Homage to Catalonia

The path was beautiful. It merged mountains, forests and spectacular coastal scenery in a great 100 and summat mile walk.

The weather was fantastic, the food was brilliant and our respect for Estrella deepened into the equivalent of a bromance. Alemance? Estrellamance!

The people are a little grim we found. If you break the ice with some then they are as good as gold, but most are too big a challenge. And like our previous Spanish walks every rural property is fiercely defended by (mostly) captive dogs.

The most poignant part of the trek was the hotel in Tossa de Mar where the woman behind the bar turned out to be Ukrainian. She was there with her two daughters and her husband was back in the Ukraine serving in the army. By the end of her story Gary, me and the lass were all in tears.

However, ten minutes later we had the funniest part of the trip. An old French hag and her husband started telling us how awful England was. Our food is disgusting, our towns, countryside and people are naff and she’ll never come back. Her and her husband were from Perpignan on the Mediterranean coast of France. They did a house swap – with a family from Grimsby! Apart from a short trip to London this was her only exposure to the UK. Grimsby! Me and Gary started laughing and couldn’t stop. She said the family from Grimsby wanted to stay permanently at her house in Perpignan. Another 15 minutes of uncontrollable giggles from G and D. Chuffing Grimsby.

The view below isn’t Grimsby!

I’m still hurting quite badly sometimes when the painkillers wear off. I’ve broken my arm where it fits into the shoulder socket, but it’s reasonably secure as long as I don’t arse about. I’ve got 5 more weeks of hospital attention through reviews, physiotherapy, a further x-ray, then take it from there. I gave it quite a bang. This is the back of my arm from below the elbow to the shoulder. But it could have been a lot worse.

Don’t try this at home!

I’d just like to thank my mate Gary. He looked after me, got me to hospital in Spain, carried both rucksacks, like a Nepalese Sherpa, and helped keep me going until I got home. Love you mate. Thanks!

I’ll be in my boots before summer for another yomp but I’ve no firm plans yet. It will be somewhere great. Planet Earth!

Night, night.