Here in Belorado tonight ... a shorter 25km today was most welcome after my screaming IT bands kept me in bed resting most of yesterday afternoon at a beautiful monestery in Santo Domingo de la Cazalda ... feeling much better today after a great nights rest on a firm matress with only others (none of us snorers) in our simple room. The tranquillity of the place lost something however when the nun came in to the kitchen at 7:43am this morning and promptly kicked us out, breakfast in hand! I politely asked " Puedo comer mi desayuno?" (may I eat my breakfast?) and she flatly replied " No! Vamos! Rapido rapido!!!" Yikes! don´t mess with the nuns...At lease we weren´t still sleeping like the spanish couple in our room who literally had to go and shower in the other albergue down the street...
But, I digress...
So, the story of the walnut...
This for me, really encapsulated the idea (well, stereotypes I suppose) of international ingenuity...
A few nights ago in Estella, a bunch of us had prepared a beautiful meal and were sitting contented around the table telling stories about the day when Turloch, an irishman brought out some walnuts in the shell to share with dessert. We looked around for a nutcracker, but, to no avail... So Turloch said, no worries, we just use them to crack each other... so he put two in his hand, covered one with the other and then squeezed down tightly, face reddening under the strain... nothing. Across the table, Naomichi (Japanese) takes a nut, puts it on the floor and starts hammering it with a pot ... peels of laughter erupt... but no success...
All this time a German man at the end of the table has been watching us quietly, saying nothing. He quietly came over, took a nut from Turloch and under only a slight bit of strain was able to open the walnut with a simple knife technique, whereby the knife is inserted into the seam of the nut and it cracked open into several pieces. Now ( the japanese) lets out an "ahhhhhhhhhhh" and immediately flips open his swiss army knife and effortlessly begins popping open walnuts with a clean seam, splitting each one perfectly in two!
Turloch says ... " and this is why the Germans and the Japanese make the cars and the Irish don´t!!"
Author´s note: the Canadians and the Americans at the table during this display of genius sat by with encouraging words and in the end, ate the most walnuts...
But, I digress...
So, the story of the walnut...
This for me, really encapsulated the idea (well, stereotypes I suppose) of international ingenuity...
A few nights ago in Estella, a bunch of us had prepared a beautiful meal and were sitting contented around the table telling stories about the day when Turloch, an irishman brought out some walnuts in the shell to share with dessert. We looked around for a nutcracker, but, to no avail... So Turloch said, no worries, we just use them to crack each other... so he put two in his hand, covered one with the other and then squeezed down tightly, face reddening under the strain... nothing. Across the table, Naomichi (Japanese) takes a nut, puts it on the floor and starts hammering it with a pot ... peels of laughter erupt... but no success...
All this time a German man at the end of the table has been watching us quietly, saying nothing. He quietly came over, took a nut from Turloch and under only a slight bit of strain was able to open the walnut with a simple knife technique, whereby the knife is inserted into the seam of the nut and it cracked open into several pieces. Now ( the japanese) lets out an "ahhhhhhhhhhh" and immediately flips open his swiss army knife and effortlessly begins popping open walnuts with a clean seam, splitting each one perfectly in two!
Turloch says ... " and this is why the Germans and the Japanese make the cars and the Irish don´t!!"
Author´s note: the Canadians and the Americans at the table during this display of genius sat by with encouraging words and in the end, ate the most walnuts...
Well, tomorrow is to be a tough day (so says Mata ... a 60 something man from Japan who most people call Fujimori because he looks like the former President of Peru!) so, I´ll go now to enbalm the legs for another beautiful day of walking.
(Oh - but first, this computer actually possesses the capability for downloading photos, so I´ll try to do some ... Vince?? :) Most computers don´t allow for this... likely afraid of viruses...)
Buen Camino,
A.
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