A journey within

Dear traveler,

I'm not even sure where to start, but be aware that it's going to be a long story. 

We woke up with the sound of rain in our ears and the usual rustling of pilgrims, who were getting ready to get wet as soon as they walked out the door.

-"I don't want to get rained on again!", I tell Mamarmot as I pull my sleeping bag over my eyes.

-"Don't worry, marmot, it will be fine!"

We find Berndt in the small hallway and my folks say goodbye to him and Buen Camino. 

-"Never stop travelling! It was a pleasure to meet you!", he tells me and then he disappears out the door.

Such strange words! For sure we're going to meet again after a few days.

The rain mellows a bit until we hit the road but the town is pretty grey and gloomy.

I wish I could've stayed in bed some more, but, what can we do..I'm trying to find the shell through this big and grey town and get on our way.

-"This way, marmot."

Mamarmot takes us on all sorts of streets where I cannot see any kind of shell. We finally enter a big window building that looks like a train station. 

-"Look, Marmot, we've seen that in the past days you were more and more tired and cranky and we think it's better to take a break for one day. Today will be raining anyway and it won't be a pleasant walk. We'll take the bus to a bigger city and we'll see from there."

Somehow, what Mamarmot says doesn't sound right. I know Mamarmot, and I know she won't accept to ride the bus on a part of the Camino. And to be honest, I wouldn't like that either. That means just that...most likely we'll be going home...but, she doesn't want to tell me that because she thinks she will upset me. I am sad, especially when I look at her and I see her struggling to control her tears. But on the other hand..the idea of returning home makes me happy. I miss home so much!

The bus takes us to Astorga, a city we should have reached after two days. 

We find ourselves an albergue and then we take a walk in the city. A city full of chocolate in every store, with beautiful streets and a castle that seems out of a fairy tale.

-"Mamarmot, am I right that we'll go home from here?"

-"Most likely, marmot", says Mamarmot, as two tears drop from her eyes.

-"And how about Santiago de Compostela?"

-"Well, we'll return, of course. And we'll reach Santiago too. There is a reason why we feel we must return now. Camino has something else prepared for us, something it cannot show us now. Something for which we must wait for a little while."

-"We'll be walking this this part we made by bus, right?"

-"Yes, it would be a pity not to. Who knows what wonders are hidden from Léon to this point."

Mamarmot's words give me a peaceful feeling. I look around. From where we are staying you can see the mountains. We are somewhere above the city and the sky cleared a bit now. After a few grey days, the sky offers us a wonderful show. The clouds tell me that what we chose is good and that it waits for our return. 

Mamarmot shows me the passport. With the last stamp we received today, we closed its first side. A story page was written and a new story will follow.

The next day, we took the long way to Madrid by bus. It wasn't easy. I felt like telling my folks to stop at Léon and start walking again. And I know Mamarmot would've agreed. But the thought that tonight I will be playing with my kittens was also a beautiful one. 

Back home, we thought quickly about when we could return. My folks decided our return will be after only six months, so we won't wait for too long and they already bought the plane tickets for Madrid.

In the meantime, we've been talking to Pai who gave us news about her pilgrimage. She told us about how much rain and hail she endured up to Santiago de Compostela. It seems that a hurricane passed through the coast area, hence the weird weather. But she finally reached the destination.

I wonder if Berndt reached it.

On Christmas, I received a letter from him where he was mentioning how his walk went. With rain and hail as well. With big pain in his legs. With many breaks. But he finally got there. And I had the surprise to receive from Santa exactly what I asked for. Oh Berndt, it's so nice you put my letter in the express mail for the North Pole!

Months passed by and it was not easy to quench our longing for the Camino. We managed to soothe it a little with our mountains and colored hills. 

But the day came again to board onto a plane to Madrid and the long bus ride. 

And here we are in Léon. Happy, excited, joyful. Ready for a new adventure. The city is not as gloomy as we left it last time. Now it's sunny and beautiful and it seems like the same sky invites us to start walking. It's just colder now, but my folks got me ready from home with multiple layers. 

Every smell and sound seem familiar. Although we are coming from home, I feel as if I came..home. I am happy and I can't wait to see what's next, as no day on the Camino is as the previous one. Or like the next one. 

This time I came without Fulgeraș. But I have Ursulic with me, a small plush bear with a heart on its shirt. He wanted to see how Camino is like.

It's time to go to bed now and I can't sleep again. I've got so many questions and curiosities in my head. But they can wait until tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow, we'll be walking on the path of shells once more!