Tuesday, April 19, 2016

On the Way to Ourense

When we finally arrived in Ourense we were exhausted and in need of a little rest. It was not the physical activity that had caused us this weariness but by a series of small events that reeked a bit a havoc on my day and in my heart.

When we awoke in A Gudina, as expected, there was a deluge of rain. We are still having to alter our walking plans daily because of the rapidly changing weather and road conditions. This does not usually pose a problem but for today we would have to walk along the busy highway in very rainy weather to get to where we wanted to be. This road would intersect the busy A52 several times and we would have to walk through some automobile  tunnels to get across and then back alongside the A52. We have done this before and on a clear day this is not desirable but on a rainy day it can be treacherous. We opted instead to catch a bus.

We love our walking days. Although we understand we have nothing to prove to anyone or to ourselves it is always a bit hard for us to  make the decision to catch a bus. I have to admit, in the morning when we looked out the window we knew this was the right decision.

It can be a bit challenging catching a train or bus in another country in which you do not have command of the language. Trying to get an understanding of both the timetables and location can be a bit challenging. Everyone had different advice for us and soon we were completely confused about where and when to go. Finally, a young man, who was also the taxi driver for this area gave us some explicit instructions. He took us to a cafe and told us,  "In about an hour stand in front of this cafe and when a blue and white bus comes by wave him down and tell him where you need to go. You will have to transfer once but he can help you with that." We understood what needed to be done, we only hoped we could communicate this well enough when the time came to execute this plan.

About ten minutes before the hour the taxi drive showed up at the cafe. He lifted the hatch back of his car and told us to stand under it while he hailed down the bus for us. What a gift to us! Several blue and white buses drove by before one finally stopped to pick us up. I am not sure how he knew which blue and white bus but he did and we were so very grateful. He told the bus driver where we needed to go and we were set. We got off where we were told to get off and interestingly enough the bus driver walked in with us and helped us make our connection. We had a bit of time so went to the nearest cafe and had wonderful cup of hot chocolate. Soon it was time to board the bus so we made a quick stop at the market for a few snacks for our trip. I know, we were not going that far but we have become smitten with these little packages of cookies so we picked up a couple to "sustain us" for the short ride.

We made the connection without a hitch. We sat in the front seat so we could see/remind the bus driver where we needed to get off. Midway I reached into my pocket and noticed that my phone was gone. We have these daily rituals that we perform because we are on the move so much and do not want to lose anything. I could not find my phone/camera nor could I remember when I had last felt it in my pocket. The bus driver could sense my despair and quickly pulled over. When we were at the next stop he allowed me to get out and check the underside  of the bus where my backpack was located. I could not find it! It is a brand new iPhone but the part that hurt my heart the most was all of my pictures were on it. Our trip, my grandkids, our family, first day of school photos of Parker and Miriam, Viviana's graduation pictures...pictures that I look at daily to fill my heart when I am away from those I love the most in the world. We made the decision to go back to where we were and try to find my phone.

This would not be easy even if you were in your own country, speaking your own language, and might I add, driving your own car. After a bit of work we did get back to where we had been waiting to transfer buses. The phone was nowhere to be found. Such an interesting set of events followed as we tried to locate it. We met a man in the cafe we had been at earlier whose wife was the local English teacher and she would try to help us. We also contacted the taxi driver who had given us is card and told us to call if we needed help whatsoever. Between the two of them they were able to contact the bus company who contacted the bus driver and the phone was nowhere on the bus. I began to cry. I would certainly survive losing my phone but for just a moment I felt sad over the loss of my photos and all the tidbits of things I keep on it. I tried to explain this to the group of people who were trying so hard to help us and console me. "It is not the loss of my phone I mourn, just the loss of the photos that bring me such joy". Everyone was kind and comforting. We decided to move on and after an attempt to notify the police we went back to the bus station. While I was thanking the young man who helped us the bus driver from earlier in the morning came into the station and called Tom over. He had found my phone clipped into the seat of his bus. What an unlikely moment...that we would be exactly where we were and he would be there also. He remembered us sitting in the front seat and wanted to be sure that the phone was returned to us. After he gave it to Tom he quickly disappeared.

We caught a later bus and did make it into Ourense. We decided to add an extra day just to collect ourselves and rest before moving onward.

Always thinking of you. You are loved...Buen Camino. 


Nancy Stoeckel 

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