32nd Hiking Day
Take me down to Monto, Monto, Monto. Take me down to Monto, lalala. [Monto - Dubliners.] Anyway, on my way from Ostabat to SJPdP. Well, well, well, well, well. I made up my mind to take the Camino Frances. I like it so much and the people are so pleasant that I just want to continue walking with them. Pascal, Paul, Valentine, Meg, Alan, Mahmat, Romain. Most people take the Camino Frances. And when I would arrive in Irun, it would be around October 10th. I don't want to walk alone up there all the time even if there will be the wide open sea. I want good company. I cannot say whether I will actually find it on the Camino Frances. But I can try. I know I've walked this path before - albeit in stages. But maybe the story will be, with other people and other albergues, rewritten again. I've seen many places before. But I also left out a lot on the left and right. I even see a certain attraction in rediscovering the places that I had already explored with Caleb, Marzia, Lina and Georg. It's in my head now, it's in my heart now. The desire not to travel alone. A decision that wasn't made in anger or disappointment. So it can't be that bad. And I want to keep trying to do it my way. And yesterday I did not and - maybe because of that - it turned out to be a wonderful day of hiking with young girls and French lessons. The wonderful Meg and the wonderful Valentine. This is clearly a heart decision again. And I don't want to set expectations too high either, I want to find my luck with nice, small wishes. All in all, it's just a nice relaxing vacation. I don't have to make all-or-nothing decisions here anyway. It should be a very pleasant time before going back home and back to work. So now first to SJPdP to have a rest day. Where else if not in this place?
Made it! SJPdP exactly as I remembered it. La porte, through which I erroneously walked in the opposite direction, the steep, downhill alley, the pilgrim's office, where I was somewhat completely desperate 1 1/2 years ago and didn't have a clue (»Just walk.«), the pilgrimage shop where I bought the clam. Now I'm sitting in a gîte called "Luivre et tortu", where I can smell incense sticks / roasted almonds, I've bought a travel guide for the Camino Frances in French - it's supposed to remain a challenge – and now I just wait for things to come. I am a little excited. Let's see what's coming next. I want to enjoy the time. So many pilgrims. Nice feeling.
