Every day on the Camino brings it’s challenges and for me today it was the 8 km walk to the first town. It was a short walk today so we decided on a bit later start. I don’t know why but from the first steps I knew it was going to be hard going. There weren’t even any hills to climb up or down leaving town! Perhaps it was the bitter cold wind, or just a bit of Camino weariness. D2 is always my patient and encouraging companion, but sometimes misery wants it’s company, so I sent her on to the first town. Oh what a jolly good wallow I had! I cried as pilgrims strode past me, disappearing purposefully off into the distance, I swore at the stones that seemed sharper than usual, I moaned about my pack which seemed twice as heavy as yesterday. I struggled into the town, wondering how I was going to make it on to the next one.
D2 had finished her hot chocolate by the time I got there and we decided she would continue on ahead and find accommodation for us. A coffee and a chat with some German ladies and I was on my way, deciding to find some wild poppies to leave on one of the many stone shrines along the way. After a couple of kms I didn’t find any poppies but came across a big shrine on a ridge overlooking a beautiful valley of fields and vineyards. There I made my Anzac Day Memorial, I thought of the men and women over the years, ordinary Australians like me who faced greater challenges than I will ever face so we can live in the wonderful country I call home.

Lest we forget