save me (from myself)
Updated: Mar 9, 2021
Following on from woodchopper, Day 7, could be 8 or 6, absolutely no idea
Woodshed to Lodéve ?km / ?h
Photo: the map is only an approximation. I really had no idea where I was or where, except I was in the grey area somewhere.
After a less than comfortable night, I dragged my sorry soggy arse out of the woods. My arse was soggy because my arse was touching the ground and soaked up 2km² of surrounding moisture. My one thought was, find a town, get a bus and go somewhere else. I needed to save me, primarily from myself.
My disappointment was, I thought I was tougher than this. This was day seven for goodness sake. If I were in a life and death situation I can guess which direction I was heading. Which is more than can be said about my real-life geographical route finding.
Photo: It was a really pleasent day but I was too fed up to pay much attention
I followed the one available footpath to a track, which led to a small road, which made its way to a big road. WITH A ROAD SIGN, I was saved.
Photo: I was so excited I even took a picture of my roadsign
It seemed to take forever but one step at a time, if repeated often enough, will get you to where you want to be. First things first, a bottle of water and food. Oddly enough I should have been ravenous but I could barely nibble, the sandwich stuck to the roof of my mouth. I used the water to rinse and swallow.
Coincidentally, next door to the shop was a small town hall building and inside the front door a huge wall map. For all my “lostness” I was about only 7 km adrift. I had entered the town ready to quit but now, I when I could see a map, I was less certain. The next bus was passing through Lodéve in an hour. I bought a coke, made sure I had lots of change and sat in the sun and waited for the bus. People started to move, the bus was coming. Standing was a problem because my soggy ass added numb to my woes.
For the short journey all I could think was “how amazingly comfortable bus seats were”.
I arrived in Lodéve around lunchtime. First things first, a hotel, with a shower, and after that, everything else is pure luxury.
It was only three nights since my shower in the Abbey, just three nights and yet standing in this unbelievably hot shower was like a new experience. The feeling of the soap melting away my sweat and grime, and seeing the watery dirt make its way down the drain was revelatory.
I couldn’t stay awake, so I didn’t.
I woke up and had another shower in time for dinner. I chose a small restaurant for dinner, no bread and cheese for me.
I swear I had never tasted anything so extraordinary in my whole life. The soup was a delight, the sauce for the steak, exquisite, the potatoes, exemplary, the vegetables magnificent, and the desert … to die for. I splurged a whole €10 on a bottle of deep, thick, blood-red and oh so delicious wine.
I intended to write in my journal, I didn’t.