* not with ink

Someone told me this morning that they are looking forward to hearing my Spain story. "So am I," I replied. I am not sure yet what my "Spain story" is. Or if there can be a definitive, streamlined, simple-to-share summary. I had a really reflective walk home this afternoon. I almost missed how beautiful the sunshine and the clouds were. I like that when I got into the apartment, I could sit and sort out my brain with a little help from my roommate. It is good to be home. This week is the first time in a year that I have been off work and at home for more than a long weekend. Tomorrow I am making a list of things I need to/want to do...job-hunting/confirming is a priority. But so is relaxing. I think I can manage to do both. Especially if jet-lag keeps waking me up at 6am every day.

Since I woke up at 6:30am and have a computer and the internet right in my very own home (it is good to be here), I started editing some photos from the trip and now I'm sharing them with you...  Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris  Ready to Roll (Walk) in Bilbao  The Bruised and Broken(?) Toe   Beach Day! (an accidentally amazing background capture...)   Sunrise (made 6am wake-up worth it)

Tonight was a celebration. It involved wine and cliffs and an unexpected herd of goats. Tomorrow, for the first time in three weeks, we head east. This is the beginning of the trip home. Santiago on Wednesday, Paris on Thursday, Toronto on Friday... It has been something great.

We finished. In case there were any doubts. After a lot of rain and a celebratory evening, we are off to pilgrims' mass and then the ends of the earth tomorrow.

Tomorrow we arrive in Santiago, having logged 224 km since last Sunday and over 300 in total. I am excited and relieved and sad all at once. The adventure is not QUITE over, as we plan a brief trip to Finisterre (the end of the earth) and don't fly back to Canada til Friday. But it is clearly a certain sort of ending. This will be our last 6:30am walking start, that much is true.

(from August 19) Yesterday was 22 km, no stops. Not sure why, just how it happened. Had plenty of time for laundry and a nap at the end... Today we had planned on covering 18, but in the end did 41. A bit of a mistake that we don't regret, now that we are here. Speaking of HERE, tonight we sleep in a monastery. I am sure if you google "Monastery of Sobrado des Monxes," something will come up. (They seem to make cheese as well as host pilgrims.) That is all. For now.

I did some math. We have walked a grand total of 166 kms so far! Eighty-two were in the last three days. And this doesn't include all the extra walking around town to find food OR the touring we did during our days "off." We have another 140ish to go, and eight days to do it in. Less than 20 kms a day! Things are looking well, but I am not yet ready to say they will be EASY. What I am sure of is that they will be GOOD. *Our albergue had wifi, which is pronounced "wee-fee" here. It was kind of great, especially when I thought I wouldn't be able to stay awake until I could reasonably go to bed. Thanks, girls, for amusing me.