I mentioned last week that in today’s window there’d be surprises. This comes about thanks to my friend Eric.

When Hubby and I returned from our Camino pilgrimage, friends asked, ‘How was it?!’ I understood their interest and enthusiasm, but how to answer such a wide-open question with all the Camino was and continues to be? I still usually fall back on the equally vague answer, ‘It was amazing on so many levels!’ Which says nothing at all.

How much detail do they want, really? It’d be easy to scroll through the 1500 photos on our phones (yes, we have that many, but no I wouldn’t put anyone through that) and relive our journey as we shared how it was, but we often get the sense they simply want to hear the big picture–it was the adventure of a lifetime. That’s exactly how one person asked me, ‘Was it the adventure of a lifetime?!’ When I said ‘yes’, she was thrilled for us … and we sort of moved on with other conversation.

Last weekend we gathered with a few close friends over desserts and had a real conversation about our little hike. They asked specific questions and we did some show and tell with our credencials and a handful of photos. It was exactly the kind of exchange I’d hoped for.

Then there was Eric. He welcomed me home and immediately asked, ‘What surprised you the most?’ And I thought, what a great question. And I had to think a bit. I can’t even remember exactly what I told him, other than in that moment it was a ‘big picture’ answer – How quiet it was. How mountainous and challenging it was. But that’s not entirely true.

There were daily surprises that energized us, even for my Hubby who does NOT like surprises. I’d gone with no expectations so the gifts of daily surprises … was a surprise. Here are some of them.

There were rocks like this left on the trail by pilgrims ahead of us. They could’ve been there for months or years or just an hour or two, there’s no way of knowing. But someone took the time to grab one of the thousands of cobblestones on the path and write an encouraging word. They always brought a smile, a shot of adrenaline, and a prayer of thanks. Okay, sometimes we mumbled ‘Easy for you to say!’ before the smile, shot, and prayer. Nevertheless, they were truly a welcome surprise. Always.

The vineyards surprised me and held me in awe. There were acres upon acres upon miles of them–which wasn’t the surprise because I know Spain is a wine-growing country–but how close they were to the walk, how old the vines must be, and the rocks! We happened to meet up with a local vineyard chemist–he was out jogging and stopped to ask us about our pilgrimage–who told us most of the vineyards and vines have been in the same family for generations. Another day we saw three generations working–grandpa, son, and grandson who was probably only 5 or 6 years-old.

The vines were gnarled and knobby and looked dead, but every one of them was sprouting bright green new growth. By now they’re fully leafed out and filled with clusters of grapes, not quite ready for harvest. I can only imagine the scent of all those ripening grapes.

But the rocks! I’m used to vineyards here in the Carolinas, or pictures of those in California, where grapes grow on green terraced hillsides. The only green we saw in these vineyards was growing on the vines. I wished we could’ve talked longer with the chemist, I had so many questions. A quick search reveals some of the best wine quality comes from vines grown in less fertile, rocky soil. The thermal effect of warm rocks is a contributing factor.

The final vineyard surprise was walking through some on the Sunday the day’s Gospel reading was the vine and the branches.

One surprise I unfortunately don’t have a picture of was the beer ‘tanker’–not tankard. We were in Villafranca del Bierzo and our room looked out over the square. We watched a beer truck pull up to a local bar, fully expecting the driver to roll out a hand truck and load cases of beer. Instead, he opened a ‘manhole’ in the street, uncoiled a hose from inside the truck, and proceeded to pump beer! That’s why I don’t have a picture–we were too engrossed in watching.

Hornillos del Camino, a quaint, (according to the 2004 census, 70 people live there, probably not more in 2024) typical Spanish village along the French Way, presented some of the biggest surprises. With the size of the village, there are only two places to eat. We walked the two blocks to the ‘end of town’ (the full length of the town is maybe four small blocks) and entered a bistro with the most mouth-watering aroma. The owner/chef is from Senegal. When taking our order, the only option we had for the baked chicken was the kind of curry sauce we wanted–spicy or not so spicy. The spicy was delicious and so was the rest of the meal. To find this wonderful restaurant in virtually the middle of nowhere was a highlight of the pilgrimage.

Besides the food, these two men stunned us with their singing. The one on the right’s repertoire ranged from 40s and 50s songs crooned by the best to songs from the 80s, 90s and current hits. He played numerous instruments. The one on left sang opera. When he opened his mouth and the first syllables reverberated around the small dining room, every pilgrim stopped eating, overcome. Was not expecting dinner and a show!

Oh! And while we sat there, we chatted with the woman at the next table. Turned out she once lived in the town where I live now.

I’ve always loved and been open to surprises, but Eric’s question taught me at least two things. One, a reminder to be open to and aware of daily surprises. Two, to ask another person that same question when they return from a trip, a workshop, a retreat … or just at the end of the day. What surprised you the most? Have a great week everyone. See you next Monday.