Russell

Dinner at the O Logoso albergue & restaurant was very good value., and the music added a good atmosphere.
The guy playing guitar is Russell. He's from England, and the author of many written messages pilgrims could see on the way to Santiago.
I saw the messages but didn't stop to read (a bit long to read just at a glance), 1) because on my last 20k to Santiago I was keeping a good rhythm and didn't want to stop, and 2) because at a quick glance I saw words that sounded negative, and since I didn't know who wrote and why, I chose to ignore.

On my walk to A Pena yesterday, one of the times I caught up with Jan, he was sitting on the side of the track chatting with Russell. I'm sure the thing that started the conversation was the guitar. I stopped for 2 minutes and had a few words, but didn't want to sit down as I wanted to get to the albergue and rest there. In those 2 minutes I heard that Russell has been on the Camino for 3 years, sleeping in a hammock. He thought he would not be able to go back to 'normal life'. I said, life could be anything he wanted, and if living like that worked for him, that was ok. But he said he wasn't sure he could sustain that either and didn't know what to do.
At the time I wished I could stay and learn more, but it was getting late for me and I kept going.

I was surprised to see him again at O Logoso. I heard a bit more of his story: he turned 58 just 2 days ago and sounded heartbroken and possibly depressed. He said he had a girlfriend and he had to end the relationship last year because she was very jealous and he couldn't deal with that, but he still loves her. That gives background to one of the written messages, which Pablo saw and remembered: "there are many dangerous drugs in the world, and the worst one is love".

I liked Russell's style with the guitar. He played songs I like a lot, but only fragments. He didn't play a single song whole. He also repeated himself a lot when talking. It's obvious to me that he has mental health issues. Despite the depressing undertones, he's kind to the people he meets. I hope he finds what he needs.Read more