A good night's sleep alone in the albergue and awake early, ready for the 23km into Santiago. I set off at 7.30. in the dark and aiming to have breakfast in the next town, 3km down the road. Yesterday's roadside walk was rather risky, lorries rushing past a metre away in places, so I go for the camino, which is well made up hereabouts . . . since Sarria it wants to be cycle and wheelchair friendly. The municipal albergues may be soulless, but they are accessible. Parts of the route less so, even where public works have made a concrete surface through small villages, farmers with their tractors have laid mud, laced with cowshit for authenticity. A good off-road wheelchair would cope with most of it, but any accessible route is only as good as its weakest point.
Cafe con leche grande comes with generous helpings of cake . . . other pilgrims are setting off . . . dawn is coming slowly and I set off again, through woods and villages . . . fall in with Julia and Matthias, who have walked from Austria and still holding hands. We share philosophy until the village before Santiago, where they are staying. They are seeking a community of like minded folks, God and Jesus, though not stridently so . . . we find love is enough for half an hour . . .
On the way in a pilgrim hails me: Antonio from Portugal, walking to Lourdes, looking for work. I share the food I just bought for the bus, give him some change for a coffee.
Later, a beggar asks for money so he can eat. I offer him food. No, money. Another one the same story. Living without money is an art; if you want money for food, accept the food. Harsh?
In Santiago, I see the signpost for the bus station, go there first, already thinking of getting out of Santiago . . . nice enough, but not the point of my camino . . . for the last week or so I have seen it as a camino touristico and switched from pilgrim/writer to long distance walker, pushing myself to 40, 45, 50 km a day . . . see what's possible.
Dear reader, you may have noticed the writing has suffered. Never mind, there is plenty of material stored up for later . . .
The direct bus to Granada turns out to be a summer event and I leave for Madrid at 21.30, arrive 06.30, Granada bus at 08.00, arrive 13.00 . . . after that, we'll see.
I find a pilgrim centre for credential stamp, which may open a door in Granada . . . decline the certificate saying I walked the camino. Then, a pilgrim welcome centre run by American missionaries. Lovely people, helping without preaching. I give them some J. Krishnamurti anyway.
Leaving the rucksack with them I find a restaurant, then back for coffee and wifi, some conversation with Maggie, working on a documentary - Walking the Camino, www.caminodocumentary.org
One month since starting out in France, over 900 km and it's enough. Lots of folks are addicted to camino life. Not me, I'm off to Andalusia and Helpx adventure. With lots of life enhancing material to share, when I get back into writer role.
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