Finding flying rather fast and finding train travel often convivial, the Camino is set to start in Santander ... some forward planning ensures economical tickets to Portsmouth Harbour via London ... two buses lead to Durham and then a fast enough train where the gods of ticketing kindly connect with a premature pilgrim - the delightful Emma, who walked to Santiago from Lisbon with her father last summer ... and found it inspiring and rather hot ... a student at Glasgow School of Art, she is returning to see her family in Penge and open to a three hour conversation about what's going on beyond the mundane world ... a generous hour and twenty minutes to reach Waterloo is swiftly walked in less than half that time, stretching the legs and testing the weight of the pack, which seems fine, even with food prepared for today on the train and tonight and tomorrow on the boat ... not so much from parsimony, more a wish to use up food stocks, waste being something to avoid where possible ... the London skyline from Waterloo Bridge radically changed since the bus driving years, poor old St Paul's dwarfed by weird shaped office towers thrusting to the skies, symbols of Mammon ... Portsmouth train offers a contrast with few passengers and no apparent pilgrims ... and for future reference Portsmouth Harbour is rather large and its train station is not close to the continental ferry port ... still check-in is timely enough and a rather over rigorous security check has a confused octogenarian beltless and confused, not to mention a peaceful pilgrim having a Swiss army knife scrutinised for terror potential ... after which, with queue building and departure time approaching, passengers were waved through ... compact cabin located, entertainment ensues, food and drink abounds and it's party time all the way to Spain. .. and a calm sea for the Bay of Biscay, hopefully ... anyway the connections all worked, Santander tomorrow evening, maybe Santillana del Mar for day one of the walk ... let's see!
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