Day 20: On the trails of the green backpack

Dear traveler, 

This morning was not an easy one. Maybe because last evening we stayed chatting with our friends until later in the night or maybe because I searched the sky for the dragon, but it was hard for me to get out of bed.

We say goodbye to our friends and start walking in slow motion in the dawn's orange light. I'm sure it's beautiful but today nothing thrills me.

-"Come on, marmot, today we'll get to the city where our backpack went without us last year."

Backpack? What backpack? Wait, it's too early to process anything now. 

I ask dad to carry me on his shoulders and we walk like that for a while. 

Now I can think better. The backpack..oh, yes. i remember from last year when our backpack walked the Camino without us. 

I imagine a backpack, walking on trails, with two tiny legs and two poles, and of course, without a backpack as he is a backpack himself and it has everything it needs inside. Then the backpack boards the first plane and goes home. Home..

-"Mamarmot, I really miss home!"

-"Me too, marmot!"

Along with the sunrise I strengthen up a little bit. I take Fulgeraș out of my backpack and we walk together on the path that goes in waves towards the horizon line. 

The wind is still blowing like yesterday but the clouds are thicker and much more grey. I can't put my imagination at work anymore. 

The scenery doesn't help me also. Although it's beautiful, the humming of cars that probably comes from a highway nearby takes me out of my daydreaming. I think I got used too much to the silence. 

I talk with Fulgeraș and he tells me that he misses home too. Yes, I know, Fulgeraș, me too. But what can we do?

-"Mamarmot, how long until Santiago de Compostela?"

-"Well, Marmot, once we get to León, we kind of reached halfway. So we need to walk as much as we walked so far. "

-"Oh, I thought we are closer.."

Did you hear that, Fulgeraș? We have a long way to go until we get home. Too long. I like it so much here, but it feels like we were on the road for so long that I don't even know how my home looks like anymore, my cats, my doggy. It feels like I forgot everything.

I look at our path and I imagine the pilgrim backpack. Then I remember that the backpack came here by car. Of course it did, as it has legs only in my imagination. 

I feel sorry for the backpack, as it did not get the chance to experience what I did.

it did not enjoy an olive tree orchard and the endless yellow of the fields. It did not get the chance to see the meseta, or to get pinched by fleas in the middle of the night. It did not flew with dragons or paper cranes. It saw few sunrises on the Camino, only one I believe. It was not as lucky as I was. But right now, it is home, where I long to be. 

Soon we reach in a place with tall building and different kinds of constructions. 

I went ahead with Fulgeraș and I let my folks take their moments of silence. They are probably wondering why I'm not much of a chatter today. I see Mamarmot with some tears in her eyes. i wonder why. Maybe she feels just like me. 

I wait for them on the path that deviates from the asphalt and goes straight towards the city.

As we get closer it gets more and more crowded. I don't like crowds anymore. 

We enter the city on a street that seems the entrance in a citadel.

Big streets with stores, cars and stone paved squares are images that I was not used to anymore. 

We find our way to the albergue, a big and very crowded one. After we leave our backpacks, we go out for something to eat and a little sightseeing.

I like this huge monastery and it reminds me of another city we've visited I think one week ago. I don't recall its name.

I feel a bit better after I eat and we stay for a while in a huge playground. It seems that big cities are good too.

Back to the albergue, we meet with Berndt with whom we chat for a while. His other friends walked further and he is the only one who stopped here, as he has pain in his legs. 

-"Marmot, I spoke with Berndt that you should give him today the letter for Santa, as we don't know if we will see each other starting tomorrow."

I wonder why. We still have a long way to go, I'm sure we'll be meeting again. Who knows what Mamarmot knows. I'll get the letter ready. I decided quickly what I want from Santa and I'm writing as clear as I can. Then I hand it to Berndt. 

-"This letter will go in the postbox towards the North Pole, as soon as I get back home."

-"Thank you Berndt!"

Dad gives some medicine to Berndt for his legs and my folks seem to say goodbye to him. I don't really get it, is he returning home? I hope he's not returning especially for my letter as the letter can wait.

Mamarmot is pretty quiet and a bit sad and she tells me it's time to go to sleep. 

I hug Fulgeraș and think about today's walk, on the trails of the green backpack. I wonder where the backpack wandered while it was here. I wonder if Berndt will return home since Mamarmot said we might not be seeing each other starting tomorrow. He is kind of lucky as he surely misses home too. I hope I put everything I wanted in the letter and that Santa will understand what I wrote. Good night, mom, good night, dad, good night Fulgeraș.