animals

last night i woke up briefly only to believe that there may have been a thunderstorm and rain. but it did not fully register, as if i was only semi-conscious.

when i woke up for real, it was shortly after four. another record set: earliest start yet at 4:27.

outside no trace of the rain or tormenta - not sure it happened outside my mind and dreams.

it is dark, pitch-dark at first. which makes following the trail a bit challenging. once, i loose the trail and hike along a main road for a bit until it reunites. no worries though - no traffic at all at this hour and the sight of castro maior in the dark, well, i wouldn’t have seen anything anyway.

sometimes i hear the trickle of water at the side of the camino. dogs bark in the distance. an owl. what i don’t hear are birds (the owl is a bird, but you know what i mean: songbirds), and the stars. there is a slight veil at the horizon, but other than that i can see the stars quite well.

when in doubt, i look at gronze.maps quickly to reassure myself, that i’m on track. screen off again and for a few seconds i see nothing until my eyes adapt again.

the only other animals i hear are los grillos. a milemarker now and then. today will be a long etape, ending in melide, the inofficial capital of pulpo. probably 32-33 km.

following ángel’s recommendation we will eat at pulperia ezequiel. ángel, i will report! are you going there tomorrow?

streetlights in the distance, then dogs barking. another aldea pre-dawn. a little animal across the track - not sure whether it was a spider or a frog (i’m not sure, the animal probably not either - do they know what they are?).

the loudest sounds are my footsteps. occasionally louder, when the surface is uneven.

de repente, un jabelí (*) salvaje irrumpe entre la maleza y gruñe amenanzadoramente. * i had to look that one up.

that was scary! my hair stands on edge. it is very still again. i listen. more grillos. the birds are still asleep. then, almost two hours into my walk i hear the first bird - a rooster - and five minutes later all birds are awake, judging by the racket they cause, telling each other the stories of their dreams.

another dog barks. then stops. another one. i turn a corner, suddenly movement out of the corner of my eyes. a dog that didn’t bark jumps in my direction. luckily, there is a chain. hairs on edge again.

the entire morning the air felt mild and warm. now it feels a bit cold suddenly. jeez, stop scarying me!

today i have pulled back from everything and everybody. i try to get back to attention. this works quite well. my mind is focussed. i manage to go down a steep and narrow section, still quite dark. three occasions, but no broken bones, thank you.

it stops to work, when i hit palas de rei, where hordes of pilgrims just start their day. i overtake some, try to slalom through groups dressed in unison - these are the typical organized hikers for the last 100 km. autovia peregriña.

i end up putting earphones in to tune out of the masses, and to tune into music and my mind & soul (insofar as this is possible to do in parallel).

an addition or correction on the song ‘blinding ornaments’: listening to it again today, i think the string solo at the end is a cello, not a violin. i’ll try it out someday.

some more prog rock. then buena vista social club. muy lindo.

i think about my family, about what i like in berlin. then i just am (while continuing to walk).

this last stretch of the camino francés is a bit too commercial for my liking - 20 cents for a stamp anybody? if you don’t consume, that is what they are charging. civil disobedience demands that you get a stamp and leave quickly. but i also need a coffee.

the walk goes past quickly. i’m in melide before noon, it is loud and noisy outside, as i’m writing my notes inside a chapel dedicated to san anton. streetworks outside. heavy machines.

an hour until the albergue opens, until i can check in, shower, later have a nap and then start the second half of today.

i will catch up on some old / additional topics and notes over the next days. suffice it to say that my camino continues.

hasta santiago, hasta el mar y más allá.

post scriptum: