let the rush begin

we are now on the camino frances. the difference can be felt.

there are more people, different kinds of people.

the ones that have been hiking for hundreds of kilometers from saint-jean-pied-de-port or elsewhere far away. they walk with long heavy steps, typically wearing hiking boots, large backpacks, many have this hairstyle that makes you assume they haven’t been at a hair salon for several weeks (a bit like my current hairstyle;-). usually solo or couples, sometimes small groups. just two more etapes to arrive in santiago, plus the possibility of en encore to fisterra and muxia.

the ones that joined the crowds in sarria for the last 100km to santi. clothes still fresh, smaller rucksacks, not so heavy steps, often chatty, sometimes larger groups, adolescents, students. one of these groups stayed at the albergue in arzua yesterday, and stayed up late until told to go to bed eventually by a berlin teacher.

the ones in between, like us. half of the clothes smell kind of okay, but it is time to wash again tonight, and not just the clothes, so we arrive into santiago appropriately dressed and smelling tomorrow.

today we met our mexican friends again, and hopefully we will see each other when we arrive at the cathedral tomorrow.

our daughter goes ahead once again, finding a good conversation for the last stretch into o pedrouzo. i lag behind, but i also have a good conversation. about change, about what is important at different points in life, about other pilgrimages in japan (the kumano kodo) and in norway (the olavsleden), about business, careers, choices one makes, charity, social entrepreneurship, effective altruism and its problems. sobre quiénes somos. to be continued. as mentioned, should you ever be in berlin, look us up!

entonces, off to the washing now and then to the restaurant ‘taste the way’ for an early dinner. hasta mañana.

post scriptum: back from dinner already, and close to a food coma from the tarta de queso. good night!