Santiago - Falkirk Scotland
17 Haziran 2022, Ispanya ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
I had a very good sleep in The Last 12K B&B, it was very comfortable and the shower was great. I went downstairs for breakfast at 0730 and was surprised to see that it was very busy. When I went outside I realised that it was actually on the Camino Frances and there was a steady line of pilgrims walking by, dozens and dozens of them, some of whom stopped for coffee or breakfast. When my taxi came at 1030, it was still as busy and the line of pilgrims passing had not diminished. If ever I needed a reason never to walk the Camino Frances, that was it.
An English guy was trying to order breakfast, he asked for a cappuccino, toast with butter and jam, but the barmaid didn't speak English, so he did that really rude and ignorant thing of repeating what he had said only slower and louder. The barmaid looked at me with raised eyebrows so I ordered in Spanish what he had asked for then suggested to him that he ought to have at least learned some basic Spanish before coming on the camino. If you are thinking of doing a camino, remember that how you behave will shape what people think about your home country.
I finally met some Scottish pilgrims, and we chatted for a while before they set off.
I had received an email from Ryanair advising me to be at airport security 3 hours before my flight so I did, the airport was very small and I was through security in less than 2 minutes. Coffee beckoned. As soon as the gate was announced I went and sat there. A flight to Bilbao was boarding, about 15-20 minutes after it was boarded and all the staff had gone away, a couple came running to the gate and were furious that it had closed, the guy tried to get a member of staff to let them through but she obviously couldn't do that, she didn't even work for that airline. He tried to force open the door, he went behind the counter and tried to access the computers, he went over to the window and started banging on it because the aircraft was right there. I have never seen anything like it. His partner/wife was trying to drag him away before they got arrested. From where I was sitting it was at once bizarre and entertaining.
I had to temporarily vacate my seat and go back to the security booth at the gate as there had been no one checking passports when myself and a dozen other passengers arrived.
When the time came we boarded without fuss, the aircraft was about 2/3 full, and the middle seat in my row was empty so it was a relaxing, comfortable and uneventful flight home. Barbara was waiting for me at Edinburgh airport, and my camino was over...or was it?
A plan was forming for my camino family to have a reunion in Berlin next year, and at the time of writing it looks like that is going to happen. I had also begun to plan a return to Spain possibly in 2023 to walk the Camino del Norte, and hopefully one or more of the ladies will be able to join me for at least part of that.
If you have managed to read all the way through this camino blog, (well done!), you may have guessed that so much has been left unsaid and many words lie hidden between the lines. Humans seek understanding, we want explanations but the truth is that some things can only be experienced, in fact to explain them is to diminish them. So, I cannot really explain the relationship that has developed between myself and these six lovely humans, especially in so short a time, and it is unusual, even for the camino which is known to bring people together. I am reminded of a verse from the First Testament that speaks of the friendship between Jonathan and David, it says that their souls were 'knit together'. I hesitate to speak on behalf of the others but that is what it feels like to me. As to the how or the why of it, I have no idea.
Someone asked me what the camino has given to me and I can say that I have never felt as healthy or as fit, but the camino has also given me self-confidence, a new perspective on life and a new purpose for life, and renewed hope in the future. Most of all, it has given me six friends I cannot imagine life without.
In his book The Exquisite Risk, Mark Nepo writes that "To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim." So, I'm not sure if my camino is ending or just beginning. One thing I do know, is that it has changed me forever.
"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say" - Bilbo BagginsOkumaya devam et
Gezgin Thanks for writing this and sending me the link. I really enjoyed it. It was also brilliant to see you and Babs last week.
Norman Graham I think there's a prize for reading it all the way to the end.
Gezgin I’m so glad I couldn’t get to reading this until now because it has provided a wonderful chance to reminisce on all that transpired on my Camino. Thank you for taking such great notes and being such a thorough observer. It was wonderful to see the Camino through your eyes. Much love to you!
Norman Graham aw thanks Meg, I really appreciate that, of course so much of it would never have happened without you, you were the thread running through it even before we met actually via Robert and Ana Mária and then Anita and Mirjam. At least now you know what I was writing in my journal every night!