Day 10 Stats:
Distance = 59.10 km
Elev Gain = 690 m
Time = 3h 14m
To end things off, I want to thank the people who have read these blog entries and sent me a message or commented on a photo or a post on the various social media platforms. Thanks for leaving said platforms and coming to this little corner of the internet to read, mostly boring retrospective accounts of my trip. Many days and moments that I can't even recall now.
What I've learnt is that you mostly remember the tough days. The days where you thought you could no longer carry on, but you somehow did. Whether that was thinking of a friend with a brain tumor, busy dying and telling yourself you have to climb this next hill for them, because somehow that will keep them alive and fighting. Sometimes the fight was just to get to the reward of having a sip of water or the view that would inevitably await you once you crested the next hill or rounded the next turn. Those are the days and moments you recall later on. Not the easy days, even though I am thankful for the easy days; so thankful.
I am almost more thankful for the tough ones that I made it through. Life is weird that way. We think and believe we want the easy thing, but end up so jaded and cynical sometimes. We were made to do hard things even though we don't want to. Sometimes the hard thing is getting out of bed. And sometimes it's carrying someone else, whether physically or mentally.
Thanks for the difficult times and the easy times. Thanks for all of it.
My last day was a pretty easy one. The morning started off rather chilly and pretty much remained that way until I got to Santiago. Luckily no rain. This was the second easiest day of riding, after Day 2, which was the easiest I think.
I hate to admit this, but arriving in Santiago, at the church was for me, a great disappointment and anti climax. I was just another tourist, another “pilgrim” passing through. I thought about it for the next day or two - while I was there - and I came to the conclusion that for the first time in my life the saying; “It's the journey, not the destination”, rang true. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the “journey”, but at some point I want to get to where I am going. I want the "there” to be the "here". This time however when I got there my sense of accomplishment just didn't seem all that impressive. Maybe because it was an easy day, maybe because I had completed my goal and now what? What do I do tomorrow when I wake up? Nothing? I get to relax and just explore the city and walk around? Crazy talk! But that is what I did. And it gave me time to pause and think about this thing I had just done, along with thousands of others and millions or billions before me.
Going back in time to the tough days where strangers helped me. I was the old man in the ditch, needing help. And at other times, when a van was stuck I was the man helping. (Editors Note: If you don't know what I am talking about, you'll have to read through my previous posts ;P). That simple thought made me realize that it was all worth it. I did what I had set out to do and along the way I needed help and along the way I helped and isn't that just a smaller version of the big picture we call life? I hope I can carry some of this through in my day to day life, even on the smallest of scales. I'll try and I'll fail, but I will also succeed. I will be the helper at times and need help in others.
This is pretty much the end of my trip and I could tell you about my time in Portugal, but I won't bore you with those details. Just know it was good. I got to see my friends Jacques and Benthe, whom I haven't seen since photographing their wedding in 2019.
I got to meet up with Bernie (from my first day) in Lisbon and stay with him for a few days. I got a tattoo commemorating the trip and also memories of fishing with my grandad when I was a little boy. The only real treat I allowed myself on this trip.
Life is fucking good but it's also fucking hard.
Thanks for reading.
