So Long Santiago

Wed 3 October 2013      Santiago de Compostella to London England

Well that was it, she was all over. The idea that had germinated with The Way over a year and a half ago was done. The whole thing was almost surreal, and seemed to take forever and no time at all. While we were walking, from day one, there was really no thought process of whats next, or how long it had been since we started, there was just the moment. That mindset changed as I first opened my eyes that morning in Santiago de Compostella. Immediately there was a ta do list, back on a schedule. Say goodbye to  Nick and Judy, see if we could connect with the Freddy girls before we left, pick up a few articles of clothing to replace the Camino clothes we turfed, get a taxi to the airport in time for our 3:15 flight.

There were two hectic hours: a bitter sweet breakfast and goodbye with our two new dear friends Nick and Judy, with a vow that we would not let this friendship fade away; a lucky find of the Freddy girls at a small Deli not to far from the hotel; then a quick shopping spree for souvenirs for Mary Lou's employees and a few people who nudged me out the door and were my biggest supporters. Then at 12:00 noon the taxi arrived right on time and dropped us off at the Santiago airport. 

Unfortunately, it was the wrong airport. My fast Spanish talking cab driver was so busy filling me in on so many things that I didn't have a clue what he was talking about, that he did not listen to where were going, and voila, right airline, wrong airport. The good news was we had allowed lots of time before the flight, and the Coruna airport was only a forty five minute and $ 80 cab ride away, in the opposite direction. Yep, back in the real world again. Leuwing Airlines provided us with a direct flight to London, at a great price, on time service and was only lacking legroom, and by lacking legroom I mean anyone over five feet tall could not get their knees behind the seat in front of them. Yep, great to be back in the real world again. Made those shoulder wide bunks on the Camino seem all of a sudden, roomy.

OK enough whining. Everything was made good after our hour long subway drive the moment I saw our  boy Jeff, and Granddog Jack, strolling along to meet us at the station. My other daughter Jenny would soon join us and we would settle into a couple of enjoyable days with two of the four members of my family. And all was good. 

I cannot begin to, OK thats not true I have begun the process, understand just how spectacular this journey was; what was learned, what was reaffirmed. It was magical, no doubt about it, whether it was real or just a whimsy of the mind will be determined, but so much out of the ordinary happened that cracks were appearing in the mind of a man of science. The people we met will be friends for life, even the ones we will never see again. I will walk the Camino again, though not before exploring the multitude of other opportunities this world has to offer. I hope to continue with many of the practices of the Camino: quickly turning strangers into friends, approaching everything with an open mind; looking back at where I have been all the while moving forward; and on and on. Most importantly, I have some insight into the next phase of my life, whats to be done, though I likely won't share it at this point.

There is still much to post on the blog. Special pictures, some lessons learned, a few stories that didn't make the first round, living in the moment, some irreverent facts on our walk and even some tips for future pilgrims. Stay tuned.