Day 5 - Puente la Reina to Estella (via bus)
Distance walked today: 0 km
Total distance walked: 65.9 km (41.2 miles)
Total distance left: 656.1 km (410 miles)
After the loss of the nail, where do you go from here? Adal called me this morning, which I found strange since he is usually on the road way before I wake up. I feared the worst: infection, pain, hospital, emergency, lost wallet. But no, everything was fine. Except he was not going to walk today to give his nailless big toe a rest. He had no pain, no discomfort, but didn't want to risk any further injury. So what did he do? He took a bus to the next stage, Estella. I thought this was smart; he wouldn't get too far behind, he could more or less keep on the road with the group he had formed a small cohesion with (including the forensic doctor who helped him pull the nail off), he would rest the whole day, and he had already seen this part of the road to Santiago anyway.
He arrived at the hostel incredibly early to lounge around and take it easy. He found a computer with internet, and after he paid the fee to use the internet, the connection didn't work. He informed the hostel attendant, who just kind of shrugged and said that wasn't his problem. Boy was he pissed. It was a shame because the hostel was actually very nice inside, but the customer service severely lacked.
I think in a way that is part of his journey, the disconnection from so much connectivity and constant communication. He says he has what he needs, conversation with N and with me when he gets the chance. I am calm about the whole thing, I am incredibly not stressed out about it. If I need a break, I know I can get a babysitter. This is such a big deal for him, he's talked about it and planned it for years, that I am completely blissful that he is able to participate in something so important to him. I think that's why I feel compelled to write about it. I write in his presence, not for him but in his stead, as a stand-in, as a way to share this with those that are following him virtually. I want to remember the little things that happened around his journey, snippets of conversations and our daily life that when read years down the road, will bring us back better to these moments. Maybe one day N will read with inspiration what her parents were like and what cool stuff we did. Or how sappy we were. But she will have insight into our personalities.
If he would've walked it, it would've been 22 km with a terrain like this: http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/etapa-de-puente-la-reina-a-estella-lizarra
So tomorrow I think he will walk the stage from Estella to Torres del Rio, which is 29 km. I am so pulling for him on this one. This stage will be completely new, since back in 2005 he turned back from Estella to come back to Athens. Everything from tomorrow on will be new territory and parts of the Road to Santiago he hasn't seen yet.
Keep on walking, papito.
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