Yup, it's nearly all over.
I spent the 29th resting in Muxía, at the really rather fun Albergue Dolphin - a Hungarian run Albergue that was nicely relaxed and informal, allowing me as they did to check in at around 09:30 :0)
There were a few fellow pilgrims there, also resting, and opportunities to swap stories and 'compare notes' over the various routes and options taken during the walking.
Overall though I've finished the walking and now have a few days R&R as we make our way slowly back to France.
The morning of the 30th I caught the early bus to Santiago (losing one of my water bottles in the luggage hold of the bus! Must go up to the bus station and see if they have a lost property office) and arrived in Santiago around 09:00. After wandering the streets for a couple of hours I went and checked into the Parador, right next to the cathedral. Nice :0) I could tell that this was going to be an arduous couple of days ;0)
Apart from the utter bliss of sleeping completely free of all those little things one tries to learn to ignore while in dormitories (there's no need for me to itemise them I'm sure), my time has been spent catching up with my good friends while revisiting parts of the cathedral and generally taking things easy. In fact these few days in luxury are proving to be valuable in allowing me to fully rest. While I have felt and still feel so very fit throughout my days on the camino, I also seem to have discovered some deeper level of tiredness (one might call it exhaustion) that has manifested itself in a desire to snooze in the afternoons - most unlike me!
Tomorrow (1st Nov) we're stopping in Santillana at another Parador :0) After that it's the train home from Pau and I should be back indoors chez moi some time on Friday - two months to the day since I left.
I will take time to reflect on the whole experience. In some respects one is rather too bound up in the walking and its associated activities to form any broader vision of the journey, but I know that with the huge number of photos I've taken and my blog as a form of diary, I will sort through the days and weeks and enjoy the many memories of the people and places I've seen.
And at this point it feels like the right time to stop posting. I don't think there's any more needs to be said. It only remains for me to give thanks to all the lovely people I've met since I left home, every one of whom has shown nothing but kindness, support and generosity. I'm looking forward to sharing with the rest of you - my friends - once I get back to the Tarn :0)
I spent the 29th resting in Muxía, at the really rather fun Albergue Dolphin - a Hungarian run Albergue that was nicely relaxed and informal, allowing me as they did to check in at around 09:30 :0)
There were a few fellow pilgrims there, also resting, and opportunities to swap stories and 'compare notes' over the various routes and options taken during the walking.
Overall though I've finished the walking and now have a few days R&R as we make our way slowly back to France.
The morning of the 30th I caught the early bus to Santiago (losing one of my water bottles in the luggage hold of the bus! Must go up to the bus station and see if they have a lost property office) and arrived in Santiago around 09:00. After wandering the streets for a couple of hours I went and checked into the Parador, right next to the cathedral. Nice :0) I could tell that this was going to be an arduous couple of days ;0)
Apart from the utter bliss of sleeping completely free of all those little things one tries to learn to ignore while in dormitories (there's no need for me to itemise them I'm sure), my time has been spent catching up with my good friends while revisiting parts of the cathedral and generally taking things easy. In fact these few days in luxury are proving to be valuable in allowing me to fully rest. While I have felt and still feel so very fit throughout my days on the camino, I also seem to have discovered some deeper level of tiredness (one might call it exhaustion) that has manifested itself in a desire to snooze in the afternoons - most unlike me!
Tomorrow (1st Nov) we're stopping in Santillana at another Parador :0) After that it's the train home from Pau and I should be back indoors chez moi some time on Friday - two months to the day since I left.
I will take time to reflect on the whole experience. In some respects one is rather too bound up in the walking and its associated activities to form any broader vision of the journey, but I know that with the huge number of photos I've taken and my blog as a form of diary, I will sort through the days and weeks and enjoy the many memories of the people and places I've seen.
And at this point it feels like the right time to stop posting. I don't think there's any more needs to be said. It only remains for me to give thanks to all the lovely people I've met since I left home, every one of whom has shown nothing but kindness, support and generosity. I'm looking forward to sharing with the rest of you - my friends - once I get back to the Tarn :0)
We have thoroughly enjoyed reading your Posts and following your progress on your journey. Amazing stuff!! We look forward to catching up in more detail when you get back to the Tarn. à bientôt!
ReplyDeleteHi Alan! You're an amazing person and an example of poise, courage, and desire to find what moves us, what fills our lives with feelings. It was a real pleasure and pride to meet you all and share trail days, shelter and experiences ... You already did it, enjoy it and rest, I hope you finally found in the road to Santiago what you were looking for, whatever it was.
ReplyDeleteI'll finish my North Road in the future, I hope to follow me on my blog (I also finally decided to make one). I wish you luck, good path in life and as the artists say in Spain: Mucha mierda! You have my email, so we'll be in touch ...
PS: I'm sorry I said before your path, I had a computer problem with the PC and I lost a lot of information, photos ... at last a disaster ... Basically, the only perfect machines are humans, my friend!