Hurricane Gordon
Trip Start
Aug 16, 2006
1
18
20
Trip End
Sep 29, 2006
Sarria,
Spain
Thursday, September 21, 2006
After a night of celebration for the twenty first birthday of fellow pilgrim Eleanor for Belgium, we were greeted the following morning with 185 kilometer winds per hour and torrential downpour! What does a pilgrim do in this situation? You guessed it, walk. Now, I have met some other travelers (maInly from the States) who talk about the day´s walk, but I never see them on the road and find out later they hitched a cab to the next town. I have a feeling a lot of pilgrims became the decaffinated, watered down American coffee sort of pilgrim today...but, I did stay true to the way and battled on!
It was a tremendous day, not many kilometers (19) to Sarria, but the weather sure did make up for it. And after a night of enjoying Bert´s wine, you can imagine the struggle. At one point, Kevin and Frank and I were huddled under a thatched work space, the size of your closet while we gathered courage to break through, back into the rain. I was first, storming out as if I were crashing the beaches of Normandy- I was huntched over, poncho swirling in the wind behind me. After all was said and done with, the hurricane did not stop me...it truly was a test of mind and will power to continue. I was hollering at the top of my voice, Buen Camino! to nothing but the wind and rain. Slave songs such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Oh My Lord (from Glory fame) kept me moving along...
And when I arrived in Sarria, the albergue was everything one could wish for! A person bathroom complete with a steaming hot bath! was just what I needed. There was a fireplace chimney room where dinner was made and where the generous Don Alvaro warmed all our hearts and souls with the typical Galician drink, orujo! Called "agua de vida." All the usual characters strolled in one by one and we warmed our bones against the crackling flames. What a day!
Comments
Well done
Enjoyed following your Camino. Now I have a better idea of what I'm in for ;-)