(Not) Walking the Camino: Day 23
Woke up here in Los Altos to dishes in the sink. Before getting the other Ken in trouble with his wife, I’ll just say this is completely out of character for him (while perfectly in the wheelhouse of this Ken). I blame myself.
It demonstrates how, when left to our own basic instincts, even the best of us revert to our true core selves as dictated by nature; if there weren’t women in the world, men would never even live indoors.
And yes, there was breakfast pie to begin the day. Are we not men?
Then it was off to visit my wonderful niece and her equally filled-with-wonder husband, and their impossibly delightful daughter. This adorable little one would be the apple of my eye if my eye had apples, a condition for which one should seek immediate treatment.
They treated me to a morning at Filoli Historic House & World-Class Garden, currently dominated by a traveling exhibition of giant woodland trolls — happy ones, not the grotesque, internet variety.
It’s a spectacular place, sprawling with meticulous horticulture and architecture . . . and the temporary presence of the trolls just makes it even more enchanting.
Then we went and splashed around a kiddie pool with the little one (the pictures are in my head) . . . and later headed to the most incredible cat rescue facility I’ve ever seen at Mini Cat Town.
We romped and pet and cuddled a variety of felines, friendly AF with visitors and each other in a manner that would startle Walt Disney. Mini Cat Town has fostered more than 3,000 adoptions so far, and my first question is, Why would these cats ever want to leave? It really is idyllic.
Followed by a lovely and authentic Italian dinner out — sorry, Buca di Beppo! — and finished off back at home with home made pre-birthday cupcakes . . . and a martini. What a treat.
If all of this sounds boring to you, let me be clear: any day that begins with breakfast pie and ends with a martini is, by definition, a good day . . . but one that has woodland trolls, rescue cats, and these beautiful people, in between? A pretty perfect day by any measure.
The Ladies of the Camino (patent pending) reached a significant milestone: the 100 kilometer marker! Only 62.1371 miles to the finish!
En route from Portomarin to Palas de Rei, Amanda came across this bagpiper. Apparently, this part of the world was at one time heavily influenced by British culture and there’s a whole local ye olde England thang still going on. Or, she’s hallucinating.
Arriving at her new, very crowded destination close to the end of the trail, she followed a bunch of fellow pilgrims into mass at this church and noted, “Because the ceiling is so high, when the congregants sang, the sound was massive.” (Again, it’s possible she’s hallucinating. It’s been a long, hard journey so far.)
OH, she arrived at a hostel without blankets, and later accidentally ate a meat pie. It’s going great!
The adventure continues . . .