Evan Sings

You come to expect magic living on the Camino. The other evening, as Sharon and I strolled along the picturesque Espolon that runs through the center of Burgos along the Arlanzon river, a little of that magic splashed on us. We’d just returned from long day of flat shopping and our spirits were high, but blood sugar low. We’d decided to find a bite to eat somewhere along the Espolon or in the Centro Historico. The late evening sun was warm on our skin as we walked and we marveled at how many people had flocked to the Espolon to sample helado, jog the river path or share a meal at one of the local eateries.

As we turned off the Espolon, passed under the Arc de Santa Maria and into Plaza Rey San Fernando where the great Catedral de Burgos pierces the sky with its majestic spires, we encountered a most happy scene. There, in the middle of the grand plaza, was a table that looked to be as long as half a football field. Spread atop the table was a fabulous feast of tinto, cervezas and tapas. Around it sat 60-70 pilgrims, clanking their forks and clinking their glasses; their chatter and laughter ringing throughout the plaza.

Now, there are always pilgrims in Plaza De Rey San Fernando, but I’d not seen such a large, boisterous group before. As we passed by the near end of the table, I couldn’t help noticing one particular, salt-n-pepper haired man whose name I would soon learn to be Evan. He stood out among his pilgrim posse, laughter crinkling his clear blue eyes and flushing his cheeks apple red. It seemed his joy was a few degrees higher and laughter a few decibels louder than the rest of the table. Evan is quite possibly the happiest pilgrim I’ve met on the Camino. And, generally, pilgrims tend to be a very bunch.

As, we passed I could hear him regaling his table mates with a wild Camino story that seemed to hold them in a constant state of mirth. I could only walk a few paces before a cosmic curiosity began pulling me back toward the table. I mean, first of all, who can walk past a plaza full of mirthful pilgrims, right? And fate demanded I meet their crinkly blue-eyed leader with the infectious laugh.

Approaching the table, I tapped his shoulder, “It looks like you’re having a great time. How’d all you happy people get here all at once and end up at this table?” I inquired. He turned his flushed face upward and almost shouted, “Why…we’re pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago!”

Soon, Evan was whisking Sharon and I around the table at dizzying speed, introducing us to nearly everyone. He knew everyone’s name! “And this is Debra! This is her first time on the Camino. Over there is Aron. It’s his fourth time and he’s from Napa Valley, California!”.

Around the table we went. Chatting with Evan and his friends at that long, joyful table, I discovered that he is a singing pilgrim. Yes, Evan sings as he walks the Camino. “When he meets a fellow pilgrim he really likes“, his friends described, “He writes them a song and sings it to them.”

After making our way around the table, Evan finally sat back down to continue regaling his friends. We were just preparing to say our goodbyes and savor a beautiful memory, when another burst of Camino magic happened. Suddenly, Evan stopped, froze, and squinted his happy eyes at a figure walking toward us from across the plaza. My eyes followed his to see yet another pilgrim making her way wearily toward the group. Finally recognizing her, Evan yelped, jumped from his seat and galloped toward her; wrapping her into a fierce hug that lifted her so high in the air, her feet dangled above the plaza’s ancient stones.

Evan had met this latecomer on the Pyrenees days earlier. They’d walked together and formed a strong bond. But before Evan had the chance to write and sing his song for her, they’d gotten separated somehow. Against all odds, Evan wrote a song for his friend anyway, hoping their paths would cross again before he arrived in Santiago. And, here she was!

After a long embrace, Evan led her to the table, took her hands in his and sang the song he’d written for her somewhere east of Pamplona. It was a simple song. Not well sung. But one of the most beautiful performances I’ve ever heard. Sharon and I eventually found a place to eat and raise our blood sugar. But after meeting Evan and his happy posse of pilgrims, our bellies were full of joy and our souls full of the magic of the Camino, yet again.