Touchdown in Laredo, a town along the Camino Norte, just outside of Bilbao. Today’s 8 hour bus ride to here from Santiago included sights of the lush green mountains I’ll be trekking through the next three weeks or so. It was very strange to be in a vehicle again, with scenery whizzing by several miles an hour. Getting off the bus was comical and embarrassing- it was like having sea legs. I was bumping my head on doors and tripping over everything.
I’ve spent the last few days getting very excited to be starting another Camino. I want to continue to meet people and do so independently…but I’m more nervous than I thought I would be. I’ve walked a thousand kilometers across Spain, but I always had someone I knew with me. Now, it’s just me. For the first time in two months, I am completely alone. It’s very exciting, and it’s what I wanted. But after walking through this quiet town at sunset and checking into a cheap one-bed room hostel to get a good nights sleep, I can’t help but feel terribly lonely.
This is one of the first times on this trip when I’ve felt really homesick. I know that home is just a phone call away, but nothing replaces a warm hug from a loved one. Today is my brother’s sixteenth birthday, and more than anything I wish I was with him. I miss him and my family and my home more than ever- it really hurts.
But I’m here.
I’m alive.
And I’m going to keep walking.
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