St. James Way

35th Hiking Day

On my way from Zubiri to Pamplona, maybe Cizur Menor. I can feel the magic again, which I'm inclined to label as kitsch. But the Camino calls in such a way that everything seems to come together wonderfully. Apart from that I'm sure that I was haunted by bed bugs yesterday. I even saw these fucking critters crawling on top of my mattress this morning. What to do? However, yesterday I had a pleasant evening with the two Dutch girls in the "Valentin" restaurant on main street. Now I idly walk around. Met this Israeli girl Gabriela. 23. Wonderful. Best possible black humour. Zero sense of romance. What could possibly top that? That's the thing here: the input is so compressed that you can't keep up with the writing. So everything is very fabulous. Still feels like the right decision. Only the forest path is a bit bumpy right now. Sometimes when I look at Sam and Laura I don't understand the women. The most banal pieces of advice that obviously cannot work just like that (Sam to Laura) are approved with smiles and nods of the head without further asking (Laura to Sam). I rather prefer short and truthful (and above all without much jabbering) precise comments from the Irish Bastard. Haven't heard from Paul for a long time (about half a day). Am I right here at all? Distracted by the peeing Spaniard. I have this great, overwhelming, yet spongy feeling of bliss and community again. Still, I want to remember the details too. That's what people expect of a writer. He must remain true to his profession and be productive. If not I might just write as well "What a beautiful morning" each time. Nonetheless look always to the left and right when you cross the street. Caution is still key.

Oh, and Roger: in the end he tried to express to me his best wishes with a mix of French and Spanish. That was the first time I saw a sign of insecurity on him. Such a nice moment. I seem to have understood his nature a little better in the end. What a great man. You could tell immediately that he had already seen more than 1000 things and then at some point Jenny said with a laughter "He's still so curious."

Enjoy the little things in life. Like a beer with an old Irish friend.