Moooooooo

So this Kurt guy. Well, unfortunately I have seen him off and on for the past week, and we always seem to share a room together despite my pleas for him to be in a different room...or completely different albergue. When I first met Kurt, he seemed somewhat normal. Then, he talked to me for twenty minutes about why he liked to take pictures of cow poo! What?! Apparently he is looking for "the biggest and juiciest pile", and he says he wants to find a solid one so he can take it home with him. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Kurt talks very slowly and in such a monotone voice, so his rants last FOREVER. And just when you are about to get up and leave, he starts talking even more...you just cannot escape him! Last night the albergue I was staying in had a hairdryer. Kurt saw Katrine using it and assumed it was hers; he then approached her after and asked if he could borrow it to dry his hair...Kurt is bald. He doesn't have any hair. Later in the day he heard me, Nancy, and Katrine talking about how the camino is slowly making us all mental, then Kurt overheard and asked us in such a serious manner what mental conditions we had and if we were taking medications for them. After explaining that we were just joking about all the walking making us mental, Kurt's response was "Oh. Well that's good. Cause it wouldn't be a very good idea for crazy people to walk the camino"...says the man who takes pictures of cow poo. Kurt has also forgotten my name even though I tell him what it is everyday; but, I have convinced him that my real name is Canada, and that I live in Canada. He found it was quite funny that I would be named after a country...I told him that I had forgetful parents and they named me Canada so they would remember where we lived. He believed me and said that he understands. Then last night at dinner, while Kurt was shoveling food into his mouth as if it was going to disappear (it was all you could eat...they had plenty of food), Kurt was complaining about the people in "this country" not being able to speak Spanish. He said he finds it hard to order food because it takes the waiter a few tries before they finally understand what you want; Kurt doesn't have that kind of patience when it comes to food. I wonder why they don't speak English as a first language Kurt...maybe because they live in Spain and speak Spanish? This morning when I went into the washroom, I was greeted by Kurt's bare ass. He was just standing in the middle of the room, bent over, completely naked. Not what I really wanted to see first thing in the morning. Even while I was brushing my teeth, he still stood in the same position. But, when Chris (a guy I met from Germany) was in the washroom, Kurt began "touching himself" while standing behind Chris and waiting for the sink. There's something off with this guy...I don't think he is OK in the head. Afterwards at the breakfast table, Kurt explained to me and Nancy why he doesn't drink Spanish milk. He says that the milk has too many preservatives and that the preservatives taste bad. You can't taste preservatives Kurt! He thought it was crazy that I would drink the milk...I thought it was crazy that Kurt could taste preservatives. Before I left, Kurt asked where I was planning on staying today. I told him I was planning to walk 30km, maybe father if I was feeling up to it (really I was only walking 22km; I just wanted Kurt to get as far from mr as possible). Kurt said he planned on walking 30km as well. But, when I arrived at the abergue today, after settling in, guess who arrived twenty minutes later...Kurt! Oh god! Do I not get a break from this guy?? I may have to drink more than usual tonight so I can make it through the evening. Now I promise more Kurt stories will come over the next few days, but I want to talk about my walk today. Despite my amazing sleep last night, when I woke up this morning I was still very tired, and therefore found it hard to start walking. Once I got into the swing of things my day went pretty smoothly. I stopped at a bar for breakfast and had the most amazing apple cake. It was so dense, and so mosist, and oh so tasty! And it only cost me €1,20! Delicious, delicious, delicious! After reaching Sarria (which is the 115km mark), the crowds became larger because Sarria-Santiago de Compostela is the minimum distance you have to walk to receive your compostela. Now I can deal with walking alongside more people, but it annoys me when they walk in huge groups and take up the entire path! Even as you try to walk past they don't move out of the way for you. It's just plain rude! And "buen camino" has taken on an entirely different meaning...people only say it to get your attention; it now means "get out of my way". At one point we had to cross a long bridge and I was stuck in between two school groups. It felt like we were all being herded like cattle. Just to make things more interesting, I started "mooing" as I walked behind people. Hey, it got them to move out of the way. Me and Nancy also started playing a game where we would guess how long each pilgrim had been walking for. If they were clean, chipper, walking fast, and smelled of perfume, you could tell it was only their first day of walking. When you are on the road walking for over a month, you tend to not care about your appearance and you let some things slide. But, after I escaped the crowds, I had an enjoyable walk. It only rained for a little while, and then the sun came out!!! Finally! I haven't seen my shadow in soooo long! Also, as of today I officially have less than 100km to walk before I reach Santiago! I can't believe I am already this close! Back when I started, Santiago seemed incredibly far away, now, I am in the double digits! On Friday I will arrive and then begin my walk to the coast (a further 100km). By for now!