Today was pretty tough. More up and down than on the level and most of it very steep. A lot of the walk was in beautiful, thick forest. This is great for keeping cool when climbing hills but, for me, does not give me the sense of progress that I get from open countryside, where one can see villages on the horizon getting closer with each step.
It is also easier to get lost, as one path through trees looks much the same as another. And although it seems churlish to complain about such gorgeous countryside, I find that the forest walks can tend towards monotony because of their unchanging internal landscape.
We spend so many hours walking that I started to wonder what I think about whilst walking. After all, there is nothing to do except walk and think. My conclusion is that my mind just seems to wander as I walk, without fixing on anything significant or meaningful. Thoughts arise and dissapear without effort or concern. So far, I have not been bored nor craved the company of my iPOD which waits in eager readiness at the very top of my rucksack. I am simply content to walk and let my mind wander. Is this a form of meditation I wonder? Is is just being?
Today's journey ended after a long walk when we stumbled, exhausted, down a steep slope, into the village of Beerfurth, in search of somewhere to sleep and eat – in that order of priorities. The place that we found is modest by yesterday's standards but is good enough for needs, except for perhaps the shower. It seems to have just two heat settings: scalding and extremely scalding. The longer it ran, the hotter it seemed to get. Having lathered up, I was reduced to standing some distance from the stream of water from the shower-head, splashing water towards me with my hand, in the hope that it would cool in the distance travelled. Miraculously, it did but made the experiences somewhat less satisfying than usual.
Before going, I wanted to say that if you had written to either of us, or posted a comment on the blog, please forgive us for not getting back to you. Devoid of Internet hotspots, we have resorted to sneaking into the infrequent “Internet Cafes” with a memory stick. It takes most of our time to update the blog, leaving little or no time for replying to emails or comments. But as soon as we find a hotel with a fast wireless connection, a jacuzzi, free massage and not on a main road, we will rest up for a while and catch up with you all.
Oh, I nearly forgot today's musical choice. I think I will have to go for Paul Weller's “Wild Wood” although “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles ran it pretty close today.
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