a little warmth goes a long way

like a hot shower after a bitter, wet and cold morning.

Can´t say that I´ve been roughing it in the last few days - I blame that on the flu which is travelling faster to my chest than I am to Santiago. Woke up this morning in the albergue, my only other room-mate, Manfred (from Germany, what a surprise ;) ) said good morning and I sounded like Lauren Bacall...after about 30 fags! Maybe I´ll lose my voice soon, won´t that be interesting, trying to order cafe con leche in sign language...actually, that´s be pretty much how I order most things, by pointing.

So today was my first day of walking in the rain and I´m happy to report that my wet weather system, aka a poncho, did the trick - though it wasn´t raining all that hard. I did realise that my hasty decision to post back my fleece, hat and gloves might have been a mistake - its cold here in the mountains! But I rugged up with all the warm clothing I could find, my other rain jacket and the new silk scarf I bought in Astorga (ah, Astorga, what a great place) and marched on through the mud.

It was an interesting day, well morning really - my plan to walk shorter distances has meant that I walk no more than three hours at a time. The weather did start to clear a little and the sun tried to shine through the overcast sky. I found myself lost in thought to the point that I couldn´t remember the terrain I had walked through.

I was thinking about why I´m here on the Camino - I think about that often as you would expect - but today my thoughts also ran to the 'why am I here' bigger picture stuff also. I haven´t really come to any conclusions but I´m glad that was something I could meditate on today given that its a big subject and maybe not something to tackle when you are feeling less than physically able and the day is bleak. I feel like I have grown quite a bit already on this adventure.

I´m in Rabanal, up in the hills and about to climb the mountain tomorrow. I´ve got a private room in a one star hotel. I´ve had a long hot shower, wandered about the town, I´m sipping a cider and contemplating what to do until dinner - probably some more writing, perhaps a little reading of my journal (though not nearly as interesting as Oscar Wilde´s) having posted my book on to Santiago for the return trip home.

Despite the dismal weather there is sunshine all around, I feel warm and certain...and I know who to thank for that.