the group about the next day's walk and pass on any special instructions. Every night everybody arrives and so the next day there is no confusion about where to leave the luggage, how far the next day's walk is, what to look out for along the way.Bonnie and Randy usually make an early start and the rest of us trickle out about half an hour later. Connie likes to go ahead to do her meditation. Jeffrey strides out and Marion, Moyra and I bring up the rear. An hour or so into the walk, Connie has slipped back and Marion and Moyra go ahead.
Jeffrey has been struggling with his back and even the day-pack has been too much for him. Marion and I decided to inspect the contents of his pack and after sitting him down on a bench made him unpack it. Besides various items of clothing, most that he wouldn't need whilst walking, he also had food, first aid stuff and three prayer books weighing the pack down. Marion took the clothing, we shared the food stuff and Jeff asked me to take the prayer books. "They're going to be too heavy for you, Syl," said Marion.
"Nah - they'll be Ok", I said. And, surprisingly, they didn't seem to weigh anything in my pack, ironic as it was that the Anglican priest had entrusted his prayer books with a self proclaimed Buddhist!
Connie is carrying a little Polar Bear toy called 'Barcelona'. At every opportunity, Barcelona is photographed on the trail, sometimes next to monuments, churches, wayside crosses; sometimes with other pilgrims, sometimes on her own. I told Connie that there are very few children's Camino stories and that she should write a story about 'Barcelona walks the Camino". I hope she does!
Connie and I walked into Santo Domingo together. We stopped at the tourism office to ask the best way to the hotel and a woman leaving the office offered to walk us to the road where the hotel was. Last year I had caught the bus here and the stop was just across the road from the hotel.
I had a gift for Paco and Anna and after checking in, we walked to the old town to visit the cathedral and have a look at the chickens in their place on honour at the back of the church. You can read about Saint Dominic of the Causeway here, and of the miracle of the chickens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_de_la_Calzada
Moyra, Marion, Connie, Jeff and I had a meal in the old quarter before returning to the hotel.
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