24 June Castañeda - A Brea 19 km

Only 19 km today and counting down to Santiago de Compostela with 2 etappes of 15 and 11 km respectively. All ( good) things must come to an end, and I think it is good this way. It has been a fantastic adventure, but I cannot say I am sad it is almost over and I am certainly not going to walk to Finistere like so many pilgrims do. It has been a long walk from Vezelay of some 1700 km and I have been on the road for 86 days almost every day sleeping in another bed (apart from resting days in St. Amand Montrond, Limoges, SJPDP, Burgos and Léon) which I think is an achievement in its own right. I have had great pleasure in walking together with and got to know other pilgrims like Janick with whom I walked together in France for most of the time and it was a great pleasure to get to know him well and quite possibly we may be friends for life. I hope he is succesful in his continuation of the Camino from SJPDP to Santiago in Octobre this year. There are nummerous other pilgrims I have met, but I specially want to mention a couple of guys who left from Vezelay about the same time as I did. Francois Hurt from Luxembourg whom I don't know if made it to Compostela as he had a problem with one of his legs. Adriaan Vreeburg with the cart he pulled along. He was fast and almost certainly made it. Here is also Thorsten from Germany. He walked for a time together with Francois through France. I know all this as Janick and me followed after and were able to track these guys through the guest books of the pilgrim refuges in France. Here is also gentleman walker Franz from Germany and Bas, Ad and also Netty from NL. I could mention many others if I remembered their names, (I have to check when I get back home) but they all have in common that they made the Camino a richer experience for which I am very greatful. Of course I must mention my son Sander who joined me in SJPDP and walked with me over the Pyrenees and further to Logroño when he had to get back home for work. We had a great time together and I will for ever be greatful to him for joining his pappa those days. And of course there is my eldest brother Hans who joined me in Azofra and walked with me the remaining 570 km to Compostela to provide as he expresses it, moral support. He too likes walking and is still curious enough to find out what the Camino is all about. We haven't been walking together a whole lot as Hans has a different pace and walks faster than I do, but we have shared rooms and meals and have come to know oneanother better and I think we have come closer as brothers sharing many unique experiences. Many thanks to Hans.
With regard to my own experience from this trip I certainly think it helps to shape peoples character for the better in so many ways and this goes of course especially for the many young people walking the Camino Frances in Spain.
I believe this pilgrimage may have made me a better person in as much as I have started to appreciate living in the slow lane. I hope I have become a person with more patience for others, that I have become more tolerant towards other people and things that used to annoy me greatly like all kinds of noises (that I don't produce myself?) like snoring, counting, traffick in the street and anything else I used to dislike. I hope I can continue to live in the slow lane also in normal life and be more relaxed in all situations and take it as it comes, drive more carefully and live to be a 100.

Tomorrow only 15 km to Labacolla.