endings … new beginnings

The kilometres are coming down. Two days to go, 700+ kilometres covered and about 50 kilometres more to cover. I would like to write something profound, but nothing comes to mind. We are both feeling tired… the heat that increases hour by hour each morning and intensifies when we walk on bitumen or along concrete walls; the climbs in and out of towns sap our energy.

We start each morning refreshed from our night’s sleep. For about two hours we relish the fresh air, the  changing scenery and the birdsong. By the third hour we start checking for our morning break… How much further?… Will there be coffee? … Will there be tables and  chairs? As we walk we see fellow pilgrims from previous days or as recently as breakfast. We are all eager to get to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, but we are also sad because this will be another occasion to say goodbye.  Some will end here and start up again in a following year to complete the entire Frances Camino. Some will go on to Roncesvalles, Pamplona or Burgos. Some may even go all the way to Santiago… Bill and I will enjoy a rest day, then make our way to Ourense in Spain (by train), 120 kilometres from Santiago and walk another seven days with our son, Daniel. By the end, we will have walked 870 kilometres! Even I can’t believe it.

At the moment we are enjoying the road, even the excruciating uphills! We actually count our steps (100) to get us up, or we aim for the first or second bit of shade; then we stop, take in the scenery, take a few extra breaths, especially if there is a bit of a breeze, and we get going again for the next 100 steps! We marvel at the difference in temperature when we step into a wooded area, tunnel-like, dark and smelling of moss, fern and mint. Here, the birds, frogs and butterflies are more active… present, but hard to spot. We revel in the coolness and linger a while. Then, back into the blinding sunshine, the asphalt, the occasional tractor and car, the colourful wildflowers by the roadside,  another climb, another 100 steps, stop, breathe, feel the trickles of sweat run down the sides of our nose and then drop off onto our clothes. The sweat is as salty as sea water, so we remember to take another drink… we stop again, take a sip of water, look into the distance ahead and behind.

We notice the intense blue sky, the billowy, white clouds… we wonder whether it will rain and when… and we keep going… we’ve spied another bunch of trees which may offer some shade and respite from the heat… and as we set off yet again… a gift, a coolish, gentle breeze to help us on our way.