Sep 28: Getting deep
SuperTrip2_2026 Blog Post
2026_2 BLOG
9/28/20262 min read
Today we had our first drops of rain. It hardly counted, a light spluttering for an hour or so. I donned my baseball cap (genius - for me - Camino-hack, which uses the stiff peak as a platform for your raincoat hood, keeping your glasses rain-free) and kept on trucking. The rain merged with, and in and out of, the low cloud and fog that gave every view (and there were many of them) fuzzy edges and filled the valleys all day. As we walked into Padron (of pepper fame) in the early afternoon, the sun poked out for a while, but, by then, we were focused on our indoor part of the day: laundry, beer, napping… But, we strolled out later in the afternoon, foraging for food (and successfully finding delicious kebabs, supplemented by supermarket treats). It was nice to feel the sun on my face.
In the supermarket, we bumped into Barb, whom we have walked with throughout this trip. She is a very thoughtful person, living (and walking) a philosophy of kindness and small acts. I have very much enjoyed my conversations with her. There have been a few other “Camino” conversations with others throughout the last few weeks. But, Barb has given me (us) the most time and the longest discussions. I am very grateful for her presence on our journey. Although we have met each other on many days, we are not traveling exactly parallel. So, we exchanged numbers in the Gadis this afternoon. We have promised to meet for a drink in Santiago on Wednesday. I truly don’t want to leave Santiago without thanking her for her gifts to us - and now I won’t have to. Sometimes things just work out. I spoke to Barb today about how, as I am aging, I am becoming more and more comfortable with the mystical; with the sense that things have their own rhythm,of which we are a part and to which we must, at least, react, if we cannot learn to bend. Today was a day full of this sensation.
I have written little in this walk, nothing on our Scottish trip. But, in these last 2 days I have scratched out two poems about time, that feels particularly deep and fungible at this point.
Today was also the first day of really “feeling” like we are in Galicia - old woodland, fog, winding hills, sprawling crowded pilgrim-themed cafés, path-sides littered with walkers stretching, applying foot plasters, smoking… It is crowded, excitable, but also reverent and human, aspirational, ridiculous, raucous, holy. I found today very moving. We managed to find a pocket of quiet, even solitude, in the deep woods. Following an important conversation with Barb, I felt the age of the path, the trees, even of the earth. It was both sobering and deeply calming.
Tomorrow the forecast is showers. We are both looking forward to walking into Santiago in the rain. Our time in Kenya reminded us that rain is a blessing.
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Inspired by our 2024 Camino Francais, Karen has a periodic podcast called "I sent you a bloody boat", personal thoughts on faith by a person who believes in thinking. Also, known as "The Reluctant Christian". You can listen to it on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts at: