From the far

Arrived in Santiago de Compostella about 5 days ago although it feels like months!!So much to say as have not been able to blog till now as it is all about walking eating and sleeping!!

Day 1: Greeted at Santiago airport by the wieredy very beardy and one stone lighter boys!- needless to say Ho looks amazing and no beard!!!

Had coffee outside cathedral with the gang and Libby and lucy handed over the batton to a very scared us!!!

Survived 1st night in old monostary with 30 other pilgrims in same room- ear plugs very much needed.Started first book Emma-pilgrimage, Clary cold mountain(very apt for what lay ahead).

Day2:

Up at6 -25k walk to somewhere which included a 5k up hill hike & a wonderful lady gave us plums at the top.Emma found us all  4 leaf clovers which we definately needed as imediately before Clary´s waist strap snapped on her pack.!Disaster number 1. Lucky Mr T was there and Emma had packed celotape!Anyway we made it even though we begrudgingly declined a lift on tractor trailer by local farmer.Very proud of our first day attempt little did we know what lay ahead!

Day 3:

all gung ho and ready for action, clary and em marched up the hill very excited about the prospect of camping that evening!!! em had to stop again to shed a layer, and so will, ho, and clary went on ahead and we vaguely planned to meet/catch up shortly.

after 30mins of em literally running up the hill with t to try and catch them up, it dawned on em, that clary could surely not possibly be keeping sed pace with a very heavy and cumbersom pack, which is held together with selotape!!!

and so the phones came out, and sure enough, a wrong turn and some misguided and lying yellow arrows took them pretty much back to where we started!!! in short- they were lost!!!

an hour of confusion past, and we were eventually reunited and all had chips and egg together- except for t of course who once again ate a crust of bread!-how does he do it we wonder??!!

leaving will and jo to stay at the scarry orphanage, we had a gruelling 15k to the next village! just about to leave after another cafe con leche and cafe solo con 3 azucre, when to our surprise will and ho came racing round the corner and rejoined us in the attept to make the next 15k-due to orphanage being similar to squat/something from a horror movie!. we sang our way up the first mountain and played games untill red team started to fade- clarys blister count brewing steadily! will and ho went on, & we planted our weary selves in a field of cows, and watch some eagles soaring over the mountain ahead, recouped a bit of energy, ate the last rations of crispy sweetcorn-our dinner- and decided to proceed to the next town. reaslising after another 5k that this might not be an option-little did we know that will and jo were lost again, we settled down for the night of camping in a field!

 

3am day 4.

drips of rain start pouring through clarys 9.99 tent whilest wild dogs scare em and t!! definatly time to move on and find the lovely hostel that will and jo are in!! 2 hours of trapsing through the rain, with wet socks, shoes, packs, hair, everything – a local spanish farmer greeted us with “ola chicas- what a sight!!!” rescued once again by sneaking into w&ho´s albergue and having hot shower and inhaling 5 coffees!

 

not too keen on the day ahead, as em has developed the lergy, and clary´s blister count is in full swing with blisters on blisters!!! clary somehow convinced em to continue and take on the mountain ahead- which she later regretted-big time!!!

another 15k and even heavier in wet shoes, w, ho & t, have all kept good pace and we have lagged behind limping and singing the sound of music through the rainforest! we all met up and had the last coffee for the next 15k throught the mountains.We set off together but it soon became clear that our trench foot was starting to set in so let the others march on asuring them that we would be fine and we would absolutely meet them for a bottle of port at the other end.

Long story short both our feet came close to amputation and we had a few stops along the path-to say the least,- quite embarassing when people twice our age are marching past!!! and ordering cups of tea!!!

Dear T waited for us further down the line and after an hour an elderly northern couple told him that if he was waiting for the two english girls they were heading back the OTHER way with two spanish Carlos´´s or Pedros!!!

So we made it 4 hours later, a bunch of flowers each from t, and lovely red team go messages written in the path from will and Ho.after a few tears and an alphabet of camino ailments we arrived at Cee safely. -covered in plasters, compede and bound with micro pore!

Found the most wonderful free alburgue with clean sheets, & a mother teresa and wonderful hot curry and red wine-all was going to be ok.

Woke up to gregorian chanting and lots more coffee- upwards and onwards equiped with cold and flu tablets and compede we head for Finistaire! This is where we are now Emma on her last legs with flu with one foot between us.We are so very proud of ourselves amd have huge respect for the professional pilgrims. Have been in the sea and it has healed all open wounds, saw dolphins, ate icecreams and had picnic on beautiful little beach.

Now getting ready for walk to end of world with champagne and pizza for sunset.Despite foot rot and gangreen we are very happy and excited to be here and it is the most wonderful experince- Clary already planning to do the whole thing although she might be doing it alone as Ems not too convinced!

we´re sure they are are so pleased to have the wonderful support team that is us!!! villa pluge pool-here we come!!!!

love to you all, clary and em xxxxxxxxxxx