Day 20 Until next time …

The decision is made. We’re going to make our way back ‘home’ to France. We are disappointed but that’s how it goes.

I have had some time on my hands over the last few days. So I did a calculation I’ve never done before. Since late September 2011, I’ve spent around 270 days walking on camino routes and another 50 on other long distance paths. This is the first time I’ve had an injury that cut short a walk. It was bound to happen. Perhaps a miracle it didn’t happen sooner. 🤷🏼‍♀️

We are grateful for all our good fortune on this and earlier walks and draw some comfort that it’s happened on a path we’ve each walked before, albeit not together after Pamplona. That was sort of the point of revisiting. But it wasn’t meant to be.

This walk has had another significance for us. We walked with two dear friends in our hearts. Both passed away earlier this year, within a month of each other, from the same disease. We carried our own credenciales (pilgrims’ passports) to mark each stage of the journey and two others for our friends. At each stop we had all four credenciales stamped. Although it’s unconventional, when we explained we were never refused a stamp for our friends. We had hoped to take them all the way to Santiago de Compostela, but it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the fact that our journey was also cut short has its own meaning. 🙏

Thank you for taking an interest and for your good wishes. Merci beaucoup. Muchas gracias.

With love and gratitude to The French, as always.

Until next time. ♥️♥️Okumaya devam et