Thanks to yesterday’s sunbathing session, I earned myself a second round of heatstroke. My body was burning up and I couldn’t sleep in my sleeping bag. Thank the Almighty I was in a room with only two beds and a big window. I asked the girl I was sharing with if we could keep the window open so I could glow, and she agreed.
Once again, I fell asleep wondering what my legs would have to say the next day. Had I wrecked them and ruined my trip? But I slept like a baby and woke up feeling okay. My legs didn’t rebel. The hives were still there, but the pain was gone. It’s crazy how fast your body can bounce back if you give it what it needs at the end of the day. After dinner, I had a long shower and even managed to massage my legs despite being exhausted.
As I started walking, the voices in my head came alive. Number Four asked me if now, since I was well-rested and recharged, we could finally talk about yesterday’s suicide attempt. I said sure, and they asked if there was anything else to add. I replied no, everything was clear now. And that was that—end of conversation. The Almighty stuck to the deal, and so did I. That meant cloudy weather and a nice 34 km walk along the beaches. The trail was finally becoming a bit less brutal. But back home, something had happened, and I wasn’t in the best mood. That day, I kept thinking of a friend who had taken his own life.
I brought back memories of the time we spent together, especially one random day when we bumped into each other in Kranj. We ended up having three beers and riding the bus to Škofja Loka[1] together. Everyone on the bus laughed with us because we were anything but quiet—absolutely buzzing. We sent that day straight to 3PM. It was a beautiful day.
So I dedicated this day to him. I said goodbye and had my own little funeral with him in my head.
When I arrived at the hostel, I was welcomed by a really comfy bed. I didn’t even need my sleeping bag. Bunk beds with curtains gave me at least a bit of privacy. I ended the rest of the day by writing down everything that happened.
Oh, and about the people… A lot of them ended their journey in Bilbao because of time. Tim went home since he had started all the way from Paris. The two Germans only had time off until Bilbao. Ellen is four stages behind me now because of blisters and torn ligaments. So, all things considered, my body’s doing okay.
Cheers.
[1] Škofja Loka- is a town in Slovenia.
