And so it was that Daniel – the hospitalero who had been quite gruffly against me staying in town at all that night – came to me shortly thereafter and told me that the staff would indeed be making an incredibly rare exception by allowing me to stay the night in the overflow hostel nearby (He even ended up paying the 8 Euro fee for my stay out of his own pocket to do so – a fee that covered that night’s dinner and the following morning’s breakfast as well!) … I then enjoyed a wonderful shower, made Daniel & Marie & Ria & Marisol (the boss-hospitalera who had tried the hardest to “stick to the rules” and keep me from staying there that night) all Peace Stones (which Ria received with not a few shed tears), and then headed to a jovial dinner with Stephane, Jean Marc & Co. before crossing a fog-enshrouded courtyard and turning in for the night.

“And so today we give our thanks most of all for the ideals of honor and generosity we have inherited from our forefathers – for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility which they possessed and which we must all seek every day to emulate. And even as we express said gratitude, we must ever remember that the highest appreciation of life & others is not to utter these mere words but rather to live them fully.” ~ via John F. Kennedy

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt