Random thing that made you smile on Camino?

[David61]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

 

[mspath]

September 29, 2004 hiking 20 km up the 1060 meter Ibaneta pass was the most physically exhausting day. I was pooped!

After 5 hours I finally staggered over the pass into a busy picnic area where all had arrived by buses/cars! When a kindly Scots couple offered me hot tea plus a seat it was a great relief to sit, sip and smile.

 

[Lindsay53]

Being offered some bread and cheese by a peregrina in Santo Domingo. I had been feeling a bit down that day for some reason and this cheered me up immensely.

 

[Ultreia et Suseia!]

All the animals that have approached me for pettings (mostly cats and a few dogs)

 

[Matthew_SWilson]

Mine came on the second day on the Camino Frances. Walking alone out of Roncesvalles I'd passed through the woods and out into the paddocks leading to Burguete. A trio of tan-coloured horses trotted past me without glancing at me. One of them stopped and I watched it gaze out to the horizon, as if admiring the spectacular sunrise behind us; its breath was visible in the brisk morning air.

Just a random, perfect little memory that I've quietly treasured for the succeeding decade.

 

[hawkeyepierce]

An old man offering garlic bread to pilgrims just before Lorca.

The dog at the pizza place run by an American shortly before Las Herrerias.

 

[Umwandert]

On the Norte (I think after Canero) I came out of some forested area into a small village. In front of the first house a woman in her 70ies was cleaning her pavement with a broom while singing an old Spanish song with passion. I did not know the song but it sounded like something Sara Montiel could have sung in the 50ies and Pedro Almodovar could have used in one of his colorful dramas much later. It made me smile immediately and when I approached her I applauded and bowed my head to say muchias gracias. Her face lit up and she wished me a muy buen camino. A lovely encounter, which made my day!

 

[vwzoo]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

The sounds of the cow bells. Watching families and children play. Stray dogs and cats strolling up to greet me as I passed. Those were the things that pop in my head.

 

[Karinhi]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

I was having a pretty gruelling day near the end of the Camino Frances and this older gentleman and his companion, whom I had crossed paths with many times, passed by me as I sat on log, feeling at the end of my rope. He stopped, smiled and told me "you're doing a great job!". I almost cried but smiled. Still brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my lips. And, it got me through those last few kms.

 

[Canuckaroo]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

 

[Anik2001]

After dinner, at albergue Casa Domingo, one of the pilgrims took a guitar, sat a little further and started playing. One of the things he played was Recuerdos de la Alhambra, that both my parents loved. I felt like they were both with me listening to it. Brought a big smile on my lips and a lot of gratitude in my heart.

 

[howardd5]

On a cool day in Galicia seeing an old woman sitting under a tree peeling potato’s in her lap. We exchange glances and she shrugged.

 

[Anniesantiago]

The kindness of strangers. When I fell on my Spring Camino on the highway, two people stopped. One was a motorcycle fellow and the other a man in a car. The man carried me to Estella where I was able to get first aid. It made me realize, again, that people are good, and are the same everywhere, no matter their culture or language. We are all relatives. It was a good reminder.

 

[motero99]

My daughters joined me in Sarria. It was there first day on the Camino. As we left the town, a woman commented to on of my daughters that they had the same backpack. She went on to say that she was leading a group of young women from Iceland. She said they were under complete silence for the first part of the day. Shortly after stopping for a coffee in a bar an hour or so out of Sarria, we hiked through a woods. We were a short distance behind the Icelandic women. As they left the woods, they formed two lines and used their hiking poles to form an arch and then sang songs to the pilgrims as they passed under their arch.

 

[Roland49]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

The many unafraid mice in the Meseta were very funny.
The nosy horses, that came to the fences, to take a glimpse look for the pilgrims.
The blessed offerings on the sidewalks and entryways on the whole way.
The guy playing a guitar in the midst of nowhere.
The guy, who offered every pilgrim a small figurine of S. James right before Castrojeriz.

Everytime I think of that, I smile.

 

[El Ramon]

Leaving Los Arcos, a sign at the entrance to the cemetary

Yo que fui lo que tu eres, tu seras lo que yo soi
I, who once was what you are, you will be what I am.

 

[lt56ny]

One day on the CP I had walked a long way. I was very hungry and had no food and stopped after climbing a really short but steep hill. There were a couple of benches to sit in. There were 4 cyclists eating a big lunch of sandwiches, cheese, fruit and wine. There was little left when I got there but they offered some food to me. I took a few bites and they were getting up to leave. We took a photo together. One of the riders stopped and took a sandwich out from his pouch on the back wheel. He insisted I take it. He said it is 7 or 8 kilometers until the next town. He will be there in a few minutes. I will take me a long time to get there. He said he would get another one there. He refused to take my offer for money. He gave me a high five and a bom camino and was on his way.

 

[maryloufrommadison]

This. The idea of something good coming from our old failures is so reassuring.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Many have said the beautiful scenery and landscapes make a camino. While I must somewhat agree with that assessment, I would have to also add (for me) it's the people on a Camino that make it complete.
This year I again walked The Norte Route and stopped at many of the same city's, town's and villages along the way that I stopped at in 2018.
While doing so I ate at a few of the better restaurants I had experienced in 2018 and was served by some of the same waitress/waiters I had encountered in 2018.
To them all I told them of remembering them, which brought a smile to both of our faces. What a good memory.

 

[lalaone]

A sympathetic shopkeeper in Palas de Rei who sold me a popsicle on a hot day. He asked how much it cost. Although I could understand the question and knew the answer (0.95 Euros), my meager Spanish suddenly disappeared. I stammered out: “puente… nuevo… nueve…” Bridge. New. Nine. He shook his head. With a kind smile: “No es nueve.“ We both started cracking up and kept laughing even harder as he found the price and rang up the popsicle, almost smiling through tears while exchanging thank you’s and goodbyes. I was so embarrassed, yet his good heartedness turned it into a cherished moment.

 

[inge.gerlo]

When I arrived in Fisterra in May 2019, I wanted to have a drink on the terrace of some pub. But I think the waitress was blind oŕ something, because I was sitting there for more than 10 minutes already, without having the possibility to order something. An suddenly, an older man sitting at the next table took a second empty glass, filled it with red wine from the bottle he had ordered for him and gave it to me!

 

[xin loi]

Meeting my future wife. When I asked why she did not have a Shell on her pack, she replied. "A friend in Germany told me to NOT buy a shell as I would meet a man on the Camino who would be important in my life and he would give me a shell". Gave her a shell that I had picked up off the trail an hour previous and married her later.

 

[JJW]

Pamplona commercial street art.

 

[MesaWalker]

The bar at Roncesvalles. A bunch of us were having a beer after the long hike from SJPP when a local woman drove her tiny car up to the bar, made a wrong turn, and managed to high-center her car on a tall curb. All of we men got up as a group, walked to the car, lifted it off the curb and put it down where she could drive off. It was a fun act of camaraderie, and we all felt like we earned the right to finish our beers!

Also, running into a wonderful Swiss couple and a young Irish guy taking the less-traveled detour after leaving Villafranca del Bierzo, taking turns singing. As we walked through the mountains, the Swiss couple sang a Swiss folk song in perfect two-part harmony. The Irish guy sang a sad, lilting Irish ballad. I sang a funny song that I knew. It was a moment of sheer joy.

 

[xin loi]

The bar at Roncesvalles. A bunch of us were having a beer after the long hike from SJPP when a local woman drove her tiny car up to the bar, made a wrong turn, and managed to high-center her car on a tall curb. All of we men got up as a group, walked to the car, lifted it off the curb and put it down where she could drive off. It was a fun act of camaraderie, and we all felt like we earned the right to finish our beers!

Also, running into a wonderful Swiss couple and a young Irish guy taking the less-traveled detour after leaving Villafranca del Bierzo, taking turns singing. As we walked through the mountains, the Swiss couple sang a Swiss folk song in perfect two-part harmony. The Irish guy sang a sad, lilting Irish ballad. I sang a funny song that I knew. It was a moment of sheer joy.

Singing----At one Municipal Albergue, after the communal supper, they ask each person to sing a song from their home country. Interesting that NONE of the Ozzies knew the words to, "Waltzing Matilda" and even more interesting was that the pilgrims from Wales all said there was no music in Wales so they could not sing. Also walked part way with a young cupule from Slovenia--the young woman had a voice that traveled for kilometers thru the valleys and mountains.

 

[sdhiker]

Took the turn under the arches of San Anton Monastery with nobody else on the road within view, and the outdoor bar on the right hand side was playing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. A perfect moment!

 

[wynrich]

So many things every day, really. Some that came to mind:

This March, walking between O Cebreiro and Fonfria, we passed some men building a wall and one man started dancing. Here is video I took complete with their music (it takes a minute to load): https://photos.app.goo.gl/XpSNFeKapHQy6fK7A

In 2017, on the Via Francigena, we got a kick out of this quintet of animals out to greet us, a dog, a donkey, a goat, a horse, and a goose:

 

[Judith P.]

All the animals that have approached me for pettings (mostly cats and a few dogs)

Ditto! I too loved meeting all the animals on the way. For some reason, that was the highlight of my camino.

 

[Hopeful Pilgrim]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

What made me smile was a Service Dog that had travelled with his owner from Brazil to walk from ,Porto to Santiago with his owner. He had his own seat on the plane!

 

[Elle Bieling]

This March, walking between O Cebreiro and Fonfria, we passed some men building a wall and one man started dancing. Here is video I took complete with their music (it takes a minute to load): https://photos.app.goo.gl/XpSNFeKapHQy6fK7A

Love the animals, but Love, Love the dance more!!

 

[Stumbledore]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

The geese who greet Frances Peregrino's at Esquiroz!

 

[ELHS220]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

The geese who greet Frances Peregrino's at Esquiroz!

In 2018,just beyond Arzua, I stopped at BAR PREGUNTOÑO for a bite to eat. It wasn't busy and, since I speak Spanish, I engaged the owner in some conversation. Part of it was my comments about how some pilgrims just seem to walk straight ahead, never looking left or right, never stopping to take any pictures or pausing to smell the roses, so to speak. I am the exact opposite. I took a few pictures of the bar and grounds - none of him - and off I went.

In 2019, almost a year later, I passed by again. I don't even think I remembered what he looked like. I went to the counter and ordered. He immediately said, "YOU WERE HERE LAST YEAR." And he proceeded to repeat the entire conversation that we had had. I nearly fell over from shock. How could he POSSIBLY remember me a year later when he sees hundreds, if not thousands, of people every day? So I had to get a photo (second pic).

Fast forward to 2022, three years later. Here I am again, back on the Francés. I walked up and said, "HOLA!" BINGO! SAME RECOGNITION and another photo (third pic).

This makes me smile.

 

[isnardj]

& that made me smile

 

[K_Lynn]

On my way to Carrion de Los Condes (I think lol) I stopped at a little bar that had chickens, ducks and geese running around their patio/sculpture garden. This beautiful pup is named Gato (cat)!

 

[Roland49]

In 2019, almost a year later, I passed by again. I don't even think I remembered what he looked like. I went to the counter and ordered. He immediately said, "YOU WERE HERE LAST YEAR." And he proceeded to repeat the entire conversation that we had had. I nearly fell over from shock. How could he POSSIBLY remember me a year later when

Me, too stopped there in July 2019, just as a big group of spanish cancer-survivors had been served.
But I don't think that he would remember me. To many changes in weight (less), hair (now almost grey) and attitude.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

FYI, I am so loving all of the contributions on this this thread. The stories and pictures are giving me lots of smiles, and that dance is priceless!

 

[David61]

Dog in boots made me smile. Saw him a few times over the course of a week, in his boots and bare-pawed.

 

[WalkingLester]

Walking out of Villafranca del Bierzo in 2018, I elected to walk the mountain route to Pradela. At the beginning of the climb there was a house on the right side of the path. Some dogs started barking from the backyard as I approached. Suddenly, a woman popped her head out of an upper story window. She told me that if the dogs bothered me I should just kick them, or maybe it was that I should throw a stone at them, possibly she said to do both! She chatted some more with me and then told me that she loved peregrinos and blew me kisses with both hands!
I walked through there a month later with my daughter and again in 2021 with a pilgrim friend. Each time the woman and the dogs greeted us

 

[Wicked]

On my first CF in 2013 with my recently graduated nurse granddaughter we would stop at the end of the day and our first thing was to order a cerveza (to replenish all the carbs we had used up)!. After about two weeks my granddaughter told me it was my turn to order the beers. Now, I did not speak any Spanish and she gave me a short lesson on what and how to ask for two beers. So, with a little bit of anxiety, I got to the table where I could get a beer and the gentleman behind the table looked at me and I nervously asked for two beers, please! "por favor, dos cer besos." He came around the table, took my face in his hands, kissed me on each side of my face and in perfect English said "you asked for two kisses". I was modified but we had a good laugh over it. Two years later I stopped there again and as I walked in he was coming out and said "Hello, Wanda". I couldn't believe that he had remembered me!

 

[Bradypus]

In a village near Burgos. Quite a surprise!

 

[MesaWalker]

On my first CF in 2013 with my recently graduated nurse granddaughter we would stop at the end of the day and our first thing was to order a cerveza (to replenish all the carbs we had used up)!. After about two weeks my granddaughter told me it was my turn to order the beers. Now, I did not speak any Spanish and she gave me a short lesson on what and how to ask for two beers. So, with a little bit of anxiety, I got to the table where I could get a beer and the gentleman behind the table looked at me and I nervously asked for two beers, please! "por favor, dos cer besos." He came around the table, took my face in his hands, kissed me on each side of my face and in perfect English said "you asked for two kisses". I was modified but we had a good laugh over it. Two years later I stopped there again and as I walked in he was coming out and said "Hello, Wanda". I couldn't believe that he had remembered me!

What a wonderful story. It reminds me of when my wife and I were walking the CF last fall, and I got on the phone with the owner of a pension to make a reservation in my dreadful Spanish. I asked if he had "una habitación para mi esposa y ti." He laughed and told me he was already happily married but could find a room for the two of us!

 

[Oldstah]

A little way past Los Arcos today, being greeted by heavy inbound traffic.

 

[wanda]

Saw this precious baby on the Via de laPlata last May. How could you not smile

 

[WalkingJane]

One day I had to go behind a bush to relieve myself (yes I brought out my tissue in a baggy). A local woman in her apron was passing on the path and gave me a huge grin, obviously knowing there was only one reason for me to have been back there.. A shared female moment.

 

[BarbaraW]

I was walking alone from Fillobal to Samos. It was my birthday. At the tiny hamlet of Renche I stopped at La Cantina, and ordered my mid-morning zumo. While waiting, I turned on my phone and found that my three grand-daughters had sent me a video of themselves singing Happy Birthday. The lady at the bar heard this and asked me how old I was. When my zumo arrived it came with a cake complete with the right candles, which I blew out with due ceremony. She then searched for recordings on her phone and I enjoyed my birthday treat to the sound of several more versions of the song. I don't know which of us was more delighted by the encounter, and I'm just sorry that there was no-one else in the bar to share the smiles.
If you're passing that way do drop in - you may even see the thank you card I sent her when I got home.

 

[Ultreia et Suseia!]

A lovely hospitalera in O Porriño gave all pilgrims staying at her property (O Corzon) native oak seedlings ready to be planted along our paths in a reforestation effort. This happened after breakfast the day we continued on our camino.

I used the app what3words after I planted my seedling to obtain an exact location so I can visit my tree when I return

 

[Kanga]

In the albergue at Bodenaya having Dutch opera singer Wendy Roobo singing Panis Angelicus. Finding a mandarin within reach hanging over a wall on a hot day when I was nearly out of water. On a freezing cold wet and windy day, coming down the hill and seeing the albergue at La Mesa. Wild orchids in a meadow near Sanabria. The bill clattering of storks in a nest.

Oh, too too many!

 

[SioCamino]

Well i was just handed this little care package after paying for my coffee at Bar La Griega in Tineo just now and the gesture really made me smile

 

[Camino Chrissy]

It was my birthday.

On my first Camino starting out in April, my birthday came a few days later. A group of four Koreans were walking behind me and one of them came up to me from behind and offered me a wrapped piece of candy. I jokingly said "Thank you, how did you know it is my birthday today?" He laughed and fell back in line with his little group. A minute later they all sang the "Happy Birthday" song loudly in unison to me. It was a very special moment and definitely made me smile!

 

[CWBuff]

Crawling up the hill pre-San Juan de Ortega ... my blisters REALLY got the worst out of me by now (I got multiple ones on the balls of both of my feet and every step is pretty much an agony)... so I AM truly CRAWLING and just being miserable and grumpy
So I come to the top of the hill and there is that little food stand where the guy is also making all the chairs and tables from fallen tree stumps and paints them...
I ask him how much further to San Juan and he replies 5KM at which point I'm sort of beyond anything rational (OMG ... What the.... that means I just did 7KM in 3.5 hours.... wont get too far with that speed....)
He looks at me and says - Why are you so unhappy? and I just snarled back something about these stupid blisters...
so he says - And where are you from? I say Pennsylvania and without missing a beat he goes Ah YES DRACULA Country!
I just cracked up and was laughing so hard!!!! He goes - see I made you smile so all is not that bad
I did buy some stuff from him and took my time having a nice break....
Shortly thereafter when other Pilgrims moved on he told me a little about himself and how he ditched the city life and came to live in the mountains which he loves.... Right after I was ready to get on my Way he also quipped - Senor You are in Spain and in Spain we do everything with a smile!
Dont know why.... but I went down that hill with no pain and the rest of the day was quite pleasant...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, the Spanish people are wonderful and that makes me feel a bit guilty because what came to mind when I started reading this thread was the smile I got from some animals.

Pre-camino I loved all those pictures of walking amongst the cows. A month and a half in and I had hardy seen any, nevermind any walking freely on the road. Then somewhere near the border with Galicia a small herd came down the road to walk around me. That's enough for a smile but better was the dog in the rear that was supposed to be herding the cows. It was ignoring some behind it that were doing their own thing but was walking down the center of the road yap, yap, yapping away next to a cow finishing a snack. I felt that it wasn't herding so much as having a walk and a conversation with an old friend.

 

[Theresa Brandon]

Being escorted through tiny villages by local dogs, who would lead us to the edge of town and then turn around to go back home. And meeting Gucci, this happy little dog, partially paralyzed. After I took her photo, her owner handed me her leash and headed into the local bar/cafe, then joined my travel companion and I for a lovely, long, friendly chat.

 

[MarkN]

I walk with an old phone without a Sim card, just as a camera and GPS and email (when I choose to connect to WiFi).
What makes me smile are the random moments that I realize my phone hasn't rung or beeped.
I probably look silly smiling at apparently nothing, but the silence and ability to be more aware of the experience brings a smile on my face.

 

[dklocke]

The earthy sweet smell of a tempranillo grape vineyard on a warm sunny day.

 

[DJwalKing]

There were SO many things! Like the amazing wildflowers - especially the poppies and cornflowers. (I walked May/June 2016)
But two things came to mind right away.
1) I was walking out of Atapuerca, up a steep hill to a plateau. On the plateau was a bunch of rocks that didn't look random. I had to go investigate. Turned out to be a labyrinth, and I felt compelled to walk it. I kept thinking how funny it was to take a detour from my daily walking to...walk. (Did anyone else see/walk that labyrinth?)
2) The second thing was a pilgrim I came across in a small mountain village (can't remember the name) who had a donkey-drawn trolley and his dog hitched a ride on the donkey's back.

 

[DJwalKing]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

I loved reading the responses to this question. It brought back such sweet memories to think of how I would answer it. Thank you so much for posting it David!

 

[judy jackstadt]

Meeting my future wife. When I asked why she did not have a Shell on her pack, she replied. "A friend in Germany told me to NOT buy a shell as I would meet a man on the Camino who would be important in my life and he would give me a shell". Gave her a shell that I had picked up off the trail an hour previous and married her later.

This is the BEST story! Thank you for sharing.

 

[MartaM]

I love this question and the many different answers! For me, sitting on a stone wall by the sea in Vila Praia de Âncora watching herds of sheep and goats walk by on the path. Eating lunch outdoors in Vila Cha with locals who popped open their umbrellas and continued their meal in the rain.

 

[Larry E]

The sweet little woman handing out slices of cake and chatting with the pilgrims on the eastern outskirts of Ponferrada!

 

[WGroleau]

In a village near Burgos. Quite a surprise!

What village? I lived in Burgos for three months ad visited several nearby villages. I missed the dinosaur.

 

[WGroleau]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?

I was standing near el fuente de vino (Irache). A woman said to me in Spanish, "I heard it wasn't working. Do you know anything about that?" I pointed to the bilingual sign saying there are only a hundred liters a day, said that to her, and said "Maybe they ran out." She turned around and told a bunch of people in English, "This nice fellow explained to me that …" The group then took a bunch of pictures, jumped back in a van, and drove away. What made me smile was the irony: lettered on the van was "The best way to see the world is on foot." (emphasis mine).

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I was walking out of Atapuerca, up a steep hill to a plateau. On the plateau was a bunch of rocks that didn't look random. I had to go investigate. Turned out to be a labyrinth, and I felt compelled to walk it. I kept thinking how funny it was to take a detour from my daily walking to...walk. (Did anyone else see/walk that labyrinth?)

Yes, here is my photo, but we cheated and walked a straight line to the center.

 

[Sunny_keeps_going]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

I was very exhausted on the way to Burgos. I sat down on the ground. A dog came to greet me and sniff me. Also, an old man was asking if I was okay. I said I am okay but very tired. He told me to rest, walk, rest and walk (presumably in my poor spanish). I was often encouraged by locals especially senior citiziens who said, buen camino.

 

[LALivingston]

So what small thing made you smile on Camino?
For me I entered a small unattended chapel somewhere I cannot recall to get a stamp and they had Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J S Bach playing, my favourite piece of classical music. I am musically illiterate but it sounded as if played on small bells and a harp. Made my day. For those who do not know it listen to Lady Lynda by the Beach boys, it is the intro music.

This morning at 7:45 am, as we walked out of Santander, a bus driver leaned out the window and shouted, “Buen Camino! Better get a move on! You’re losing the night!” A pilgrim behind us translated for us.

 

[yesshesaid]

Walking the streets of Astorga on a Sunday afternoon, there was a distinguished Spanish gentleman in a suit with a duck on a leash

 

[Anamiri]

Walking the streets of Astorga on a Sunday afternoon, there was a distinguished Spanish gentleman in a suit with a duck on a leash

I wonder if thats the same guy we saw with a rabbit on a lead in Astorga

 

[jazzhorse]

Watching my companion try, in vain, to coax a "Hello" out of a caged parrot in a backyard next to the CP...then trying again with a different parrot in a different backyard two days later. As we walked away we heard a deep "¡Hola!" The look on my companion's face as she realized the parrot didn't speak English was priceless and still makes me smile!

 

[Kanga]

Watching a cow being herded into a field, turn around and gallop back up the path, chased by owner waving a stick and shouting at it. Cow was very determined to get to the windfall apples. In the end we were all laughing, including the owner.

 

[David61]

I loved reading the responses to this question. It brought back such sweet memories to think of how I would answer it. Thank you so much for posting it David!

Thank you DJ. It just crossed my mind in the early hours of another sleepless night.

 

[John Holland]

There are so many, mainly in France walking from Trier on the German border across to Spain, but also in Spain particularly on the Norte:
1. The French woman in a farm house who seeing the two of us stop under a tree, brought out fresh coffee and fruit.
2. The German woman seeing two of us walking past, jumped in her car to catch up with us to ensure we were on the correct path.
3. Near Dijon, the motorist who stopped us to make sure we new about a statue of St James as well as where we could stay in the Presbytere.
4. David at Bodenaya who picked up one of little group who was sick and cared for her until the rest of us arrived by foot in pouring rain.
5. The three American hospitaleros in France (all opera singers) who put on a little opera for us at the albergue immediately after dinner and then opened the church and sang to the rafters.
6. On the Norte, a pilgrim passed me very quickly with a click clack of his sticks on the asphalt road only for half an hour later to come walking back towards me even faster and being chased by a tractor until he found a spot to climb up on the fence and let the tractor past. The road was that narrow. I also climbed up the fence and as the farmer went past he was laughing his head off and gave me the thumbs up.
After doing numerous caminos, there are so many more delightful and funny moments which have brought a smile.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Watching my companion try, in vain, to coax a "Hello" out of a caged parrot in a backyard next to the CP...

Reminds me of the climb up the hill in Zabaldika where Peg, accustomed to cuckoo clocks but not cuckoos, was counting the bird's calls to figure out the time. I had a smile then too.

 

[MikeyC]

We had arrived in Espinosa late afternoon. Found ourselves the only pilgrims in an albergue. Over our communal dinner we discovered the owner cum hospitalero was ex Spanish military, parachute regiment. We got on well as I am from a military family and after the meal we were ushered into his private part of the building to see his collection of militaria.
The next morning at exactly 0700 we were awoken by the hospitalero playing reveille on a trumpet followed by opera coming through the speakers. Not to everyone's taste but something I always recall with a smile.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

A momma cow screaming (mooing) for her calf... a little later a little cow comes running across the pasture... their reconnecting was epic.

 

[Canche]

All the animals that have approached me for pettings (mostly cats and a few dogs)

Love the Camino cats

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I have another one. Ok, this one is special (for me). So last time out I met this musician, and we wrote this song. Played on the cliffs of Finnesterre at sunset. Memories Stay.
View attachment small.mov

 

[WGroleau]

In one large albergue, the rules said "be out by eight AM." At 07:57, the staff turned out the lights—not blinked, just off. Someone then said, "You think these pilgrims are going to find their shoes and mochilas faster in the dark?"

 

[Damico Walking]

This dog adopted us for the day. He followed us through a couple of towns then headed home. He was an unexpected traveling companion that just made me smile. And a little sad when he headed home.

 

[Sr Don Dinero]

Meeting my future wife. When I asked why she did not have a Shell on her pack, she replied. "A friend in Germany told me to NOT buy a shell as I would meet a man on the Camino who would be important in my life and he would give me a shell". Gave her a shell that I had picked up off the trail an hour previous and married her later.

Awesome! My favorite in this thread so far.

 

[Trekker One]

Not sure who looked more blissful in this picture, the donkey or my wife! From our 2018 Primitivo walk.

 

[LALivingston]

So many things on the del Norte made me smile. Here are three: always the cats and friendly dogs that greeted us; the clay-pot people that festooned windows and gardens and steps, and lastly, a place name that made me giggle.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Not sure who looked more blissful in this picture, the donkey or my wife! From our 2018 Primitivo walk.
View attachment 139813

I too, fell in love with donkeys on my Caminos; they are so darn cute and I have many pictures.

 

[WalkingLester]

On the Norte in Galicia, made be break out into a big smile

 

[MesaWalker]

I laughed at this - the bandaids on the toes of the statue of San Roque as a pilgrim at the Alto de San Roque just west of O Cebreiro on the Camino Francés.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This one made me smile.

 

[LALivingston]

On the Norte in Galicia, made be break out into a big smile
View attachment 139819

Yes! Love finding these little treasures all along the del Norte!