I had an epiphany yesterday, at 5 am. It isn’t too helpful seeing three alarm clocks at exactly the same time, you can snuff out all of them at once and still not be awake sufficiently for not falling asleep immediately after.
But no, that didn’t happen. We’re on the bus to Ferrol and it’s the second day of getting to the starting point of the walk. At this point, well, of course things can still go wrong, but many have already gone right, actually. Woke up and started driving – check. Charged the car half way, got to the parking at Gardermoen and took a shuttle bus to the departures hall – all good, timing and everything. A little delay with the first plane, but not bad enough to make it difficult with the second. Taxi to the hostel in Madrid, worked after some fiddling with the app. Couldn’t actually figure out what they call The Pickup Point, but the driver was kind enough to come out and find us.
Madrid is above 30 degrees also at midnight, which is mad. Also, there is always this little dusty and hot market somewhere close when you’re there. It’s enough to look around and you see it, seriously, anywhere in the town – just turn your head and it’s there. It’s also the same Chinese guy working in it, each time. Mad.
They upgraded our room. I’m not joking, they’d let us know upfront that we’re getting a “much better room” than the one we’ve booked. They didn’t mention the chastity wall in the middle of the bed, and I thought it was an interesting concept.
It’s a rather ugly part of town, close to the Moncloa bus station from which we were to depart the morning after.
Guys, when you see an obvious foreigner struggling to understand something in your town, go ask them if they need help. Thank you, the unknown dude who explained to two pilgrims the bus station is actually this building here, yes, aqui, there and downstairs. We had thought it was a subway station.
Anyway, there’s fewer and fewer things to screw up in terms of catching our transport. Middle of the Iberian nowhere. Air conditioned bus, couldn’t be better, honestly.
