Hi! I'm back! Well, what can I say? Whoever the fuck coined the phrase "over hill and down dale" should be hung, drawn and quartered! 5 little words when strung together sound ever so poetic, but when mixed in with 5 or 6 hours evey day walking over very uneven ground and a couple of mountains thrown in for good measure, take on a whole different meaning! It sounded so easy when sitting at home studying maps and the like to set a target of between 25 and 30k a day. Oh what foolish people we are! Yeah, sure, we stuck to the plan but how much harder was it then anticipated? You have no fucking idea! Did I have a good time? Fucking outstanding!!!! It is amazing how quickly you forget that you have almost had to crawl the last (always uphill) few metres to the albergue when, with a quick shower and change of clothes it's bring on the dancing girls time! I met some amazing people (and the inevitable dickheads) from every corner of the globe and can't wait to go back and cover the second half. I would have prefered to take a month and do the whole thing but "one has to eat" and work beckons!
I'm not so sure that my partner is so kean to get back in there though. He discovered aches and pains in parts of his body that I didn't even know existed! I did tell him it was going to be tough and he didn't have to come but he was sure he could crack it with very little preparation. I have no sympathy whatsoever - at least he had the good grace to carry the larger backpack for the majority of the way! Did he really think that I invited him for any other reason)
Oh! I nearly forgot, I met 2 amazing dogs and a donkey who were also doing the "camino". You didn't hear them complaining!