The Latin certificate

Along the way pilgrims are supposed to get their pilgrim passport stamped to prove they’ve actually done what they claim to have done.  I’ve filled up three passports cycling through England, France and Spain.

I went along to the pilgrim office. It’s like queuing up at the post office and someone asks lots of relevant questions like:

• “Where did you start?"
• “What’s the reason for your Camino?"

Then they give you a Latin certificate with your name on and date and send you on your way.  Except I had a girl who clearly didn’t care much.  Wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in my adventure or the stamps from the bishops and the prime minister, spelled my name wrong and failed to smile.  So I stopped her right there and said let’s begin again.

Give me a warm smile, congratulate me, write in the distance travelled and spell my name correctly and kindly write it neatly like it’s important…  Because it is.  If you want the distance travelled, you have to pay three euros.  Honestly, you couldn’t make this up!  And if you want a tube to put it in that’s another two euros.  So here’s my certificate in Latin that says: “You must be nuts to have Cycled all this way!"