14/38 Water Channel

Video still: Camino Fountain

From Eunate it was one hour to Puente Le Reina. There, the trail I followed so far joined the main trail known as Camino Frances. Well over 200 people a day were on that trail. Many get up at six, which is about two hours before dawn, to race to the next stop to secure a bed for the night. That did not sound attractive at all. I had been spoiled with solitude and familiar faces of fellow pilgrims. What to do? Continue or do the ‘catching-up-for-lost-time’ now? Now was the time I decided. With a vague plan and no maps or books to guide me I took a leap of faith and boarded a bus heading north in the hope to find El Camino del Norte, an alternative trail leading to Santiago.

After a short stop in Bilbao and a visit to the Guggenheim museum, I was keen to get back on El Camino and find an albergue for the night. I was directed to one but found it closed, redirected to the next, but strangely missed the bus twice, hmmm maybe not. Time to rethink my plan and maybe cover more distance by bus now leaving more time to slow down later. I had to go back to Bilbao bus station to catch a long-distance bus. With two minutes to spare and no time to think I quickly ordered a ticket, to my surprise not to the planned destination but to Oviedo, the starting point of a different Camino known as El Camino Primitivo or The Original Camino. The many changes in direction made me wonder if I was doing the right thing, if I was going with the flow.

I arrived in Oviedo at 11 pm, too late to get to the albergue, and looked for a hotel. The first one was full, the second too expensive, but after getting a pilgrims discount I decided to stay and not search any further. Just as I settled into my luxurious room a thunderstorm hit ferociously. Then I knew I reached the right eddy and on time, meaning I must also be in the right, albeit turbulent, flow today. Is there such a thing as ‘being in the wrong flow’?