Angels everywhere

No matter where I travel, or what happens, I'm not alone. There are angels everywhere.

I've been very aware, throughout the pilgrimage, of the many people who just seemed to pop up at the perfect moment to help. Last night, after saying farewell to Rocinante, I was left stranded on an industrial estate 5 miles from the hotel with all my luggage and an awkwardly ungainly motorcycle top-box. I tried calling for a taxi, but this isn't a tourist area so few people speak English: I couldn't make myself understood. In the end, I just started walking.

In the heat, with the box and gear, it was slow going. After about an hour I'd only covered 2km and was getting tired. But I'd gone from the industrial area into a small village, and found a cafe bar ('La Scarramuchi'). I went in to see if they'd call a taxi for me.

Andrea, the owner, gave me an ice cold coke (I must have looked very forlorn!) and tried to get a taxi. It took me a while to explain that's what I needed, since his English was as non-existent as my italian, but he was very patient. There wasn't a taxi available. So he grabbed his keys, bundled me into his car, and whisked me across town to the hotel. I offered him money - for the coke, at least! - but he wasn't having any of that. Big grin and waving hands. No, no money. Just kindness.

After dropping everything in my room I stumbled over to the nearby supermarket to get water and some fruit. There was a problem at the checkout; again, lots of Italian and gestures and waving, till I finally understood I was supposed to have weighed and labelled my banana. I was tired and the shop was closing, so I just skipped the banana - at which point the shopper behind, who had properly weighed and labelled her fruit, peeled off a banana from her bunch and handed it to me. Again, big smile. No payment. No problem. Just a gift to a stranger.

The image is a woodcut I saw a few days ago; St Christopher, who carried a heavy burden across a river only to discover it was actually Christ travelling with him. Read the whole (probably mythical) story.

///foam.creates.rationalism