Today I did the Thing
Well…today I did the thing. I walked to the place. I really took my time today. I slept until 7 and didn’t start walking until 8. I felt like I was maybe waiting for everyone else to leave? It was supposed to rain, so I packed everything a little more carefully.
I began walking, alone today. I had my headphones on. I didn’t want to wish everyone I passed a ‘Buen Camino’ – I wanted to pretend they all weren’t there. I focused on my walk. Using my stick to take the weight off my leg. It stayed cool and cloudy and I just walked. For 3 hours I just walked. Then it started to rain. I happened to be right by a cafe and ducked in…I needed to keep my ‘not getting rained on’ streak going! I had a coffee, chilled out, looked at emails. The coast looked clear… Then when I started walking I realized it was only a momentary break, and I ducked into the cafe across the street. I had another coffee. I chilled out.
I’m not in a rush today.
After two hours of coffee, the rain finally quit. I started walking again… Still dry! The afternoon stayed cloudy and cool. Perfect walking water. More hours, I just walked on. The path was mostly forest, interspersed with bouts along a road.
By mid afternoon I reached the Monto del Gonzo – the place where you get your first view of the city. There’s an old, massive Albergue there (500 beds)… Picture army barracks. It was weirdly deserted… Kind of creepy honestly. I had a snack at the monument. 5km to go.
As I approached the city, I honestly didn’t feel like I was approaching an ‘end’. I have my eye on the coast as the true end of my Camino. I went to the Cathedral today, and that technically means I finished! It counts! I took my picture. Tomorrow I’ll keep walking though. Maybe when my toes are in the ocean, it will feel like the end?