24 June to Madrid

Finally blue sky and the temperature expected to reach 30 degrees!

And what do I do on this fine day?

Lug around a box full of cheeses and pick up a grain mill that feels like it weighs half a tonne (although in reality it is only 8kg)

A German lady offers to help, but I hadn’t picked up the mill yet so it just looked awkward rather than being ridiculously heavy. A little later a man stops me and insists that I let him help me.

Where are you going?

Casa Manolo.

I don’t know it. Is it far?

No, not far, close to here. On Plaza de Cervantes.

Oh, I know that, I’m going right past there. It will be better if I help you.

He was right, it was so so much better. We fell into step together and I joked we could walk right to the airport…which caused another helpful lady to tell us we were going the wrong way and pointed us to the bus stop for the airport bus! She was right, but I needed to get a stamp from Casa Manolo and pick up a grain mill before I could think about the bus stop.

As we walked we talked about the Camino and memories and eating cheese and remembering. I told My Helper I would remember him – and I surely will, a friendly, helpful, chatty guy, aptly named Salvador (Saviour). The last 500m without his help was much harder!

At the luggage storage place was another friendly chatty guy, a pilgrim, who was looking for ideas of things to do, given that this was his ninth time in Santiago. I suggested he could help me carry an enormous bag to the bus stop – and he did! Thanks Ralph.

Nap time at the airport – do you like my solo traveller security system? If I actually drop off to sleep and someone moves the trolley with the bag on it, the water bottle will drop with a clatter and scare them off and wake me up – genius!

I don’t arrive in Madrid until 11pm – and was meant to be spending a few hours at the airport before flying home in the early morning. Unfortunately Turkish Airlines changed my flights and so now I don’t leave until Wednesday…which will give me plenty of time to lug my Cheese Cargo the 750 meters from the Airport Express bus stop to my hostel. You’ll have to wait for tomorrow’s blogpost to find out how that works out!