25th June Serendipity

 


A Fonsagrada to O Cadavo 24km


Again I could have chosen chance, coincidence, fortune, luck or even divine intervention for the title of today's musing. At one point the reflection was going to be about feet but events during the day took over.

I began pondering...what if? What if I hadn't started walking when I did. What if I hadn't walked the stages I have. What if I hadn't walked at the speed I did and stayed in the places I have stayed. What if I hadn't caught the Metro to Portgalete or taken that bus ride to Uquera. What if ferry's hadn't only started at 9am to Sonata. What if I hadn't had some slow days or changed plans at the suggestion of others. What if I had stayed on the del Norte and not switched to the Primitivo. What if...the list is endless.

Then the particular serendipitous series of events that has made this camino, my camino, would not have unfolded as they have. Instead I would have walked one of an unlimited number of parallel caminos in alternative universes, with different people, different interactions and different outcomes. Instead because of luck, chance, fortune, coincidence, divine intervention or as I have chosen to think of it, serendipity, I am in this particular time and space, here and now. 

The serendipitous moment for today was setting off when I did, walking at the speed I did and enjoying the almost 2km descent after 12kms of walking to arrive at Casa Meson cafe as the air grew increasingly heavy, the clouds gathered, the thunder rumbled and the lighting flashed. 

Arrived to find just the best milky coffee. Arrived to discover Bryant, Matt, Paul and Catherine (from Wigan) hot on my tail. Arrived to find Nema, my bunk bed mate from El Convento in Santillana del Mar on the del Norte, sat having breakfast. 

And most importantly, arrived 5 mins before the heavens split open and a deluge descended. A deluge that turn briefly into hail. Others unfortunately weren't so serendipitous and arrived soaked to the bone.

Yet another lovely days walk despite the weather and the nasty hidden inclines. With a 6.40am start, by 1.30pm I was in the albergue San Mateo, in O Cadavo, out of my walking clothes, showered and changed into something both sartorially suitable but more importantly dry. 

And that should be the end of the hill, or at least the major ones. Tomorrow I  head to Lugo...unless serendipity has other plans.

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