I went to bed not knowing what was happening with Susan & Leah, flight connections, would they come, etc. it made for a fitful nights sleep.
If nothing else, the Camino provides a routine that you can count on and I relied on it today as we got up at 5:00 and took off from Palas de Rei and headed for Arzua.
The regulars were up and out early, the Mexican’s, the German lady, and a pack of Italians. Paul, Becky and I joined them as we headed into the dark, headlights leading the way. And of course, a climb and descent first thing.
Hoping Susan found a flight occupied a fair amount of my morning, we came into an Albergue that had WiFi, hoping for some news, the good news arrived in the form of an Expedia confirmation which definitely lifted my spirits.
I wrote earlier about the Camino Effect which causes people to laugh for no reason at all, this happened to me on day 2 or 3 which seems so long ago.
The flip lip side is that it also causes people to cry, sometimes uncontrollably. The news that Susan may not be able to meet me caused me to well up and even relating it later had the same effect. For the last 10 days, seeing her had become my focus. It got me through some very tough and painful days.
With my spirits lifted, a miserable, long and hot day got better. The entire Way today was a constant roller coaster of ups and downs and the heat was relentless punctuated with hordes of Pilgrims.
I’ve commented before about how draining entering and exiting cities can be, the 32k slog into Arzua was no different. Too many Pilgrims on booked tours made finding accommodations difficult and we were about 2/3 of the way in before we arrived at ours.
Our Albergue, The Way, was truly worth the walk. It was new construction which included A/C, the first time I’ve had a cool room since the first 3 days when it was in the 30’s and 40’s. No bunk beds, power plugs and higher speed internet, something for everyone.
We’ve been thinking about it, the end of our Camino. What it’s meant to each of us, what we’ll take away from it, the people we’ve met.
Many of us met for dinner, others passed by and stopped to chat. It was a joyful 2 hours topped off with Gelato with Carol and Latina, the Kiwis.
Back in our climate controlled room, knowing that Susan and Leah will be in Spain shortly after I start walking for my next to last day makes me think this will be a great nights sleep, one of few over the last many weeks. The picture pretty much illustrates my mood change.