And now it's off to Najera about 13 miles away. I will be entering the La Rioja region. The natural pathways will be covered in Rich red clay. Good for walking if it's dry ...a nightmare if wet as it clings to the Limos like a leech.
I slept well last night. I was just worn out. Up early and gone by 8:30. I look outside and the ground is wet, it's been raining. With that I pack and put on my rain jacket and cover the backpack in its waterproof cover. The jacket will make it warm but I will just play it by ear. I am only about a mile into the day's walk and I can see ahead that the weather is clear so I stop for a wardrobe change. It's stays good all the way to Nijera.
I warned you about what happens when I walk alone for long stretches so here is one. When I had breakfast yesterday with Rainer he was telling me how he would like to walk the Camino for a fourth time but his back problem won't let that happen. He asks me if I will do it again for a third time? It's an odd question given the fact that I'm only 100 miles into the second Camino and I'm already worried about issues which could keep me from not completing this one. I simply say "I don't think so". I did not say never. That is what triggers the following.
When I returned from the first Camino I know I was asked that question many times and I often answered "never". Never is a strange word. I thought it got me fired once when I was at Merrill Lynch.
I had been offered a position with the firm to bring a new fixed income idea to the brokers. My job was to fly to any branch anywhere in the country that would let me come and make a presentation on the idea. I was pretty good at it and as a result I was invited to a Managers retreat and given a spot on their agenda. There were about fifty of the most influential managers in the Company so this was a big deal for me or it could be the end of me as well.
I had put together a presentation which I had down cold and it worked. A little humor and a few sales ideas and I was good to go. Well I guess I did okay only because at the end of my presentation I was invited by several managers to come to their branches and give the same presentation to their brokers. One of those who invited me was the manager of the largest and most productive office in the firm. It was the branch in the Company's home office, One Liberty Plaza, NYC.
The manager invited me and made sure that I would give the exact presentation to his people. I assured him that I would. By the way it was the only presentation I had. What the manager did not know was that my office was in the very same building. Actually I had a desk in the hallway on the 23rd floor. The fact that be did not know me from Adam was not a concern to me. This could one open doors all over the country if he approved of what I did in his branch.
So, there I am in my one blue suit and muted blue tie and the manager introduces me to the audience of about 100 brokers in the auditorium of OLP. This is the big time. As I get set to start there is a bit of a disturbance in the rear of the room. It's Don Regan the Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch and he has decided to sit in!
You will soon understand how this all is connected to "never". Patience please. The product I was responsible for was only recently approved to be offered by the firm. It was being offered by our arch rival EF Hutton very effectively. This is how I started my presentation, the one I guaranteed to the manager would be the same as the one he saw.
I introduced myself and then asked a question. Was everyone aware of the success that EFHutton was having with this idea? Of course they all did and many just shook their heads. My next question was ...did anyone here happen to read the Wall Sreet Journal's interview with our Chairman Don Regan six months ago? You know the one when he was asked by the journal if Merrill Lynch would ever offer similar products? I'm sure then you will recall that our Chairman responded with this "NEVER".
My next comment was ... So to start today we have learned two things ... The first is that we are offering these products and we have also learned that at Merrill Lynch "NEVER" is at least six months! I got a good laugh but I did not dare look in his direction to see what his reaction was.
He left about half way through my presentation and I thought he was probably calling HR to get my exit papers in order. When I finished the branch manager thought it was hilarious that the Chairman was there and that I did not alter my presentation. In the end it all went well when I got a call from one of his assistants telling me that he wanted me to make the same presentation to all of the largest twenty five branches in the firm. I also got an office!
So now fast forward to today. I'm here after saying twenty four months ago that I would "never" walk the Camino again and here I am. So just like before we learned a couple of things ...yes I am doing it again and "never" with me is at least 24 months. Sorry about that I just had to write it.
My walk today was very fast. I arrived in about four hours including a couple of short breaks. It was a short walk without any elevation challenges and very few Spanish Potstoes. The vast majority of the trail today was through the Rioja wine region. When I was not walking through a vineyard I was on a flat paved surface. Not much to see, not much to photograph but I'm not complaing. The Limos and the passengers appreciated an easier day. It was by far the easiest.
Tomorrow we get back on the horse and walk to Santo Domingo a beautiful little village with an incredible Church, also know as the Church of the Two Chickens. Good night and Buen Camino.
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