A change of pace

This evening I find myself 31 kilometers beyond Leon, which puts us three days ahead of schedule. Since our friend Greg joined us several days ago, we´ve been doing extra mileage (kilometerage?) in the hopes of getting him to Santiago before he has to return to the States for a wedding. Whether or not we are able to make it on time for him, this means Barbie and I should have time to walk to Finisterre (¨end of the earth¨), which is a three-day´s walk beyond Santiago. It will be a victory lap of sorts--a few more days to bask in the beauty of the Spanish country-side and something new, the ocean coast.
Our rendevouz with Greg has brought some changes to the experience, as does each new day for that matter. At the moment our original traveling group has been scattered. Some are ahead, some behind, all still very much in our minds and in the stories we recount while walking or sitting around the dinner table. Greg has brought with him a new energy, which I have seen working upon Barbie especially. I was privileged to accompany my two friends into a music store in Leon last evening (Barbie has been on constant lookout for such places where she might play the piano for a short while). The talent and soul of these two transformed the small commercial venue into a spiritual haven no less moving than the brilliant cathedral we have left shortly before. I was just grateful I to be there in that moment.
Right now we are nearing the end of our journey across the ¨meseta¨, a plateau stretching across northern Spain where the sun burns hotter and the scenery is far less interesting. We are all happy to be heading back towards mountains. Nevertheless, do not think that we have been bored. The stories continue come. On Greg´s first day we met a Finnish man who was attempted to walk the same route we are on in 22 days (we had allotted 34 originally). He told that one morning he and several others actually jumped the walls of the albuergue at 5:30am because the 6:30 opening time was not early enough for them. While we are usually not quite that eager to leave our beds in the morning, I can honestly say that each day I continue to experience the pleasure of waking in the anticipation of the unknown adventures that our sure to unravel in the coming hours.