I got a flight home the next day. It was a small miracle because the 1st of July all of France goes on holiday and the gate employee who gave the standbys the bad news that we wouldn't make it out that day, said he didn't see any good prospects for the next three days. So, I went to a hotel and took a much-needed shower. (Twenty four hours in a train with no air-conditioning on a record hot day makes for a much-needed shower.) Next day, smooth as silk, I got a flight to Cincinnati where my husband picked me up, and I promptly plunged into the life I had put on hold for six weeks.
But to summarize my last day in Santiago, all the disparate characters who played a part in my camino showed up right on time. (This would make a very bad movie plot). As you can see by the first photo, Nora was there, having arrived a few days earlier. Truus and I arrived together, along with Mercedes and Maitreyi. And just as we finished the group portrait, who should happen by but Dilek. Then Elke and Ushie showed up, along with others whom we had met at various points along the way. Even the French woman on horseback that we saw at the Irache winery came trotting into town that very day.
Now I am home, trying to adjust to the busyness and STUFF I had left in May. I think about the Camino every day. In my heart I am already plotting a return. In a few years I want to go back and walk Le Puy to St. Jean.
Au Revoir. I'll be back for more reflections on the lessons of the Camino. I hope some new pilgrim will find this blog useful for preparation. If there is a desire in your heart to do the Camino, don't hesitate. Just go.
