Logroño Day Two - a legend on the Camino

I've never been shopping whilst on the Camino, besides buying a few souvenirs and  trinkets.  Today we caught the No 9 bus to the Decathlon store which is an enormous outdoors store on the outskirts of the town.   I bought a pair of waterproof trousers, a new waist bag (Finn's Jeep bag is just too bulky for me) and some trail food.
We caught the bus back to town and after lunch Marion and I visited the Apple store in search of a part for her ipad. By the time we got back to the hotel, the last in our group, Father Jeffrey Edmunds had arrived.
We met Connie and Moyra and the four of us walked out of Logroño on the Camino path to where Maria Medel sits at a table outside her house selling souvenirs and offering a stamp with the words "Figs, water and love" "Higos, agua y amor" as her mother, Felisa, had done before her.
I met Felisa in 2002 when she was almost 92 years old, a wizened,  almost blind woman who sat in the shade of a fig tree for almost 12 hours every day eeking out a living from donations from passing pilgrims.  She passed away in October that year and her daughter Maria took over from  her. I visit Maria whenever I am in Spain and sometimes send her little notes and gifts with South African pilgrims.
She was surprised to see me this time and there was much hugging and kissing. We all bought a little something from her table and before we left I was able to connect to You Tube to show her a short video a pilgrim had taken of her mother Felisa in June 2002.  Maria will be 83 in a couple of months. Can she continue to sit in the shade of the fig tree for another 10 years? When she passes on, will anyone take over the Felisa table to offer Figs, water and Love to passing pilgrims? If not, the Felisa stamp will become just another story in the tapestry so stories that makes up the modern Camino and we will be all the poorer.

Navarre

The cheapest flights from South Africa are on the middle eastern airlines Emirates or Qatar.   Many south Africans fly to Europe and other destinations on them. Qatar is a 5star airline but, flying 8 hours East and then another 7 hours back West isn't great! 9 of us flew from RSA to Madrid on Thursday - 7 from Durban which involved 3 flights and a scary 4 hour bus ride along a twisting road from Madrid to logrono. It wad exhausting and I was so pleased that we didn't have to start walking the next day.
Moyra and Connie from Canada were waiting for me when I arrived on the bus at 14:45. They helped me drag my suitcases to the hotel which is opposite the cathedral in the center of town.   As soon as I unpacked all the stuff for San Anton  and Santiago,  Moyra and I found the Correos and I posted the two boxes.
At 6:45pm we walked back to the station to meet Marion. Her bus was 30 min late and it was nearly 8pm  when we got back to the hotel.
The four of us had a meal at a restaurant about 50 from the hotel. Connie and Moyra went to bed and Marion and I waited up for Randy and Bonnie who arrived at about 10:30pm.
When I finally got to bed I was feeling delerious with lack of sleep and after a shower got into bed and died!

Tourist in Spain 4 - 24 May. Logrono, Maria, Viana

I left the hotel at 9am and followed the Camino path out of the town towards Maria's table. Many pilgrims passed me going into town. As I approached her table she recognized me and we hugged, doing a little jigg on the path! We sat inside talking about her daughter and grand children, her knees where she'd had operations in 2012 and her eye with the cataract which was now clear.  Pilgrims came in and she held up a credencial for me to see - a South African credencial.  The pilgrim was from Cape Town and was having a miserable time, not enjoying the Camino at all. She was walking with two American pilgrims and when I mentioned my name, Patty from Oregon asked if I was Sillydoll from the forum and knew Annie who had led groups in 2012.  We had our photos taken and they went on their way.

Back outside at the table, a car pulled up and I recognized Acacio from Villoria.  I was thrilled to see him because I had an envelope for Tomas of Manjarin that I was going to leave at his albergue on the way to Belorado. He told me that he had received a message and photo from Tomas that morning telling him that it was snowing at Manjarin.   I thought of the pilgrims walking in those cold mountains and hoped it would clear before our group arrives there in a few days time.
I said goodbye to Maria and walked back to the city. I packed the last box of chocolates in my backpack and got the bus to Viana.

I phoned Jose and we met in the square where a fiesta celebrating ethnic Basque dancing was in progress.  Jose left to direct some pilgrims to the apartment and I sat with his 8 year-old watching the dancing.  When Jose came back he invited me to have lunch with them at their home.  His wife, Pili, made us pasta and salad and I played computer games with the son.
I kept looking at my watch because the last bus was at 3.30 but Jose told me to 'tanqilla' -he would drive me back which he did, right to the hotel. Many pensions and hostals (different from hostels) are owned by families and the people are friendly and kind and make one feel at home.
Kathy was arriving at 7pm so I walked back to the station to meet her.  We stopped at the Carefore supermarket on the way back to the hotel so that she could by a yoghurt for her breakfast.
We shared pita and cheese sandwiches for dinner and had an early night.  Not much good it did with Spain playing 2 football matches and the bar across the road packed with screaming fans until 4am.