Abroad Thoughts From Home

Back Home after 3 months,nice to sleep in my own bed after sleeping in about 80 others spread through 2 countries,mind you it was strangely difficult to sleep without the lullaby of snoring to lull me to sleep.Mind you getting to my front door through the overgrown garden and then to climb over the pile of bills in the hall was a wake up call. now as I slowly bring the garden up to shape and even more slowly work my way through the overdue bills I have time to reflect on what I managed to do 1000mls-1800km and a lot of that with a crocked knee I realise hey I'm pretty strong not only that but also the realisation that most of the people I walked with also came to realise that they too had a mental strengh they didn't know they had,to share that experience with people from all over the world was a heady thing, one I will never forget.anyone who has walked the Camino knows what I'm talking about, so I raise my glass to all that walked with me and all those still to walk it and share these 2 video's

I,ve Seen Fire and I,ve Seen Rain

So here I sit in Santiago only the second day in 10 weeks I don,t walk tomorrow I fly home,thats if I can get my Ryan air ticket printed off,Last Sunday I caught the bus to Finnisterre met up with lots of people not seen for days and some not for weeks it was great to see everybody again,with over a week to kill nothing left to do but walk hey thats what I do.
 So walked the 30 k to Muxia (just like that) nice walk and the sun came out,then the bus to Ferrol and walked the full lengh of the English way,something I failed by 25k when last walked with Rosie,only problem was it rained like it can only rain in Galicia,every day but the last one when in a fit of madness walked the full 40k from Bruma to Santiago,only 5 people on the way,met up with in Neda and walked with 4 of them to Bruma and with a young couple from the Czeck republic into Santiago,this time I saw the city in a different light a quite more peace full town,all the Pilgrims tucked up for the night as we walked around at midnight,one of the benefits of staying in a backpacking hostel,so know its Sunday and nothing to do but chill and try and get some things washed and dried,so as not to continue the Tom Hanks film theme,and have people think I was moving into the Airport,
So nearly the end of what has been a great walk bring on the next adventure.

Just Sitting Watching The River Flow

This morning with just 40km left to go I sat by a river with my feet in the water and reflected on what had gone before and what lay ahead and felt good,but all things must pass and tonight with just 15km left to Santiago I am keen to finish and go home,thoughts of home (unpaid bills to pay ect) and the future intrude,as yet I had given little thought to when or even how I was to get home,now it seems flights are too expensive as are the trains so its looking like the bus,I believe I can get one to Paris ( I love it in the springtime) if not please look out for the bearded one hitching a lift.I have been so blessed on this epic walk what with the people I have met and the sights I have seen for example 2 reasent memories,weeks back I met an elderly lady from Germany the image of Audry Hepburn in her later years big sun hat included,she was nervous of what lay ahead,in the hills of Leon she sped past full of joy and pride in what she had acieved, I met up with her again in the bar last night she was being dined by a tall dark stranger we raised our glasses and smiled,she looked 20 years younger,and 2 nights ago when the whole bar linked arms and in 10 different languises (can,t spell) sang "for old langsyne" happy days.
     So tomorrow Santiago for one maybe two nights and then home before a much looked forward visit to Berlin.
 a famous English Sportsman once said after winning his 3rd gold for rowing that if he was ever seen in a boat again we should shoot him,he went on to win more golds,I feel the same about walking,but already have started to think about the coast to coast in England!!!

ALMOST THERE

T

The Walking Man

Just arrived in Villafranca with O Cebreiro to climb tomorrow or maybe the day after.
 can,t believe my knee is holding up, each night ice is applied and I keep going. It seems I have no choice I have been walking so long my legs seem to have a life of there own,I step out the door and off they go,as anyone who has walked the Camino knows that its hard to leave, because the Camino is the people on it,the ones you walk with eat with sing songs and drink wine with,no need for me to travel the World its right here walking this road to Santiago with me.My tan gets deeper and my beard gets longer and I am in a good place. (davidwho sang the blog title song?)

The Real Camino

Just outside Sahagun the way divides in two,one is the Camino Real a 2m wide gravel path to Mansilla 27km long.
The alternative is the Calzada de los Peregrinos a mainly Roman road higher and longer at 31, that road was ment for you and me.
 I walked with Phil a man from Alberta Canada with an accent stright from the film "FARGO" we had the place to ourselves and truly felt the history and the vastness of the Meseta,for the first time I listned to music on phils mp3 while he went in search of Roman relics,I danced down the road to Van Morrison, my walkingstick as been lots of uses to me, today to the sound of "Baby Please Don,t Go" it became my air guitar and boy did I play it.
  so much fun was being had we decided to make a day of it and sleep out the night,a break for lunch then a nap under the trees where I took the lead part in the remake of the film "A Bugs Life" stocked up with food and wine and walked till 8pm a distance of 34k from Sahagun, made our beds beside a quite railway track watched the sun go down lay back and then watched the best star show I have ever seen interupted only by the quite railway track now turning into the main freight line into Leon, each train sounding like it was going right over us.
But nothing was going to spoil the show not even the forgotten fact that the Meseta is high and gets cold at night!!!.
 We woke with the dawn and walked like true Pilgrims into Mansilla drank coffee and hopped like sheep onto a bus into Leon.
 20k down the road finds me in one of my favorate Albergues the de Jesus in Villar Mazarife a welcome relief after the restrictions of Leon.
Thoughts of home intrude and new plans are made daily only to be changed by what the Camino brings,I may have not got what I want but as always the Camino brings you what you need.
Today the boots that have help me walked 2 Camino,s where left by the side of the road if you ever pass them please say Hi